Eloise hung up the phone, not daring to breathe a word. She stared at the device in her hand, as if it were some kind of monstrous threat.
A few seconds later, Mrs. Brown's name appeared on the screen. To dispel the chill creeping down her spine, Eloise pressed the answer button without thinking. The sharp voice on the other end was like a soothing melody to her ears.
"Finally willing to answer the phone? Did spending the night out wandering not make you rethink things? Even if you run away, where else can you go except home? When you go back, do you think your parents will give you a warm welcome? Have you forgotten who's money you've been living so comfortably on?"
Perhaps she was too angry, as her scolding came in a rapid fire, "Hide? I'll call the police and report you missing right now! Besides, with you, the helpless little princess who can't carry a thing or lift a finger, how long do you think you can hide without money? If you come back now, it's nothing more than a matchmaking session..."
"Enough," Eloise interrupted with a deep breath, "I'll come back right now." "Hmm?" Mrs. Brown clearly didn't catch on right away, and after a moment of hesitation, she said with a hint of annoyance, "Oh... well, I'm glad you've figured it out."
She had figured it all out— What's the point of meeting a bunch of unknown men for matchmaking? There was nothing in this world more terrifying than Isidore! At least for now, she absolutely couldn't return to home!
Eloise waited for Octavius to return, expressed her gratitude again, and then took a taxi back to Mrs. Brown's villa.
Mrs. Brown stood at the villa entrance, craning her neck as she waited. When she finally saw Eloise in person, she let out a breath of relief, her lips curling as she said sarcastically, "Jumping from such a height? Do you think you're a superhero?" Beyond that, she said nothing more.
Eloise had nothing to say either. The affectionate "mother-daughter" bond they once had couldn't be pretended anymore.
Anyway, the plot had already been exposed, so Mrs. Brown straightforwardly got to the point and brought out the first matchmaking candidate's profile. "The one I'm introducing to you is obviously suitable. I'm not a human trafficker, why would I deceive you?" She spoke with an undertone of complaint.
Eloise looked at the resume-like file, thinking to herself how idle this woman must be. Her lips couldn't help but twitch. "I'm dizzy just reading this. Just tell me directly," she said.
Mrs. Brown shot her an annoyed glance.
"This boy's name is Anthony. His family does business in the South and surrounding countries, and they're very influential. His dad is the second son. Anthony moved abroad with his parents at a young age, studied finance at an Ivy League school, and now he's interning on top company. A proper young talent…"
Eloise pinched the only photo, which was placed alongside the documents, between her fingers. "Has this proper young talent turned ten this year?" she asked. Mrs. Brown snatched the photo away and rolled her eyes at her. "What's with that look? This is an old photo from over ten years ago!"
She said, "This is the only photo of him his grandmother has. She doesn't use a smartphone, so there haven't been any recent pictures. As for his looks, well, he's definitely not some strange sight. You'll see for yourself when you meet him. It doesn't matter whether you look at a photo or not."
Eloise thought to herself, this person really has no idea what it's like to be in our shoes. She asked skeptically, "Have you met him?"
Mrs. Brown curled her lips, but truthfully said, "I've never met him. I've only seen his grandmother. Once, she collapsed by the creek at the retreat, and I took her to the hospital. She owes me that favor. Otherwise, do you think such an outstanding grandson would agree to arranged matchmaking?"
So, neither of them is happy about this! Eloise couldn't understand what Mrs. Brown got out of all this meddling in their lives. She replied indifferently, "Such a big favor just to get him to go on a blind date with me? Does that even make sense?"
Mrs. Brown lovingly patted her cheek, her expression almost psychopathic, "Seeing lovely young ones like you two paired up and walking into the halls of marriage is the greatest happiness for me."
Eloise shivered slightly and exchanged a forced smile with her.
Two days later, Mrs. Brown said the date was all set, so she took her to a French restaurant. They arrived a little early, and the other party had not yet arrived. Eloise glanced around, then grabbed her bag and said she was going to the restroom to touch up her makeup.
Mrs. Brown secretly smirked. The lady had said she wasn't willing, but deep down, she still wanted to make a good impression. She said, "Go ahead, don't be too long, he'll be here soon."
Eloise walked to the washbasin, glanced at her reflection in the mirror, let out a breath, and took a yellow wig out of her bag. The girl beside her, also doing her makeup, stared in shock at the series of actions, ending up with lipstick smeared all the way behind her ear.
Five minutes later, a transformed Eloise made her grand entrance, leaving Mrs. Brown so shocked that her jaw nearly hit the floor. She stared at her in disbelief, "What… kind of look is this?"
Eloise spun around, her blue skirt fluttering as she struck her signature pose. "I'm a world superstar now, a magic girl. I'm here to eliminate evil in the name of the justice, biu~" Mrs. Brown's face turned dark as she stood up, grabbing Eloise's hand and pulling her toward the door.
Eloise resisted her every move, refusing to leave. "Where are you going? Us magical girls don't stand people up, that's just rude! You, you impolite old woman, stop right there!"
Mrs. Brown didn't say a word, using all her strength to drag Eloise outside. She'd rather be the one to break her word than lose face here.
Eloise couldn't match her in strength, so she created a distraction to buy time. She casually pointed to someone walking into the restaurant and said, "Hey, is that Anthony? He's already here!"
Mrs. Brown glanced toward the door, and her already vivid expression completely broke down.
A "show-stealing" man walked in through the door. He was tall and had a great physique—this was evident because he wore a vest without an inner shirt, his well-defined chest muscles clearly visible and gleaming with a glossy sheen of oil.
On his lower half, he wore a pair of uniquely designed black leather tight pants, paired with knee-high combat boots. But that wasn't the most striking part; his standout feature was his green Mohawk hairstyle above his white rhinestone-studded sunglasses.
He stood at the entrance with his hands in his pockets, chewing gum and striking a pose like a male model, his chin lifted as if searching for someone in the restaurant. The waiter, his cheek twitching, stepped forward. "Sir, we require proper attire here."
The man spread his hands and raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, where am I not dressed properly?" When his eyes caught Mrs. Brown, petrified in the aisle, he removed his sunglasses and pointed excitedly. "Look, the person I'm looking for is right there!"
Eloise caught sight of his face and bit her lips to stifle her laughter—it was him!
A table by the window, set with an elegant tablecloth and beautiful flowers. On one side of the table sat a noblewoman and magic girl, while on the other side sat a gangster straight out of a comic book.
Mrs. Brown, sandwiched between two lunatics, felt like she was about to transcend. She just wanted to end the farce quickly. "Elly, have you eaten? If you're full, let's go. We have other things to do this afternoon."
Eloise coughed lightly. "Mrs. Brown, you go ahead. I get along really well with Mr. Anthony and want to talk to him for a bit longer." Mrs. Brown looked at her as if struck by lightning. "You… are you sure?"
Eloise nodded seriously. After Mrs. Brown drifted off, she no longer hid her smile, her eyes narrowing with delight as she asked the man across from her: "Lysander, how is it you?"
