Lila refused to call the evening a failure.
Sure, Damon had been the human equivalent of a brick wall.
Sure, Marissa had looked ready to launch herself out a window halfway through dessert.
But it was just the first attempt.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Neither was a billionaire's love life.
With fresh determination burning in her chest, Lila huddled over her laptop that Sunday afternoon at her favorite coffee shop, a growing list of names glowing on the screen.
Potential Candidates:
Serena Vale — charity ambassador, gorgeous, kind-hearted, slightly terrifying in heels.
Naomi Lin — financial analyst, low drama, very sweet, loves cats (and patience).
Victoria Hayes — PR queen, sharp, elegant, rumored to have broken three hearts and counting.
Lila chewed her pen cap thoughtfully.
Maybe someone a little more lively than Marissa this time? Someone who wouldn't shrink under Damon's... unique charm.
Across the café, a little kid dropped a cookie and burst into tears. Lila smiled and absentmindedly slipped the toddler her backup cookie from her bag.
She didn't notice the tall figure watching from outside the window.
Meanwhile, Damon Cross was having a very confusing Sunday.
He told himself he was just in the area.
Coincidentally.
No reason to notice that a certain stubborn matchmaker was sitting inside, scribbling notes like a woman on a mission.
He should have been annoyed.
Infuriated.
Ready to fire her and be done with this ridiculous charade.
Instead, he found himself lingering.
Watching her laugh as the barista scolded her for bringing "outside cookies."
Watching her wrinkle her nose when she was thinking too hard.
It was... unsettling.
Damon turned away with a scowl, heading down the street.
This was nonsense.
Distraction.
He had better things to do.
Much better.
Monday Morning. Cross Enterprises.
Lila burst into Damon's office with her usual chaotic energy, clutching her laptop.
"Good news!" she chirped.
Damon didn't even look up from his papers.
"You're moving to another country?"
Lila ignored him.
"I've found the next candidate for you," she said brightly, dropping her bag onto the chair.
Damon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?"
"Because," she said stubbornly, "I made a promise."
"To my grandfather."
"To myself," she corrected.
That made Damon pause.
He looked up, studying her.
There was no scheming in her eyes.
No desperation.
Just a kind of quiet, fierce determination that made something shift uncomfortably inside him.
"Fine," he said after a beat.
"Who is it this time?"
Lila grinned and clicked open her laptop, turning it toward him.
A woman's photo filled the screen — sharp cheekbones, killer smile, an elegant confidence that even a picture couldn't hide.
"Serena Vale," Lila announced proudly.
"Charity work, lots of patience, super elegant — but lively. You won't scare her away in ten seconds."
Damon leaned back, studying the photo with an unreadable expression.
"She looks... capable."
"That's the goal," Lila said with a wink.
Damon tilted his head, regarding her.
"And when this one runs screaming?" he asked smoothly.
Lila crossed her arms, matching his gaze without blinking.
"Then I'll find another. And another. Until you realize that you're not as unlovable as you pretend to be."
Something flickered in Damon's chest, sharp and unwelcome.
He masked it with a smirk.
"Maybe I like being unlovable. It keeps annoying little matchmakers away."
Lila grinned, completely unfazed.
"Too bad," she said cheerfully. "You're stuck with me."
And before he could say anything else, she skipped out of the office, laptop in hand, whistling a horribly off-key tune.
Damon stared after her, the corner of his mouth twitching despite himself.
God help him, he thought grimly.
This girl was going to be the death of him.
And for the first time in a very long time, he wasn't entirely sure he minded.