CHAPTER 8Levi #2
Their incessant squabbling aside, it was more productive than he expected it to be, having obtained a solid understanding of the overall process and expectations.
Levi was surprised to find himself a little excited about his consultation scheduled for tomorrow, especially since Ivy told him they already had a potential match in mind.
Levi tried his best not to get his hopes up, afraid of how far he would fall if it were too good to be true. But they had a 100% success rate, with dozens of successful matches behind them.
“They already agreed to take you on as a client, based on detailed information I provided about you—you’re welcome, by the way,” she said with sarcastic sweetness while Levi sorted through a bunch of sheets.
“Tomorrow, you’ll meet with the matchmaker for a detailed, confidential consultation.
This is where they will focus on your goals, lifestyle, values, and expectations for the service. ”
Levi drew in a sharp intake of breath upon hearing the word “tomorrow,” but didn’t get a chance to reply before Owen interjected excitedly.
“This is exactly how the movie Spuds n’ Love Buds started—a professional potato cleaner was having a rough time on dating apps, so he agreed to go to someone who arranges marriages. ”
“Oh, I remember that one!” Grace exclaimed. “It was so cute!”
“I’m sorry, but what the hell kind of a job is a potato cleaner? This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of,” Isaac shouted, once again getting worked up over the topic.
“Whoa, take it down a notch there, son!” Owen turned to a bemused Grace and asked, “How did this robot who doesn’t believe in the magic of love win your heart?”
“He has other…qualities that I find swoon-worthy,” she giggled. Isaac cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at his wife.
“It’s astonishing that you clown shoes are in charge of running a multibillion-dollar company,” Ivy cut in wryly, wrangling their attention back on track.
Levi fell back in his seat, tipped his head towards the ceiling, and exhaled forcefully. If there was ever a time for any kind of divine intervention, he prayed to whoever would listen for it to be now.
“ Anyway ,” Ivy continued, not keen on being interrupted, “there’s a service agreement that outlines the scope of services, timelines, fees, confidentiality, and of course, your commitment to the process.
They’re already in contact with your attorney about some minor changes he wants to make.
You should get a final draft later this afternoon. ”
The speed at which it was all happening had Levi breaking out into a sweat despite the cool temperature in the house. He swallowed hard.
This is really happening.
“The most important thing here is that you need to trust the matchmaker, or it isn’t going to work out,” Ivy stressed.
“You also need to be honest with yourself. I suggest you spend the rest of the day thinking about exactly how much of yourself you’re willing to put into the process.
The whole point is to match you with someone who complements you—is your other half. ”
Blindly trusting a stranger to pick out a wife for him without his input? This part was doable. But agreeing to get married without even seeing her first? That was an extremely hard pill for Levi to swallow.
Figuring outwhether he was ready to do this was harder.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have a choice at this point. He dipped his head once in agreement, his expression bleak while trying to ignore the rising panic manifesting in his chest. He would deal with it once they all left.
Owen agreed with Ivy. “If you're not honest about what you want out of the relationship right from the beginning, it’ll work against you both later on.
That's what I learned from watching Summoned for Love , where a barrister in a foreign country fell in love with a tourist who was arrested for jaywalking. When they met, the tourist told the barrister that they were in the country for an extended visit, until she found out that the reason for the extension was because of the jaywalking charges…and she was assigned as his legal representation.” Owen explained sagely.
Grace squealed, “Yes! She was upset because the tourist didn’t tell her about the arrest, and she assumed he was moving there —or at least would be in the country long enough to pursue a relationship. The relocation issue almost broke them.”
Hands on his hips, Isaac was incredulous. “Are you two serious right now? That doesn’t even make any sense, nor is it an applicable parallel to draw against Levi's situation! These movies are not realistic.”
Owen looked down his nose at Isaac and scoffed.
“Au contraire, mon ami. You seem to be forgetting that we are actually in a situation where there is a fake fiancée, an arranged marriage about to happen, a groom who’s a billionaire,” he listed out, lifting a finger on one hand for each item checked, “but you don't think these movies are realistic enough to compare to?”
Owen glanced sidelong at Grace again, pure judgment in his eyes. “I really don't understand how he managed to woo you. Please tell me there was a secret grand gesture we don’t know about because the lunacy I’m hearing from your husband's mouth is making me reconsider our friendship now.”
“This entire day so far is making me reconsider my friendship with half of you,” Levi mumbled to himself with a slow head shake.
Grace cut in before anyone else could offer any more commentary.
“I think we’ve helped as much as we can today.
” Levi shot her a grateful look, internally thanking whoever was responsible for sending him the miracle that was Grace.
“Levi, we’re all going to head out so you can have time to yourself to think. ”
Owen was on the verge of objecting when she added, “Everyone is welcome to come to our place tomorrow night for dinner, though. Then Levi can give us an update on how his appointment went.” She looked at Owen when she firmly added, “We can all interrogate him.”
Temporarily placated, Owen kept his mouth shut and gave Grace a curt nod.
Everyone else agreed to dinner before they packed up and left, giving Levi time to think about Ivy's question.
“This is going to be a shit show,” he muttered to himself.