章 5: Ruined Shoes

"I am terribly sorry about that," Roland retracted his tongue from the ice water. Though it was still numb, it was no longer numbed from salt.

Feeling embarrassed by his failed attempt to savor the coffee taste, Roland decided to try it again. He snapped his finger in the air and ordered another Turkish Brew.

Ivy revealed a forced smile, "I don't need a coffee facial."

"Oh, that coffee just tasted off. I usually drink it fine the way I made it earlier." Roland refused to admit his mistake.

"You see, I never understood a point. Why do people act like someone they're not? The real question should be what the whole point of trying to impress the other party is. If you don't like something, then don't force it. I won't see you any less for admitting your likes and dislikes. What I value is honesty, which I don't think you have much of."

Ivy fixed her gaze on Roland, her eyes holding a discerning intensity as she spoke. "Roland, considering your extensive talk just now about your remarkable experiences in business, I would expect straightforwardness from you. If you're trying to convince me that this blind date was merely an attempt to form a friendship, then you've definitely failed. So, shall we cut to the chase and get to the point?"

Her words carried a directness that cut through the pretense of the evening. There was a clear challenge in her tone, an unspoken insistence on addressing the underlying intentions behind their meeting. Ivy's straightforwardness revealed her reluctance to entertain him anymore, pushing for an honest conversation devoid of superficiality.

When she first approached the table, she had already caught the essential points of his criticism regarding her family's business. At first, it was still acceptable to act in a fool's role and see what he wanted out of tonight's date. However, she has no such intentions now.

To be precise, she ran out of patience.

"Pardon me, but I don't quite understand your words." This time, it was Roland's turn to act as a fool and pretend he did not understand her words. 'There's no way she heard what I said and not be mad at me. That's right, she is just testing me.' He silently reassured his unease.

"Oh, then what did you understand from my words?" She probed further as he continued trying to hide his intentions. She more or less could guess his reason for showing up tonight and not ditching her the minute he saw her.

"I..Isnt this a blind date? We're just getting to know each other." Roland averted his gaze from Ivy as if he couldn't endure another minute of looking at her.

"Roland, as you've said, this is a blind date. So why exactly are you avoiding direct contact with my eyes? Is there something on my face or something wrong with my outfit?" Ivy purposely reached for her cheek, where she had meticulously laid foundation on top of artificial skin. In order to naturally exaggerate her appearance, she added a mole on her left dimple. Every time she smiled, three strands of fake eyelashes would quickly wave in his direction.

"Of course not! You're-" Her random question threw him off guard once again. His reason for attending this blind date was to secure the marriage alliance between his family and the Clovers. The Clovers were renowned for their mysterious nature within social circles, so he had high expectations of meeting a respectable, aesthetically pleasing young lady.

However, all his imagination shattered when he laid his eyes upon her earlier. Her vividly thick red lips, tattooed neck, full cheeks, disheveled makeup, and body physique were starkly contrary to his expectations. The only thing she was missing was literally a clown's wig to complete a clown's look.

The immediate thought that crossed his mind when he saw her was: 'No wonder the Clover family always hid their daughters from their social circles. If she was my daughter, I'd mourn for ten lifetimes. Who would want someone like her?'

For someone who disdained clowns the most, he felt that he had given her enough respect to be able to sit across from her this entire time. He even spent time chatting with her, trying to befriend her.

He mustered his courage to look her in the eye, though it only lasted for a few seconds before he diverted his gaze. Her makeup choices intensified his discomfort. The eye shadow colors she chose mimicked the flamboyant colors of a clown. The winged eyeliner gave a wicked touch to her appearance. It was a considerable challenge to his last bit of sanity to not walk out on their date.

At best, she resembled a human-sized peppermint candy cane that rolled around in dirt. At worst, she appeared like a clown caught in a rainstorm with her smeared makeup.

Unfortunately, he did not have a choice. The importance of settling the marriage alliance and gaining the Clover family's full support was much higher than his distaste for her appearance. With this goal in mind, he desperately tried to let this date run smoothly. In his opinion, as long as he managed to entertain her tonight, they can have a high chance of getting engaged.

"Of course not! You're-" Her sharp questions did not follow the script he had in his mind. He believed that she would be grateful that someone would spend his time with her at a classy restaurant with her dressed up like this.

"Sir, here's your coffee-" At this moment, the waitress walked over with the cup of Turkish Brew that he had ordered earlier. As he reacted anxiously to Ivy's questioning, he stood up abruptly and collided with the waitress. His outfit was ruined, and the coffee splattered an uncontrollable mess across the table.

"Oh my! My apologies, sir," the waitress quickly apologized. However, before she could act, Roland had mistook the edge of the table cloth for his napkin, pulling it forcefully. The abrupt tug caused a catastrophic chain reaction - the marinara sauce, pomegranate jam, and a soft drink cascaded all over Ivy's new white faux leather boots.