The Bond Between Us novel Chapter 1

Riverdale.

Sitting in a cafe, Anastasia scrutinized the man she was set up with. She was quite taken aback.

His looks were a sight for sore eyes. His features were damn handsome, flawless, radiating an innate sense of nobility.

This was her tenth blind date in less than three months. She was between a rock and a hard place - if she didn't come, her mom would threaten her with fasting or suicide.

The guy in front of her was definitely a cut above the other dudes she'd been set up with before. After so many blind dates, Anastasia wasn't shy anymore so she blurted out, "When are you planning to get hitched?"

Before coming, Anastasia had decided that as long as the guy wasn't a total bum, she'd consider marrying him right away, maybe even skip the whole dating process.

Wasn't the point of blind dates to find someone to marry? If she got married, her mom wouldn't be threatening her with suicide anymore.

The man seemed surprised, then chuckled, "We just met. Don't you think you're jumping the gun?"

When the dude laughed, he was a real looker, like sunshine in spring. Anastasia had a thing for handsome guys and was almost mesmerized.

Anastasia composed herself and said, "Oh right, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I'm Anastasia. The matchmaker should have filled you in about me. I'm 25, a freelancer, and I sell some jewelry, earning around 10 thousand dollars. Only got my mom at home. I've been in a relationship before, now I'm single, healthy, no bad habits."

Then, Anastasia added, "I'm ready to get hitched anytime."

Anastasia was here today because her mom had pushed her into it, and the guy she was set up with was found by her mom on a dating website. She thought this would be another average-looking, older guy with a beer belly and messed up values.

People on dating websites were just too unreliable. Anastasia had seen it all, and very few were decent looking.

Hearing Anastasia's introduction, the guy got the gist. He smiled warmly, his voice gentle. "How did the matchmaker introduce me to you? Aren't you afraid of getting conned?"

"Marriage is a gamble." Anastasia sipped her drink and said, "This is my tenth blind date. They told me you work for a listed company, Elysian Technologies. You're a local, and your parents are gone. You're a solid guy, hardworking, and eager to get hitched. You're... Mr. Alstrom..."

Anastasia forgot the guy's name. When she left home, her mom had told her about the guy she was meeting, but she hadn't really paid attention.