He had the fresh-faced look of a recent college grad, probably no more than twenty-three.

But more importantly, he looked familiar.

The moment he saw me step inside, his eyes lit up.

"Liz?"

That was when it clicked.

He was the son of my mom’s close friend, Cathy Mills.

Back when I was in college, he even stayed at my house for a few days.

I remembered it was during summer break.

An eighteen-year-old boy, dumped at our place by his own mother because of his terrible grades.

According to my mom, his name was Julian Walker—the youngest in the Walker family and a total troublemaker.

The first time I saw him, he had a black stud in his ear, a rebellious streak written all over his face, and a whole crew trailing behind him.

When someone joked about him getting kicked out of his house, he simply raised an eyebrow and said, "Get lost."

At the time, I was twenty, still in college, and standing on the second-floor balcony when I saw him.

I took one look and decided to stay far away.

But with a face like that, he wasn’t exactly easy to forget.

Now, though, he seemed completely different from the reckless kid I remembered.

"Julian Walker?"

He blinked, as if surprised I still remembered his name. His eyes brightened.

"Yeah, it’s me, Liz."

I stared at him.

My mom had a knack for playing matchmaker within her own social circle.

And the real issue?

He was two years younger than me.

How did she even come up with the idea of setting us up?

As soon as we sat down, the waiter started bringing out the dishes, and soon, the table was filled with dishes I liked.

Originally, I planned to turn him down right away, but with everything laid out so thoughtfully, rejecting him outright felt a little harsh.

After a long pause, I finally looked at him, feeling a bit awkward.

"You're too young. Isn’t it a bit soon for you to be going on blind dates?"

His sharp eyes locked onto mine.

"Liz, I was the one who asked my mom to set this up with your mom.

"And I’m not too young."

His features were striking—defined jawline, high cheekbones, and deep-set eyes. Even in a loose sweatshirt, the lean muscle beneath was noticeable.

His hawkish features—the prominent nose, those narrow lips—were all the more striking as his intense gaze locked onto mine.

His meaning was crystal clear.

I turned my face away and told him about my recent breakup with Ryan.

For a second, it looked like he clenched his jaw, but he still lifted his gaze to meet mine.

"That’s just your past, Liz. It doesn’t matter. You’re single now, aren’t you?"

Then, with unwavering certainty, he added, "I’ve liked you for a long time."

I was caught off guard.

But I didn’t have the nerve to ask anything further.

Throughout the meal, Julian barely ate.

Instead, he was too busy peeling shrimp and cracking crab shells for me.

Feeling guilty, I whispered, "You don’t have to. It’s too much trouble for you."

He glanced at me, something like grievance and disappointment flickering in his eyes.

"It’s fine. Even if you don’t like me, I like you."

I had no idea how to respond, so I just awkwardly lowered my head.

As we were about to leave, Julian suddenly pinned me against the door.

His half-lidded eyes locked onto mine, and after a brief pause, he let out a low chuckle.

"What’s wrong?"

He reached out and brushed his thumb over my lips.

"Nothing. There’s a smudge."

He was tall, and I had to tilt my head up to look at him—just in time to catch the movement of his Adam’s apple.

Luckily, he let go quickly and offered to drive me home.

Before I could refuse, he had already ushered me into the car.

…

Julian drove a black Jeep.

After pulling up outside my building, he got out first and opened the passenger door for me.

I fumbled with my seatbelt, but for some reason, it wouldn’t budge.

Seeing my struggle, Julian frowned slightly before leaning in to help.

The scent of amber and musk surrounded me, wrapping me in his warmth.

With a soft click, the seatbelt came undone.

I instinctively moved to get out, but in my rush, I accidentally slammed my chest into his face.

…

Panic flooded me. My face went hot as I quickly pushed him away, scrambling to jump out of the car.

But in my haste, I lost my balance and the next thing I knew, I was falling straight out of the car.

Julian reached out to catch me, but instead, I ended up landing directly on top of him.

Gasps erupted around us.

I turned my head without thinking, and suddenly my lips were against Julian's.

More gasps erupted around us.

When I jerked away, I found my mother standing there with a distinguished-looking woman, both of them staring.

"This is moving fast, isn’t it?"

"Ah, young people these days."

"I have to admit, they do make a cute pair."

"You hit the jackpot with this one, Lizzie."

…

Flustered, I scrambled to my feet, my face burning.

Julian wasn’t any better—his ears were bright red.

Then, he glanced at the woman beside my mom and called out, "Mom."

I stared in silence.

Perhaps sensing the awkwardness, Cathy was the first to speak.

"So, does this mean the blind date was a success? Are you two officially together now?"

I opened my mouth to explain only to see Julian already nodding.

I turned to look at him, and he lowered his voice.

"Liz, that was my first kiss."

Three sets of eyes remained fixed on me, waiting for my response.

With nowhere to run, I could only nod.

There was no getting out of this one.

After all, I had literally tackled him in front of his mom—then kissed him on top of it.

No excuse in the world would make this look any better.

…

When I got home, Julian sent me a message.

"Liz, if you’re not interested in me, that’s okay. I’ll be fine."

For some reason, that only made me feel more embarrassed.

But when I thought about it, it wasn’t exactly a bad deal for me.

He was handsome, and I already knew what kind of person he was.

Maybe giving it a shot wasn’t the worst idea.

And just like that, Julian and I became an official couple.

He started picking me up all the time, taking me everywhere—from amusement parks to private hot springs, horseback riding, archery, even surfing.

It was like he had endless energy.

At the movies, he barely watched the screen, his gaze on me the entire time.

He was obedient and sweet, like a devoted little puppy.

The only issue was that he was younger than me.

Every time I brought it up, my mom would just wave me off.

"Younger men are the best! You have no idea how much of an advantage that is."

I just stared at her and kept quiet.

…

On Julian’s birthday, he invited me early on to attend his party that evening.

That was when I realized that I had never actually given him a gift before.

Glancing at the auction invitation I received, I decided to go, hoping to find something special for him.

I remembered there was an seven-figure watch being auctioned tonight.

Julian’s uncle ran a massive business in Port City.

Though he and his wife never had children due to her health, he treated Julian and the other kids in the family as his own. The Walkers had no shortage of money.

But still, I wanted to buy it for him.

What I didn’t expect was that someone else had their eye on the same watch—Ryan’s friend, Leo Scott.

At first, he didn’t even notice me.

After several rounds of bidding, I finally raised the paddle for the final call.

With that, the auction was settled.

No one raised the bid again.

As I stood up, Leo looked over in surprise.

"Lizzie? What are you doing here? You placed the final bid?"

I nodded.

Among Ryan’s circle of friends, Leo had always been one of the more civil ones toward me, though we were never particularly close.

But I was in a hurry to leave—tonight was Julian’s birthday.

Noticing how I kept fidgeting with my car keys, Leo gave me a polite nod and walked away without further questions.

…

Julian’s birthday party was held at Champs Club—the largest and most exclusive venue in the city, known for its privacy.

Before heading over, I went home to change out of my tailored blazer dress and white blouse.

Then, I slipped into a form-fitting, blush-pink dress.

The hemline stopped just above my knees, flaring out into a mermaid shape.

I let my hair fall in soft waves and took the time to do my makeup.

Julian had offered to pick me up, but I turned him down.

His friends were already there, and as the birthday boy, it wouldn’t look right for him to leave.

By the time I arrived, gift in hand, I walked toward the private suite.

Just as I reached the door, I noticed that the suite across from Julian’s had been left open.

From inside, I heard Ryan’s voice.

In a city this size, it wasn't all that surprising to cross paths. It was just big enough to feel urban, but small enough for chance encounters.

Then I heard Leo speak.

"Ryan, guess who I ran into this afternoon?"

Ryan sat right in the center of the room, perfectly in my line of sight.

"Who?"

Leo chuckled.

"Lizzie."

Ryan’s fingers paused for a fraction of a second.

"She was at the auction and bought a watch.

"I had my eye on it too, placed a few bids—but guess what? Lizzie made the final call."

Leo leaned back, taking a sip of his drink.

"It was a men’s watch. I’d say there’s a good chance it’s for you."

Ryan rested against the sofa, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"She sure knows how to splurge.

"All that just to swallow her pride and make the final bid?"

Leo swirled his glass.

"She was crazy about you, man. Three months, and she hasn’t reached out once. You really don’t think about getting back together?"

Ryan let out a short laugh.

"It’s just a standoff.

"But judging by today, it looks like she’s finally cooled off. About time she learned her place."