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h his deep, captivating voice. "I'm thirty
er imagined she would end up returning t
cellent choice. He wasn't from the area and had lost both pare
a fully paid apartment in the city cen
ym downtown and earned
all called him
sat across from her, his tall fra
al features were striking, and he had a neatly trimmed buzz cut. He had the ki
stone-cold, and he e
Though undeniably attractive,
ype who seemed e
Verena Stewart. Twenty-eight yea
n was flawless. Although she smiled politely, her eyes looked
y mole near the corner of her eye. For a
tions, silence immediate
handling awkward conversations. Combined with Asher's icy
and took a sip of water t
sitting back in his chair, quietly watchin
posure, she asked, "So, I heard you're quite a catch.
Asher answe
ought your family pu
dy. "My grandmother said she would be ve
reat blind dates as something serious. If things work out, maybe you'll find the right per
nonse
nds like you have a lot of
asual shrug. "I've probably go
saw him as irrespons
"I prefer men who are mature and dependable. To be honest, I lost my job recently, got cheated out of my savings, and now I'm in debt. That's why
It was impossible to te
ence, he simply r
long strides. As she looked at his retreating fig
oad shoulders and a lean waist. Every
would stand out even in a major city,
e had an unlikab
that she disliked frivolous men, brin
ng lights hung from the trees along the streets, f
th familiar and stran
ned in eight years, ever since she lef
had been nothing s
manager position that had practically been promised to her. Later, a
l victim to a scam after answering a phon
ng in the city, she had
he chose to co
rent. The other reason was that the man she had a cru
had immediately arranged this blind date for her, re
heard Lisette and her uncle, Gera
but the old apartment building had thin
k? Sure, Asher's conditions are good, but a man in his thir
And now she's saying she isn't leaving anytime soon? Does she expect to
ege! She even brought clothes and gifts for us when she
e's almost thirty, unmarried, and doesn't even have a job. How does she have the nerve to come back? What if the neighbors start talking? I'll be too embarrassed to face anyone. And we only have two
door, Verena felt h
he was still an outsid
look at yourself. What gives you the right to be so picky? Once a woman reaches twenty-eight, she's past her best years. Nobody wants you anymore! Do you think working in a big city for a few years makes yo
y! Vera is such a good
rena interrupted him with a strained smile. "I don't mind going on blin
the door and dropped the forced smil
e and a cold sweat bro
led out the medicine she had hidden there. After taking th
. She picked up her phone and opened Wh
a swirl of black smoke, giving of
request and sent a m
the person responded,
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