Chapter 4

"Finally, I found you."

Chloe Hazel blinked her eyes once. She immediately turned around to confirm the owner of that voice. Shortly after, her brow furrowed. A tall man with an athletic body stood before her, smiling mischievously with a hint of teasing in his eyes.

Every afternoon, Chloe spent her time specifically at L'Elysee Artisan Cafe and Patisserie. There, she would usually read books while sipping cappuccino, eating salads, or tiramisu. She did this every day without ever feeling the slightest bit bored.

Due to this habit, with Hans' help, Edward was able to find her. After nearly forty-five minutes of waiting in boredom, the woman he was looking for finally arrived to take a break.

"Why do you look surprised like that? Are you dazzled by my handsomeness?" Edward said, running his fingers through his hair while smiling.

"Sorry," Chloe replied. Before continuing her sentence, she scanned Edward from head to toe. Observing his appearance, she spoke again, "We don't know each other. You should step aside from me," Chloe said coldly.

As Edward didn't move an inch, Chloe took the initiative to pass by him. She directed her feet to one of the empty tables located in the far-left corner of the cafe.

Not wanting to lose track, Edward shamelessly followed her. He took a seat, even though no one had invited him to do so. Confidently, he once again initiated a conversation with Chloe.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Chloe tried to ignore Edward and instead chose to open the book she had brought with her. Shortly after, she ordered her food when the cafe's waiter came to attend to her.

"I'll have the same thing as the lady," Edward chimed in while the waiter was busy taking the order. When the waiter left, he resumed talking to Chloe.

"You know, I came all the way here just to see you. There are many things we need to settle."

Chloe lifted her face, looking unimpressed at Edward. The man kept smiling mischievously and flirtatiously.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Edward, you are really disrupting my activities. Besides, we have no business to settle," Chloe said firmly.

"Oh my goodness," Edward sighed softly. "We are not business associates; you don't need to call me 'Mr.' But by the way, how do you know my name? When we were at the hotel, didn't I have a chance to introduce myself?" he inquired.

Chloe put down the book she was reading, reaching for the cappuccino that had just been brought to her by the waiter. She chose to take a sip first before answering.

"Your name is well-known throughout London, or perhaps the entire United Kingdom. I must say, Mr. Edward," she replied.

Edward smiled proudly. "Apparently, my name is quite famous in this country. I'm quite proud to hear that."

Disinterested, Chloe responded, "Of course, who wouldn't know the playboy lizard like you?"

"Uhuk!" Edward, who had just taken a sip of cappuccino, suddenly choked. The playful grin that he had shown with so much confidence disappeared, replaced by a grimace. He even muttered curses in his mind without realizing it.

Ah, damn!

Why does this woman resemble Richard?

How dare she call me a playboy lizard?

"Call me whatever you want. The point is, I'm not the man you imagine me to be," Edward said, trying to defend himself.

Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, but I don't care about your defense. Whoever you are, let me reiterate, I don't want to know."

"I'm not defending myself," Edward replied quickly. "Besides, like I said before, the two of us have to settle yesterday's matter."

Chloe sighed in frustration. She lifted her face and looked at Edward disapprovingly.

"How many times do I have to say it? The two of us don't have any issues to settle. So--"

"Wait a minute," Edward interrupted. "After you put me to sleep, you just easily forget about it?" Edward's loud voice caught the attention of other cafe guests.

In the next moment, Edward looked around, grinning at all the onlookers. He realized he had spoken without filtering his words first.

"Alright, I'll give you ten minutes to talk. Oh no," Chloe corrected herself. "Five minutes should be enough."

Not wanting to waste any time, Edward took the opportunity Chloe provided to explain his purpose in meeting her. Intentionally, he pulled a chair to position himself closer.

"We didn't know each other at first. But that night, you deliberately tempted me and then forced us to be intimate--"

"Oh my goodness..." This time, Chloe cut off Edward's sentence. "You're being too long-winded. Get to the point already. I hate people who beat around the bush."

Edward grunted in frustration. Since their first meeting, he had tried to act sweet to catch Chloe's attention. While other women would look at Edward adoringly, she completely ignored him and openly showed her dislike.

"I want to marry you."

Chloe blinked her eyes after hearing that statement.

"I thought after what we did yesterday, I should take responsibility," he said. "Especially since you lost your honor by giving yourself to me so freely. I may be a scoundrel who enjoys changing partners, but that doesn't mean I'm irresponsible," he continued.

Chloe stared intensely at Edward's hazel eyes. She chose to rise and grab her bag and the book she had brought. Getting up from there, she didn't forget to say softly yet emphatically, "You're not my type. You don't need to take responsibility. I've already forgotten what we did before."

The next moment, Chloe left Edward without saying goodbye or excuse. Because he was still curious, Edward also got up and followed Chloe, who had already disappeared from his sight.

Oh dear.

What kind of woman are you facing, Ed?

****

Not knowing how long it had been, but certainly from the moment he arrived until the dinner event began, Edward was mostly quiet. Tonight, there was a dinner event at Kenzi and Alma Osborn's house. It was a routine activity they usually did every weekend.

Kenzi, noticing that his friend seemed down, took a glass of wine and approached Edward, who was sitting on the couch.

"Your face looks like someone who lost a bet."

Kenzi's gentle voice suddenly snapped Edward out of his reverie. His eyes reflexively blinked, then he reached for the glass that Kenzi offered him.

"What are you thinking about? Marriage issues?" Kenzi squinted his eyes, curious about what was on his friend's mind.

"No, not that. I'm not thinking about it," Edward replied. He looked uninterested.

Kenzi raised both eyebrows, "Then, what's bothering you?"

"At least I'm trying to stay away from women." This time, it was Richard who spoke. The man's expression looked as casual as usual.

Edward was lost in thought, imagining his unfortunate encounter with Chloe this afternoon. Until now, he kept wondering why she seemed so disinterested in him.

"I think it's pointless to tell you both. It seems only Alma can answer the questions in my head."

In the next moment, Edward immediately sought Alma's presence. She was standing not far from the mini-bar. Edward called out to her.

"Alma, please come here. There's something important I want to ask you," he said seriously.

Without hesitation, Alma approached and sat down right next to Kenzi.

"I want to ask you. As far as I know, of all the women, you're the only one not interested in jet-set men like Kenzi, right?"

Alma nodded. "That's right, I even got sick of Kenzi's behavior when we first met."

Hearing his wife's statement, Kenzi pulled her into his embrace. "Oh my, why are you so vengeful, my dear? But I know, when we first met in the meeting room, you were impressed by my appearance."

Alma scowled. "You're too confident!"

"That means, Alma's character is just like Chloe's. A woman I'm pursuing now," Edward remarked.

Kenzi looked puzzled after hearing Edward's words. He looked inquisitively at the man in front of him.

"Have you met that woman?"

Edward nodded firmly. "This afternoon. I've been patiently waiting for her. Trying to show the sweetest side of me. I even offered to take responsibility for all my actions before. But that woman flatly rejected me."

Kenzi and Richard burst into laughter at the same time. They didn't expect Edward to experience such bad luck. Usually, he never faced rejection. It was undoubtedly frustrating for him now.

"That means my luck is much better than yours," Richard said confidently.

"What do you mean?" Kenzi asked.

"Well, because I never chase women. Instead, Kimberly chased me relentlessly."

The next moment, Kimberly, who was sitting next to Richard, playfully pinched her husband's arm, making him wince.

"Aren't you the only man who cried when I left?" Kimberly retorted. "Don't forget, I had to ask Grandpa Arthur to meet you."

"Don't bring up the past, Rich. Who cried in the apartment while repeatedly calling my name?" Edward chimed in. "Kimberly... don't leave me," he teased, pushing out his lips.

Richard raised both hands in surrender. When it came to insulting, Edward was undoubtedly number one. He sometimes lacked self-awareness when mocking others. That's why Richard got annoyed when sharing secrets with him.

"Alright, I admit defeat. You really drove me crazy, Kimberly Aurora." The whole room burst into laughter at Richard's behavior.

"Then, after that woman rejected you outright, will you still pursue her?" Kenzi resumed the conversation that had been delayed earlier.

"I want to marry her," Edward said with certainty. Making everyone's eyes suddenly focused on him.

"Are you sure you want to marry a woman you don't know beforehand?" There was surprise in Kenzi's question.

"I'm curious about this woman. Why is she not interested in me at all?"

"That means you're willing to marry without love?" Kenzi asked again. As a friend, he didn't want to see Edward make the wrong decision, especially when it came to marriage. It's about choosing a life partner, someone who would be with you until old age.

Edward nodded. He looked as confident as ever.

"Love can grow anytime, Ken. Besides, if in the end, I'm being arranged for marriage, do you think my parents would wait for me to fall in love first? I think the choices are the same."

"If that's your choice, then I can only pray for the best for you."

Edward fell silent again after hearing Kenzi's words. He thought hard about what else he could do to get Chloe's attention.