Chapter 1 A Late Date

Sarah Swain oozed sophistication in her elegant, custom-tailored, black formal wear as she sat in a chair by the window of a coffee shop, relishing the view of the bustling city. The ambiance of the place in such honeyed hues brought a sweetness to her day, coaxing an inner smile that warmed her from within.

By the age of twenty-seven, Sarah had become one of the most prolific white-collar elites in the city. Unfortunately, even though she enjoyed great success in her career as an architect, her love life hadn't worked out the same way as she would have wanted.

In spite of the fact that most of her colleagues were males, sadly, Sarah's rigid personality managed to drive them far away from her. Sarah was considered to be the ice queen of the company by her peers, but they had no idea that she was a completely different person outside of work. While she waited for the blind date her mother had arranged for her, Sarah plunged a single sugar cube into the cup and stirred before taking a sip.

Her impatience indicated that she wasn't looking forward to this date. Perhaps, she would have felt excited about today's date if her mother hadn't arranged at least one blind date for her every week. This was the ninety-eighth time and also the second one this week.

Unfortunately, this was the only way to shut her mother up who wouldn't stop talking about her younger friends who already had grandsons. Exasperated, Sarah's fingers traced her face. Although her skin was still very smooth and tender, it felt nothing like it did seven years ago. After all, she was no longer in her early twenties. The thought spread a bitter taste in her heart, much like the coffee she was drinking.

Sarah thought back to when she was twenty-five years old, when the prospect of love still excited her. She sincerely hoped to put an end to these weekly blind dates as soon as possible. Besides, she could learn to love someone as long as the person wasn't too hard to live with. After all, she was no longer the naive woman she used to be and she didn't have time to nitpick anymore.

Sarah took a sip and glanced at her watch again. Her date today was already three minutes late. She kept telling herself to wait a little longer, just in case it was the heavy traffic that was keeping her date from showing up on time.

Had this been any other date, Sarah would have already got up and walked out of the coffee shop by now. However, Danna Swain, Sarah's mother, had stressed that Sarah's blind date was the son of her classmate, who had just recently returned from abroad. If she were to mess this up, her mother would keep arranging blind dates for her every day until she got married.

As such, even though her date was late, Sarah had to swallow her own anger. If there was anything she hated more than a blind date, it was an unpunctual one. Unfortunately, biting down her anger was the only way to avoid angering her persistent mother.

After Sarah checked the time on her watch a few more times, her date finally showed up.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Swain? I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but the traffic was insane."

The man's gentle and elegant way of speaking drew Sarah's attention. She raised her head and stared at the man standing in front of her. He certainly looked the part of a well-educated gentleman with his hair arranged in a meticulous fashion, but he also looked quite old-fashioned. He too was smartly dressed for the occasion, in black formal wear and a pair of brightly shining leather shoes. "It's okay. I just arrived a few minutes ago." Sarah broke the ice with a comforting smile. However, the smile on her lips was forced. After all, everyone who lived in the city knew what the traffic was like during rush hours. Shouldn't he have at least gone out earlier? Besides, he made a girl wait for him for more than thirty minutes on their first date. What could Sarah look forward to in a man like that?

However, the moment the man saw Sarah, his eyes lit up. Fortunately for him, his mother, Tina, had a classmate whose daughter was just his type. After he came back from abroad, Tina arranged many blind dates for him, but none of those women were able to satisfy his standards for a beautiful woman, who had to be endowed with a pretty face, a perfect figure and long legs.