Chapter 6

When Lucille opened the private room's door, she saw a tall figure standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows with his hands in his pockets. His back alone gave her a domineering feeling, yet there was also a loneliness to him. It piqued her curiosity.

She frowned slightly and stepped into the room. The server shut the door behind her. Lucille had never liked dragging things out. Two seconds after entering the room, she said to the man, "Hi, sir. I'm your blind…"

The man turned to face her as she spoke. She trailed off when she saw the familiar face. Then, she continued, "It's you?"

It was Spencer. He was equally surprised to see her. She looked different from how she'd been yesterday. Yesterday, she'd been dressed casually. Today, her outfit was professional yet elegant.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled gently at her. His eyes seemed to light up at the sight of her, and he retracted his cold presence. Then, he said, "Nice to meet you. It looks like something keeps leading us to each other."

Lucille didn't say anything. She supposed he was right. Yesterday, he'd misunderstood that she wanted to commit suicide and had saved her from falling into the lake. Today was only their second meeting, and here they were as each other's blind dates.

Spencer was obviously used to being in a position of power. Even if he'd toned his demeanor down around her, there was no hiding the natural dominance he exuded.

Where had Marie found him? Or had Lucille entered the wrong room? She'd seen the private room's name before entering, though. She was sure this was the Moonstone Room.

Spencer had taken a few steps forward while she was dazed. He was now about three steps away from her. His chiseled features were even more flawless up close. He asked, "Are you wondering whether you're in the wrong room?"

Lucille looked up at him as a hint of smile colored her eyes. "Are you perhaps a psychiatrist?"

He said indifferently, "I only know a thing or two about psychology."

She didn't take it to heart. Spencer continued, "Spencer Layton."

"Huh?"

"That's my name," he said.

Only then did Lucille realize he was introducing himself. It was very concise. She smiled. It looked like they were pretty similar in that aspect. "Lucille Johnson."

Neither of them introduced themselves further, and they didn't ask each other for more, either. When they took their seats, a server brought their dishes. They asked in unison, "Should we talk after the meal?"

They smiled and started eating. Lucille's impression of Spencer improved during the meal. Setting aside his good looks, he also had good table manners. She couldn't spot anything wrong with his actions.

It was as if his manners had been embedded in his bones, and they definitely weren't the product of any regular old affluent family.

Lucille had no choice but to force herself to recall her table manners. She had to admit the meal frustrated her a little. She could usually finish a meal in ten minutes, but this one dragged out for an hour. Slowly and steadily enjoying a meal really wasn't her style.

Spencer looked like he was enjoying himself, though. She decided to endure it for the sake of his handsome face. He didn't seem to notice anything wrong with her.

When they were finally done with the meal, Lucille poured herself a cup of tea and asked, "What do you think of this blind date, Mr. Layton?"

Spencer felt an inexplicable irritation at her distance and formality. He asked in return, "What do you think, Ms. Johnson? Hmm?"

His tone was a little lilted at the end of his question. It dazed Lucille a little. She could forget about him looking so good. Why did he have to sound so good, too? She cleared her throat to cover up her short daze. "Do you keep up with the trending topics, Mr. Layton?"

She sidestepped his question. Instead, she answered him with another question. He looked at her a little probingly before saying, "Yes, I do. But what does that have to do with our blind date?"

Lucille looked at him calmly. "I have a bad rep."

"Oh? I'm more inclined to believe what I see."

His words took her aback. His gaze burned into hers. It made her look away after meeting his eyes for a while.

"How about we get married, Ms. Johnson?" Spencer asked.

Lucille's eyes shot back to him. This time, she looked appalled.

He chuckled. "We were lucky enough to meet each other, and we just need to get what we need out of this marriage. Why not?"

When she didn't say anything, he continued, "We don't have to interfere in each other's lives after marriage. I'm always busy with work, so marriage has never been on my to-do list. It's too bad I have a mischievous grandfather who doesn't agree with that.

"We can both take this opportunity to get both our families off our backs. Blind dates are quite a waste of time, after all." Spencer ended his speech. He sounded like he'd been on more dates than he would've liked.

Lucille narrowed her eyes at him. He was right. Blind dates did take up too much time. Knowing Marie, she wouldn't stop arranging for Lucille to go on blind dates now that she was no longer engaged to Harold. Spencer didn't look like a nice guy, but at least he was easy on the eyes.

Spencer didn't lose his patience at her silence. He waited for her answer and even poured her more tea like a perfect gentleman. The private room fell into silence for some time before Lucille said, "Fine. I agree to your proposal, but I have a condition."

She met his eyes, and her gaze was clear yet unreadable. Spencer didn't even hesitate as he said, "Sure. Feel free to make as many conditions as you want."

Lucille raised an eyebrow at his words. Hadn't he been too quick to agree? And he was fine with her making as many conditions as she wanted? Did he have that much faith in her?

Once again, Spencer seemed to read her mind. He explained, "I'm only putting my faith in you because you're worth it."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Lucille felt her heart skip a beat before warming. Although this was only their second meeting, he managed to warm her heart. It was a bit ridiculous. Spencer saw the self-deprecation in her eyes again. He watched her without saying anything else.

…

It was 9:30 pm when Lucille and Spencer left Zaytun Pavilion. He offered to send her home like the gentleman he was, but she turned him down. She told him that she had driven here.

He got into his car and watched as her Mercedes-Benz G Class disappeared into the night. His deep gaze was unfathomable as he thought about Lucille's condition. He hadn't expected her to ask to keep the marriage a secret. It had surprised him.

She could've used his identity and status to get revenge on those who had hurt her, but she said she didn't need it.

The first time he'd seen her by the lake, she'd given him a familiar feeling. He'd never been interested in women, but the sight of her had inexplicably made him stop the car. At the time, Spencer thought he'd lost his mind.

But after today's blind date, he found his interest in Lucille had grown. He'd been a little pissed when he realized she would probably meet other men on more blind dates. That was why he'd surprised even himself by asking her to marry him… even if it was just a contractual marriage.

Meanwhile, Lucille returned to her apartment at Orchidstone Garden and flopped onto the couch. She felt like she could finally relax.

It didn't take long for Spencer's face to pop into her mind. She also thought about how she'd agreed to his crazy proposal for a contractual marriage. How had something like this happened to her?

She couldn't figure it out, so she stopped thinking about it. She dragged her tired body to the bathroom.

…

Monday came two days later. Two well-matched figures showed up at Whiteloop City's courthouse at 9:00 am and entered through a special entrance. They were brought to the VIP lounge.

Ten minutes later, Lucille was still dazed as she held her marriage certificate. She was so out of it that she didn't even notice the sly smile on Spencer's face. He looked like he was pleased that his plan had worked out.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Layton. I wish you both all the happiness in the world, and I hope you'll soon have a little family of your own!" The employee who spoke to them was a woman.

Spencer and Lucille were the best-looking couple she'd attended to in her career. She couldn't help smiling at them and wishing them well.