The First Date

"I can't be late for our first date. Come on, let's go; I have the perfect place in mind," Elias responded, smiling at the system's notification that had just popped up. He knew he had made the right decision by showing up on time.

Emily nodded, placing her keys in her handbag. She followed beside him as he led the way forward.

…....…....

Luxe Haven Mall

A taxi car stopped in front of an incredibly exotic 30-story building stretching outwards and occupying 249,900 square meters of land. To put it into perspective, it was roughly equivalent to about thirty-five standard Fifa fields.

After Elias paid the taxi driver and received his cashback reward, he stepped out of the taxi with Emily.

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Amount Spent: [ $15 ]

Cashback Reward: [ $30 ]

Affection Multiplier: [ x2 ]

┗━━━━━━༻✾༺━━━━━━┛

This time, Elias discovered a loophole in the system that allowed him to receive his full cashback reward, providing him with a sense of relief as he watched his bank account balance grow once again.

"Umm… What are we doing here?" Emily asked nervously as she turned her focus towards Elias.

When he asked her out, she thought they would simply walk around the park or chat over coffee at a restaurant on the corner of the street. So she was surprised when he took her to the 'Luxe Haven Mall', Cradle Lake's second most expensive and luxurious mall. It was utilized only by wealthy and influential figures who loved spending money on high-end, fancy, and exotic products. This prompted her to be momentarily rendered speechless.

[ Update! Emily's affection for you has decreased by 1% ]

'Does he really see me as that kind of girl?' Emily thought, awaiting Elias' response.

Elias's eyes twitched when he saw the system's notification pop up. He began to ponder whether he should switch them off, as they were starting to toy with his emotions like a roller coaster.

Elias paused briefly, then smiled, "I thought that while we talk, we should use this opportunity to browse around for outfits together. It could be a fun way to get ready for the book signing event while we talk. But we can still take that walk or have coffee afterwards if you'd like," he responded, feeling the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

He knew he could ruin everything, so he simply presented a way out to avoid making the atmosphere awkward and forcing her to do something she didn't want.

Upon hearing Elias's words, Emily subtly bit her lips, realizing that she had thought wrong and that he was only doing this to make them look their best at the book signing event.

However, as a woman who had spent most of her days reading books, particularly a few specific genres that she sometimes read for entertainment, she couldn't help but glance at Elias.

'Is he some young, wealthy CEO or something?' Emily couldn't help but wonder, observing his confident demeanour and how effortlessly he handled conversations.

She pondered why she had never noticed this side of him previously during their discussions. 'Or maybe he just likes to splurge on special occasions,' she thought, considering his generosity with the VIP ticket and suggesting they shop for outfits together.

Despite his valid reasons for bringing her to the mall, she felt a strong temptation to join him. Since arriving in the city, she had never experienced the excitement of shopping at a mall.

However, she remembered her grandma's warning about city boys who squander their money on girls to make them fall head over heels for them. So she carefully pondered her response to make him understand she wasn't one of those girls.

"Although I appreciate the gesture and thoughtfulness, I don't think it's proper for us to visit the mall on our first date because I don't want it to be based on monetary transactions. I'll feel more comfortable if we stroll across the park and get to know more about each other," Emily replied, shaking her head.

She followed her grandma's advice, disagreeing to be easily tempted by splurging someone else's money at the mall.

"Oh, looks like I made the wrong choice because I thought it could be a good idea for our first date. Let's head to the park instead," Elias responded, sighing in defeat.

Despite already expecting failure, he had still decided to try it, so he only felt downcast and defeated.

Nonetheless, Elias was impressed by Emily's attitude and how she had not allowed the tempting high-end luxury brands and jewellery to sway her thoughts and decisions. This made him see her in a new light and realize she was not like other girls.

Emily noticed Elias's subtle change in expression and couldn't help but wonder, 'Was he really expecting me to accept and splurge his money in the mall?' Emily furrowed her brows in deep thought as they prepared to call another taxi and head to the park.

She slowly found herself becoming more invested in uncovering Elias's background and identity. Her mind raced with possibilities—perhaps he was a mysterious young tycoon or an heir to a wealthy conglomerate concealing his wealth and status for unknown reasons; however, if that was the case, he would have used his car to carry them towards their destination.

Or maybe he might just be a struggling young man trying to impress women with money he doesn't have. The more she thought about it, the more intrigued she became.

If it were the former, all of his actions would make sense, and she would understand that he was merely trying to be humble and not overwhelm her. However, if it was the latter, she wouldn't hesitate to end their relationship and get him professional help.

Elias pulled a taxi over and opened the door with a gentlemanly demeanour so she could get in first.

"Thank you," Emily said, going in first, "Also, I'm paying this time around," she added.

"Don't worry about it, I'll…." Elias attempted to say, but Emily abruptly interrupted him.