Chapter 9 Speed Dating
"And what? Oh, you must be remembering your childhood sweetheart again." Lana sighed. "You really are so loyal. It's been almost five years since he went abroad. You were both so young back then, and chances are he has already forgotten you! Yet here you are, still pining."
Penelope's cheeks flushed. "He promised he'd come back for me!"
"Sure, 'come back someday'. Five years, fifty years—it's all 'someday'. If he truly remembered that promise, he would've contacted you by now.
"But look on the bright side: now you've got that big-shot CEO wanting to marry you. Losing one thing only to gain something else—that's hardly a loss!" Lana remarked.
Penelope pursed her lips, suddenly doubting if she should've made this call for help in the first place.
On the other end of the line, Lana continued to rant, "I've got my own problems, you know. My mom's forcing me to go to some ridiculous speed dating event this weekend—a whole line-up of people staring awkwardly at each other. So embarrassing!
"But middle-aged moms are unstoppable. She even wants me to drag you along. Not that you need it anymore, clearly!"
"Speed dating?" Penelope repeated, stunned.
What was meant to be an offhand comment left them both silent for a moment. Then, Lana let out a mischievous laugh. "Poppy, are we... thinking the same thing?"
Penelope swallowed. "If I were to go to this speed dating event…"
"Well, if you go, just pick some decent-looking guy to be your 'boyfriend'. You're not like Valeria, promised to someone since birth. Ajax’s still searching for her, and only then might he impulsively want you to step in and replace her.
"But if you have someone in mind, do you really think Ajax will just come and snatch you away?"
The two friends shared a moment of hesitant hope before quickly shaking their heads.
Ajax was domineering—he might really take her by force if he had to. They dismissed the idea as it couldn't work.
Then again… they reconsidered. What if it was their only option? What if, by some miracle, Ajax actually had a conscience? What if he saw her with a boyfriend and let her go?
"Wow! This plot is getting juicy! Oh, oh, oh! If he really did try to snatch you away, that'd be so over-the-top, like some dramatic CEO romance! So thrilling!" Lana's imagination ran wild.
"Lana!" Penelope scolded, both embarrassed and exasperated, cutting off Lana's daydreams.
After hanging up, she recalled Ajax's cold, detached expression. Remembering the way he had kissed her, she shivered as goosebumps spread across her skin.
She had to get away from him!
The speed dating event was scheduled for the weekend, conveniently the day before she planned to return to campus.
…
Penelope was up early on Saturday morning, having barely slept the past few nights because of the whole Ajax ordeal.
She woke before dawn, only to have Berta, who clearly disliked her, make her clean the entire house before she was finally allowed to leave.
By the time Penelope arrived at the venue, she was panting and exhausted. It was already noon.
Lana waved at her from the entrance of the bustling hotel. "It started at 11:00 a.m.! Why are you so late?"
"I… I was busy." Penelope never shared how Berta bullied her and quickly changed the subject.
The event was held at a rented ballroom in a five-star hotel downtown. The setting was elegant, but the crowd was overwhelming. Dozens of well-dressed men and women were seated at tables, smiling and chatting.
The room buzzed with voices, and the atmosphere was lively and chaotic.
Penelope, attending something like this for the first time, couldn't hide her awe. "Wow, there are so many people…"
"Don't worry," Lana declared confidently, patting her chest. "I'm not here to focus on my love life today. My top priority is solving your problem!"
She dragged Penelope to a small table and sat her down, pointing determinedly to her own glasses. "With my eagle eyes, I'm definitely going to find you the perfect boyfriend!"