Chapter 1753
“Where are you off to?” Brenna asked, tilting her head with mild curiosity as Giselle headed for the door.
Giselle gestured toward the car. “I arranged a blind date for Sandra. We’re heading there now. Would you like to come?”
Brenna paused beside the car. “Is it all right if I join?”
Sandra waved her hand without concern. Brenna was already married—there was no question of competition. “Of course. Come along and give me your honest opinion.”
And with that, the three of them set off for Moonlight Restaurant.
In room 505, a middle-aged man, a man in his thirties, and an elegantly dressed woman were already seated. They carried themselves with the quiet, unhurried poise of people entirely accustomed to Shirie’s upper circles.
“Brandon, I’m sorry we’re late,” Giselle said as she entered.
Brandon, calm and measured, offered a polite smile. His voice carried the easy authority of someone long accustomed to leadership. “Not at all—we arrived early. You’re right on time. Allow me to introduce my wife, Maggie Vargas, and my son, Dominik Vargas.”
Giselle introduced Brenna and Sandra in turn. Courteous nods and smiles were exchanged all around.
First impressions were favorable on both sides. Dominik’s gaze rested briefly on Brenna, clearly struck by her appearance. But the moment he learned she was already married to Ethan, CEO of the Mitchell Group, his attention shifted accordingly. His date was Sandra—not as immediately striking as Brenna, but pleasant and composed.
Sandra, for her part, studied Dominik quietly. He was plain-looking and not particularly tall, but he seemed like a genuinely decent person with good manners.
Y𝗼𝗎r 𝗻𝖾𝗑𝘵 𝖿𝘢𝗏o𝗿𝗶𝘵𝖾 r𝗲𝗮𝗱 і𝗌 𝗼𝘯 𝘨а𝗹ոov𝗲𝗹s.𝗰𝗈𝘮
As the conversation flowed, Sandra’s phone buzzed. Keira had sent a message asking for a photo of her date. Sandra ignored it. Taking pictures at a first meeting felt impolite. A second message arrived shortly after—Keira wanted the restaurant’s location. Sandra ignored that too, quietly dreading the possibility that her mother might actually show up and derail everything.
Before long, Dominik suggested they exchange contacts.
Sandra hesitated. He wasn’t striking in the way that turned heads, and his wealth was nowhere near that of Ethan, Jordy, Andres, or the other men who had orbited her life. On first impression, he didn’t leave much of a mark. His appeal lay chiefly in his family background—his parents were high-ranking government officials, and that carried its own kind of weight.
Even so, Sandra reasoned that a man in his position was unlikely to get tangled in romantic dramas. Turning him down outright felt unnecessarily hasty. She could wait and see how things developed, and if they didn’t, there would always be a graceful way out.
Dominik was thinking along similar lines, though not with great enthusiasm. If he were honest, he had found Brenna far more compelling at first glance. He also had his reservations about Sandra’s circumstances—born out of wedlock was not an ideal profile for someone in his position as a government secretary, with a promising career ahead of him. And yet, a connection to the Harper family was not something to dismiss lightly. The professional advantages alone made it worth exploring. He decided to give it a chance, despite his reservations.