Colette hadn’t expected Elvira to be so blunt. She decided to settle the matter once and for all, so she said coldly, "You promise? I’ll send you my location now. Get here within half an hour.

Or, humph, I won’t allow you to come home again!"

Elvira grabbed her coat and handbag, darting out of the door, determined to find out what Colette was up to.

She hailed a cab and told the driver where she was going. After a while, the cab stopped in front of a fancy cafe. When she walked inside the place, she saw Colette sitting at a table with a well-dressed, urbane-looking man opposite her.

A blind date?

It seemed Colette resolved to marry her off. Elvira wouldn't let her get her wish.

The cab hadn’t driven off yet. So she turned around, strode over to the cab, opened the door and was about to get in.

Little did she know that Colette had spotted her. Seeing her leaving, the stepmother rushed to the door of the cafe and shouted, "Elvira! If you dare leave, don’t ever come home again!"

Elvira hesitated. Where else could she go if she didn’t go home?

Colette dragged her out of the cab and said viciously, "When you see the man, you won’t go home anymore even if I beg you."

Tears welled up in Elvira’s eyes. If her birth mom was still alive, she wouldn’t be treated this way. Now, she couldn’t even say no to Colette’s arrangements.

She had to follow Colette back into the cafe. When the man sitting by the window saw her walk in, he stood up and pulled out a chair for her. As soon as she sat down, the man started blabbering about himself.

Obviously, he had no idea that his date was there reluctantly.

Elvira didn’t look at him again, even though she had thought he was a gentlman when she had been outside the window.

Colette introduced Elvira to the man. "She has never been in a relationship," she stressed in the end.

Needless to say, Colette was declaring that Elvira was a virgin.

The man gave a big grin and leaned over malevolently to Elvira.

Colette watched and didn’t say a word. She only wished the man could take Elvira away right away and the girl would be out of her sight forever.

When the man’s hand touched Elvira’s fingers, she raised her head abruptly and snapped, "What are you doing?"

Hearing this, Colette rose from her chair quickly. Even though the man was a pervert, she didn’t care. She had to get rid of her stepdaughter.

If the girl defied her, she would hit her hard. Colette held out a hand and was going to slap Elvira. The girl needed a lesson.

However, before her hand could reach Elvira’s cheek, another hand grabbed Colette’s wrist. She turned her head and saw a man in a military uniform and an army cap standing in front of her.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Colette yelled. "This is a family matter of mine!"

"Nope," Nigel said slowly, "this is a personal affair of mine."

Elvira looked up and was stunned when she saw his face.

It’s him! The man on the plane!

"Are you kidding me?"

Colette shook his hand off angrily. "Who do you think you are to compete against the son of the owner of East Bay Group?" Then she turned to Elvira and demanded,

"Elvira, what’s your relationship with this man? I boasted that you were a virgin. It turns out you’re a who—"

Before Colette could say the word "whore," Nigel picked up a dessert from the table and stuffed it into her mouth. "Watch your mouth!

She, Elvira Tao, is my fiancée! Show some respect!" he reprimanded.

"Um..." Elvira didn’t know what to say. This was only the second time she had seen Nigel. And each time she met him, she was in an embarrassing situation. Now he was claiming that she was his fiancée.

How was she supposed to explain that to her father?

Fiancée?

When did I become his fiancée? This is impossible!

He was almost a stranger to her. Why did he say that? Then she decided that most likely, he was just trying to help her out.

Nigel pulled Elvira behind him. Pointing at the man by the window, he bellowed, "You want to marry her?

Ask your father to call me. I’ll be waiting."

After that, he threw his name card on the table and stalked out of the cafe with Elvira.

Both Colette and the man were dumbstruck. The lecher picked up the card. Once he read it, his hands trembled.

It’s him!

Sitting in Nigel’s limo, Elvira stared at him, confused and speechless.

Before, she had decided to apologize to him if she ever met him again. But right now, both gratitude and guilt were forgotten.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Am I that ugly or did I scare you?"

Nigel asked, breaking the silence. Then he noticed some cake scraps in her hair. Gently, he got them out of her hair.

His tone was soft, comforting Elvira a bit. But her face was still pale from nervousness.

"N-not like that. I’m just surprised," she stuttered.

"Really?"

Nigel smiled. "Then I figure you haven’t been expecting to see me again after what happened on the plane."

Leaning back in her seat, Elvira looked at him. His smile was enchanting.

For a moment, she was engrossed. "I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you," she mumbled.

"No need to be sorry. You interrupted my afternoon tea time. Buy me a coffee and we’re even."

Then he waved and said to the driver, "Let’s go."

His tone allowed no objection. Elvira kept silent.

The atmosphere inside the car became awkward. Elvira shifted in her seat, struggling for a topic to lighten the mood.

Fortunately, the driver played some music at that moment.

Army songs.

It was only then that Elvira realized Nigel was in a military uniform.

She stared at his epaulet. She didn’t know much about military ranks, but the three stars and two bars on his epaulet indicated that he was a high-rank military officer.

This was the first time Elvira had sat together with a big shot. Her palms started sweating from nervousness.

Nigel noticed that she was leaning back in the seat, stiff, her head tilting to one side. He was amused. "I don’t bite," he joked.

Uh-oh, he read my mind so easily. I thought I was doing well concealing my emotion, she pondered.

Without waiting for her response, Nigel leaned over to her with squinted eyes. "Remember my proposal just now? What do you think?" he asked in a low, conspiratorial voice.