Unexpected Love, Sweet Marriage

"Of course not! I don't know anyone named Amanda, and my last name isn't Quentin. Next time, make sure you've got the right person before you start causing a scene. Otherwise, you might end up with acid thrown in your face. Got it, miss?"

I was stunned by his reprimand. Before I could react, the man had already wrapped his arm around the fuming woman and walked off.

That was when I remembered that woman had ruined my thousand-dollar white dress, and I hadn't even gotten a word in about it.

"Hey, you two, wait up!"

I spun around to chase after them, but just as I took a step, my purse strap tightened, and I was yanked back in front of the police officer.

"What's this? Not happy with the way things went and thinking of chasing after them for more trouble?"

I twitched my mouth, asking, "More trouble? Are you kidding? That guy was a total reject, not even close to the 'prize' I was expecting."

"Then why try to chase them down?"

"Because that woman ruined my dress! It's worth a thousand bucks, just bought it yesterday, and she didn't even apologize. What do you expect me to do?"

I pointed angrily at my dress, and the officer followed my gesture.

The next second, his face turned red, and he quickly looked away, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"I think the most important thing right now is not to chase them but to go back and change into something else."

I frowned, suspicious, and glanced down.

The wet fabric clung to my chest, and the pink lace bra was visible through the thin material. My face flushed with embarrassment.

I thought, "Damn that woman, she was so calculating, throwing the drink not just on my face but on my chest!"

"Ah!" I gasped, clutching my chest and turning my back to the officer. "Did you... did you see all that?"

The whole scene mortified me.

I thought, "Can I just disappear right now?

Hmm, why is he so quiet?"

I turned around, only to find he was gone.

Just like that, he had vanished.

Suddenly, my phone rang in my bag.

I fumbled to get it out while still covering my chest.

It was my mom calling. The embarrassment of earlier came rushing back. I answered the call, seething, "Mom, where's the guy Amanda set me up with?

"I didn't even see the guy at the restaurant. That Amanda's introduction was completely unreliable.

"Can we just learn from this and stop setting me up with blind dates? Can we?"

There was a long silence on the other end, and then came my mom's counterattack.

"Don't tell me you're just now arriving!"

I was speechless.

Amidst my mother's scolding, I defiantly protested, "Mom, can you ease up? It's like you think I can't find a man on my own. Do you believe I will bring a husband home next month?"

My mom's response was dismissive. "Yeah, right."

She then hung up the phone with a finality that left me fuming.

I thought, "So, that's the game she's playing, huh? Prodding?

Fine, she won this round."

At that moment, the officer reappeared.

He was holding a white shirt and handed it to me. "Here, put this on."

A huge smile spread across my face.

He was truly the kind of guy who could win anyone over—cold on the outside but warm-hearted with a hero complex. I was falling for him hard.

I'd be doing a disservice to the 200 bucks and those 3 points if I didn't take this gem home.

I made an effort to suppress my swooning and took a deep breath, only to burst into tears the next second.

I said, pulling the shirt over my head and sobbing, "It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have missed my perfect blind date, gotten humiliated, or had a drink thrown at me. And my mom's furious.

"She said if I don't bring a husband home next month, she'll cut me off. I'm really in a terrible spot."