A Journey from Bitterness to Truth (Matilda and Yvan) novel Chapter 180

Matilda brushed off the offer without a second thought, cheerfully picking up the tab before turning to Willow and saying, "Such a pity. Tell your brother to stop wasting his energy, and oh, to bother me less in the future."

With that, she sauntered off, leaving Willow sitting at the table, utterly disheveled. Damn, Matilda's ice-cold attitude was something else!

Back home, Willow recounted the tale to Adrian, who was in the middle of an intense gaming session. Hearing of Willow's failure, he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Useless! Can't even con someone properly!"

"If you're so capable, why don't you chase her yourself? Why bother me?" Willow shot back, flipping Adrian off behind his back. "Loser! Total chicken!"

"Who said I'm chasing her?" Adrian shot back, sitting up from the couch with a huff. "Which of your eyes saw me take an interest in her?"

Willow decided it was no use arguing with her clueless brother and trudged upstairs. "I'm hitting the hay. Goodnight, lone wolf."

Adrian, still gaming, nearly snapped the controller in his hands. Sitting alone in the living room, he fell silent for a moment before a sly smile began to edge across his lips.

...

Chloe returned to the Love Evolution game studio where she worked, pulling some strings to land Matilda a position. The team was thrilled to have her on board. "Is that Dawn we've heard about? Can we collaborate with her? It would make for a great publicity angle."

Matilda gladly accepted the offer, signed the nondisclosure agreement, and joined Chloe at the studio.

The game studio was decked out with creative flair, with a circle of people seated around a large table, each with multiple monitors before them.

A guy in a green dinosaur onesie handed Matilda an instant coffee packet. "Welcome to the Singles Club."

"We're called 'Love-or-Die' now, remember?" A girl with short hair looked up from her computer, where a sketch and a list of character development progress, IQ, EQ, height, occupation, and other stats were displayed.

"That's a bit morbid, isn't it?" Yoshi remarked. "Luna, take it easy, or that 'die' part might just come true for you."

Matilda's new workspace was amid the hub of activity, with three monitors, a drawing tablet, a printer, and a pile of design drafts that rivaled the mess in her old studio.