Chapter 156
“Edward p>
Lisette’s eyes lit up the moment she spotted him. “What are you doing in Fenworth p>
Edward Mason, her brother’s old college buddy and also one of his closest friends. The Mason family was practically royalty back home in Veridia. They’d spent their childhood playing together. Edward had always treated Lisette like his own little sister—protective, kind, the whole nine yards.
There was even that one time when some local punks tried to mess with her—and her brother and Edward swooped in like heroes. She still remembered how Edward had smugly said that was the first time he’d ever been in a fight.
“Lise?” Edward looked up from his newspaper, adjusted his watch, and smiled. “Never thought my blind date would turn out to be you p>
“Huh?” Lisette blinked. “Wait, blind date p>
At the same time, their “matchmaker” Owen looked equally stunned. “Hold up! You two know each other p>
But then he burst out laughing. “Well then! Guess I don’t need to do the whole intro thing, huh? You’re already old pals, anyway—makes this a lot easier p>
He winked at Lisette, lowered his voice, and said, “Sis, I pulled every string I had to set you up with this total package. Edward’s got the pedigree—top-tier family in Veridia kind of pedigree. Seriously, don’t mess this up. I’m rooting for you two p>
Lisette shot him a look. “Who told you to play matchmaker on your own p>
She didn’t even get to finish before Owen pulled the ultimate Irish exit—vanished before she could roast him.
Lisette clenched her fists. What kind of agent had she signed on with?
Owen used to joke about hooking up with her, and after getting punched—twice—he’d finally learned his lesson. But now? Dude figured if he couldn’t date her, he might as well pawn her off to the next big shot?
Was it because she was way too pretty, and he was genuinely worried she’d be single forever?
Seriously? Could that be it?
“Hah, just you wait, Owen. I’ll deal with you later p>
She made a mental note—Owen, one sin, to be publicly punished.
When she turned back, she found herself locking eyes with Edward. The awkwardness crept in again.
“Uhm p>
They both spoke at the same time. “You first p>
After five painfully silent seconds, Lisette finally broke into a laugh. “Go on, Edward. Ladies last p>
Her smile was contagious. The room didn’t feel as awkward anymore. Edward leaned back. “I’m here on business. Granny called me up, said she wanted me to meet this girl from Veridia. Pretty, graceful, smart—basically a unicorn. Couldn’t say no p>
Lisette coughed awkwardly. “Ha… well, she wasn’t exactly wrong.” Okay, Owen really did oversell, but weirdly? He wasn’t lying.
Maybe his sin level could go down from ten to one.
Edward sighed. “You know how it is—been getting the marriage pressure for years. Just didn’t expect the blind date to be with you p>
He grinned. “If your brother finds out, do me a favor and explain everything, yeah? I’d rather not get punched p>
A few jokes back and forth, and the awkward vibe dissolved into thin air.
Lisette chuckled. “Don’t worry, I got you. Not a word to my brother—I’ll keep it airtight p>
Then she pointed toward the door. “But can we talk about how I got hijacked into this? Didn’t even know it was a date. That so-called matchmaker? Woke me up with a dozen calls saying he had a ’surprise.’ Little did I know the man had gone and played Cupid behind my back p>
Their relationship had always been pretty solid, and thanks to that guy, things almost got too awkward to talk!
She pointed outside and said, “I got here a day before you, Edward, so I guess I’m sorta the host. Hope you don’t mind if I treat you to a coffee p>
“Of course I don’t mind,” he replied casually.
And with that, the two of them headed out together.
Grace had just finished touching up her makeup when she spotted Lisette walking out of the male lead’s lounge with a man she didn’t recognize.
Her brows lifted slightly. Quietly, she pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture.
As they walked, Lisette felt like someone was staring at her. She turned to look, but saw nothing behind her.
With a slight frown, she rubbed at her temple.
Edward noticed her subtle movement and tilted his head, asking, “You okay p>
Lisette shook her head. “I’m fine. Probably just didn’t sleep well last night. Feeling a little out of it today p>
He offered gently, “Want me to take you back to rest for a bit? I’ll be in Fenworth for a few days—when you’re feeling better, just call me and I’ll buy you that coffee anytime p>
“No way,” she insisted. “I’m the one who promised to treat you p>
Before he could say more, Lisette was already steering him toward the car.
At the coffee shop, they picked a seat by the window. Lisette ordered two coffees and a spread of sweet—and very Instagram-worthy—desserts, happily digging in.
Edward passed her his pudding with a smile. “Still that same sweet tooth, huh p>
“Yup,” she grinned, spooning up a bite. “Everything tastes better when it’s sugary—makes people feel better instantly p>
She paused, then added with a laugh, “When I was a kid, eating too much candy always gave me cavities. My parents and my brothers banned me from eating it. I clearly remember during my most candy-obsessed phase, you were the one who snuck me a piece p>
“I totally started thinking of you as my real big brother after that p>
Edward laughed helplessly.
After all these years, even the scolding back then felt kind of funny now. “That one piece of candy gave you such a bad toothache, your eyes were red for days. I ended up getting called out by your brother behind the trees and got punched twice p>
“What?” Lisette blinked in surprise. “My brother actually hit you? I had no idea p>
Then she suddenly remembered, “So that’s why you used to dodge me back then! I thought you were sneaking off to get more candy for me—I even waited outside your house forever p>
As they shared those childhood memories, the conversation flowed without pause.
What they didn’t notice was the sleek black Bentley slowly cruising past the café windows—
Behind the wheel was none other than Tobias.
He’d seen Lisette’s latest tweet earlier and had been thinking about her ever since. Usually all about work, the mighty Tobias had actually skipped the office just to find her!
He’d even gone to ask Dominic—his own buddy with “dating history”—for tips. Not that it helped. Dominic was still salty over Tobias never letting him use his Apex Legends account and said coldly, “Dude, guys like us? We don’t ’chase’ women. You like someone? Just lie down, arms wide open—they’ll come crawling on their own p>
Tobias, speechless: I’ll give you my Apex account. The password is p>
“HAHAHAHA p>
The moment Dominic got hold of Tobias’s god-tier Apex account, he was already plotting sweet, sweet revenge on those annoying players Nine and Ten!
Switching immediately into mentor mode, Dominic declared, “Chasing girls? Easy. That’s what I do best p>
Tobias raised a brow. “Really? Your specialty p>