"What?"
I stared at Daniel, unable to process what he was asking for a moment.
He looked at me with dark, unreadable eyes, as though there were countless things he wanted to say.
But in the end, he only looked away. "Nothing."
That single sentence left a heaviness in my chest. I stared at his profile for two seconds before finally opening the car door and getting out.
Even after I went upstairs, showered, and lay down in bed, his final words kept echoing through my mind.
What had he really wanted to ask?
Why had I lied about my address?
Why was I living there again?
But if he already had someone else, why did he still care?
That night, I barely slept at all.
The next day was the weekend.
By the time I woke up, the sun was already high.
My phone screen was still lit up with the address and time my mother had sent me the night before.
I stared at the restaurant's name for a few seconds before finally getting up and changing clothes.
The restaurant was located downtown, elegantly decorated and highly private.
A waiter led me inside, stopping at a private dining room before politely opening the door for me.
I stepped inside, only to stop short the very next second.
Neither my mother nor my father was there.
There was only a stranger sitting at the table.
He was dressed in a well-tailored suit and was reasonably handsome. The moment he saw me walk in, he stood up immediately and gave me what he clearly thought was a charming smile.
"Ms. Parker?"
My first instinct was that I had entered the wrong room. Just as I was about to leave, he had already walked toward me with a smile.
"You're in the right place." He extended his hand toward me. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Evan Collins. I'm sure your mother mentioned me."
That single sentence was enough for me to understand everything.
This was never some family dinner meant to repair our relationship. It was a blind date.
Anger flared through me instantly, and I nearly turned around and walked out on the spot.
But the last shred of restraint I had left forced me to stay composed.
"I'm sorry." I made no move to shake his hand. "It seems my mother didn't explain things clearly to me."
Evan showed no embarrassment at all. He withdrew his hand naturally, his smile remaining perfectly composed.
"Parents are always like this. They're afraid younger people won't agree to meet, so they make arrangements first and explain later."
As he spoke, his gaze lingered openly on my face.
"But maybe it's for the best. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to meet you today, Ms. Parker."
I looked at him and felt nothing but disgust.
My husband had only just died. The Cooper family had only just thrown me out. And already, my own parents were impatient to sell me off for a second time.
They could not even be bothered to ask whether I wanted this.
"Mr. Collins." Holding on to the last bit of composure I had left, I kept my tone calm. "I'm not planning to get married again, nor am I interested in starting a new relationship right now. Let's end dinner here. Sorry for wasting your time."
With that, I turned and left.
Evan clearly had not expected such a direct rejection. He froze for a moment before quickly following after me.
"Ms. Parker, wait a moment." He stepped in front of me, the smile on his face finally fading slightly. "I know you've been going through a difficult time recently, but people can't stay trapped in the past forever. And with your background and qualifications, finding another suitable marriage wouldn't be a bad thing for either you or your family."
At the end of the day, it was nothing more than another transaction.
"Sir, I believe I've already made myself clear." My voice turned cold. "I'm not interested in you. Please move aside."
I did not spare him another glance before walking straight out of the restaurant.
The moment I stepped outside, my phone rang.
It was my mother.
Staring at her name on the screen, the anger I had been suppressing all the way finally exploded.
The instant the call connected, I said coldly, "You lied to me."
There was a brief silence on the other end, as though she was not surprised that I had found out.
"Claire, calm down first." My mother's tone was gentle, almost coaxing. "Evan is an excellent match. His family background, appearance, and abilities are all impressive. You're alone now. You need someone by your side to take care of you."
I almost laughed out of anger.
"So this is what you meant by a family dinner?"
"I'm doing this for your own good." Her voice grew slightly firmer. "With your situation right now, are you really planning to struggle through life alone?"
"For my own good?" I tightened my grip on the phone until my knuckles slowly turned white. "Or are you trying to sell me off for a second time?"
The line instantly fell silent.
A few seconds later, my father's cold voice cut in. "Watch your tone."
My whole body stiffened.
"We didn't raise you so you could act recklessly." My father had clearly taken the phone from my mother. His voice carried no warmth whatsoever. "You're going to remarry sooner or later. Instead of dragging this out, you should choose someone with good qualifications while you still can. Evan agreeing to meet with you is already generous enough."
A chill spread through my body, and even my breathing began to shake.
"Generous enough to me?"
"Isn't it?" He let out a cold laugh. "Do you really think you can still be picky after leaving the Cooper family? With your situation now, if you keep dragging this out, who else would even want you?"
My mind buzzed violently. I practically had to grit my teeth to stop myself from losing control in public.
My hands would not stop trembling.
That was right. There was no going back for me anymore.
My mother quickly took the phone back, softening her tone again.
"Claire, your father and I would never hurt you. How can a woman live without someone to rely on? Surely you're not thinking about going back to some poor nobody like before?"
The moment those words left her mouth, the fire in my chest exploded completely.
She was talking about Daniel.
Even after all these years, in their eyes, he was still nothing worth mentioning.
"Don't worry." I heard my own voice turn frighteningly cold. "I won't marry someone you choose for me, and I won't marry Daniel either!"
With that, I hung up the phone immediately.
My chest rose and fell violently, and even my eyes burned with heat.
Standing outside the restaurant, I tried desperately to force those turbulent emotions back down.
The fact that I had still expected anything from them was honestly pathetic.
I closed my stinging eyes briefly. Just as I turned to leave, I found myself staring into a pair of dark, unreadable eyes.
Daniel stood only a few steps away. I had no idea how long he had been there.
He was still wearing the same black suit. His features were sharp and cold, a phone still in his hand as though he had been taking a call outside the restaurant.
Clearly, he had heard every single word of that conversation.
I stared at him, my mind going blank for a moment.
He simply stared back at me, something frighteningly dark gathering in his eyes.
"Claire." Daniel spoke slowly, his voice revealing no emotion at all. "Who are you planning to marry?"
