Ch. 1541..1550

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1541-Sunny deliberately shared some insider information with Aaron. "I heard from a friend that Annie's family has been arranging blind dates for her recently. They're pressuring her to get married. She's not very keen on it though, and she claims that she won't be picky as long as the man is somewhat decent. You should step up your game, Aaron! You wouldn't want to see her walk the aisle with someone else, do you?"

Aaron cocked an eyebrow and replied pensively, "Oh?"

"Last I heard," Sunny added, "her family has set her up for a date this weekend at Estee Bistro. They're going to introduce her to the son of a family friend.

Perhaps you might be interested to check it out?"

Sunny then turned and dashed into Xante's car. Xante planned on waiting for Aaron, but he headed in the opposite direction and got into his car.

Xante frowned at that sight and glanced at Sunny. "What did you say to him?"

Sunny reclined lazily in the front passenger seat. "Nothing. He probably has other plans right now. We should get going! You wanted some barbecue, didn't you?"

Xante could only sigh. She realized that Sunny had instigated something, but there was nothing she could do about it. She placed her foot on the accelerator and drove out of the underground parking lot.

After Benjamin woke up, Corinne took her three children to the nearest toy store and allowed each of them to choose a toy. Joey and Christine were quick to choose from the abundant selection, but Benjamin stayed beside Corinne and held her hand.

Corinne looked down at him and asked, "Why aren’t you choosing a toy, Benjamin?"

Benjamin gazed at his mother and replied, "Dad said I shouldn't ask other people for gifts."

Corinne felt a twinge of anguish in her heart. "Am I considered 'other people ' to you?"

"No!" Benjamin promptly shook his head. "You're my Mommy! I believe in you!"

Corinne ruffled his hair and reassured him, "Then go and pick your toy. I'm not 'other people', so it's not an issue for me to buy toys for you. Now, go on and choose your toy with Joey and Christine."

Benjamin blinked and nodded. He released Corinne's hand and approached the shelves to look at the toys.

Corinne stood a short distance away and watched her three children with a motherly gaze.

"You have a knack for taking care of children," a voice remarked from behind, taking Corinne by surprise. Corinne turned around and saw a sexily dressed Sophia approaching her.

Once Corinne regained her composure, she cocked an eyebrow and said,"

Thanks for your compliment. It's such a coincidence to see you here, Miss Sophia."

Sophia stopped in front of Corinne and folded her arms before saying, "I'm here to see what new toys they have in store. I'd like to buy some for my son to make him happy."

Corinne remarked, "It's always better to let your children choose their toys. Each child has their likes and dislikes. They might not necessarily like the newer toys."

"You do have a point," Sophia said with a snort. "But my son is playing with his father at home. He's not very keen on choosing toys."

Corinne remained calm as she commented, "That's good. I'm a little jealous that your family is complete. It's such a privilege to share so many happy moments with each other."

Sophia narrowed her eyes and observed Corinne. There was nothing in her expression to suggest she knew anything.

"You have nothing to be jealous about, Corinne. I'm the one who should be jealous of you for having triplets! It must be very lively at home!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1542-Corinne knew Sophia was testing her, so she feigned surprise. "Triplets? You must've remembered wrongly. I have three children, but I only gave birth to twins. The eldest was adopted by Jeremy under some circumstances in the past."

Sophia locked eyes with Corinne intently. "Are you sure? I heard rumors you had triplets." Her primary aim was to determine whether Corinne knew Bryan and Benjamin were switched. She had seen Corinne talking gently to Benjamin but could not discern the contents of their conversation.

Corinne knew right away that Sophia was up to something. "Where did you hear that from? One of the doctors told me during my prenatal check-up that I was carrying triplets. I remember that clearly, but I gave birth only to twins! I kept convincing myself that I must've misheard him. I'm surprised you heard similar rumors, too. Could you tell me who told you that? Does that person know what happened? Did they see someone take one of my children away?"

Midway through the conversation, Corinne held Sophia's hand to give more credibility to her act.

Sophia, taken aback by Corinne's response, withdrew her hand following Corinne's questioning. She cleared her throat and said, "I can't remember who mentioned it, but I heard people saying you had triplets. That person might've thought the adopted child was one of the triplets."

Corinne appeared disappointed, saying, "I see… I thought you might have some inside information that could prove that I had triplets."

Corinne's attitude left Sophia feeling half-skeptical. She had begun to grasp the situation through their exchange. Corinne seemed to be unaware that she had given birth to triplets, and the people around her were concealing the fact that she had lost a child. Corinne likely only vaguely recalled the doctor's remark about possibly having triplets, and she might not even know or be certain about the existence of another child.

Having summed up all that information, Sophia looked at Benjamin as he was busy choosing his toy. All of a sudden, she deliberately called out," Benjamin!"

Benjamin had just taken a small box of toys when he heard Sophia's voice. He dropped the box right away. His knees weakened, and he fell bottom- first to the ground.

Corinne then hurried over to check on her son's condition, calling him ' Bryan'.

"Is something wrong, 'Bryan'? Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

Sophia's lingering suspicions about Corinne were thoroughly dispelled when the latter rushed over and called the boy 'Bryan'. However, she was able to confirm that Benjamin was with Corinne, while Bryan was with her.

Corinne checked on her son to ensure he was not hurt. He then helped him retrieve the fallen toy box. "Was this what you wanted?"

Benjamin did not seem interested in the toy. Instead, he turned to look in the direction where he heard Sophia's voice. However, no one was there.

Corinne noticed her son's reaction and looked over as well, but Sophia was no longer around.

She narrowed her eyes and realized it was no coincidence. Sophia came just to test her.

Just before she left the Holdens' estate, Corinne received a processed text message on her phone.

[Sophia probably knows that you have the wrong child. Stay calm, and don't let her discover anything. She must never know that you're aware of my existence, or that the two boys had been swapped.] The message came from an unknown sender, but Corinne knew right away that Jeremy had sent it to warn her.

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1543-Corinne deleted the message after reading it. At the very least, she was able to put on an act to ensure that Sophia did not suspect anything. They could not allow Sophia to realize they had uncovered the truth. Sophia would only let her guard down if she felt that she was still in control of the situation. There was always a possibility that Sophia might go to the extreme and threaten them with Bryan's safety.

"Mommy, did Sophia come and look for me earlier?" Benjamin asked uneasily.

Even though he had not seen Sophia, he was certain he had heard her voice.

Corinne held her son close and reassured him, "No. I won't let her take you away again. Don't worry."

Benjamin's unease toward Sophia made Corinne worry about Bryan. She wondered if Sophia might target Bryan. Retrieving Bryan was not possible, at least not at that moment. It would only raise suspicion and work against their current situation. She hoped that Jeremy would be aware of Bryan's existence and take steps to protect the boy despite having lost his memory.

Corinne brought the kids home as soon as she bought toys forthem and comforted them. She then turned on her computer and used several special methods to decode the source of the text she received on her phone. She wanted to try and contact Jeremy.

Elsewhere, at Estee Bistro, Annie sipped her orange juice by the window and spaced out as she gazed at the street. She had waited more than 40 minutes for the blind date her mother had arranged.

Annie's mood was souring fast, and sitting around waiting for someone she had no interest in made it worse. She just had a morning session with her therapist, who encouraged her to try dating again instead of letting fear hold her back.

As a result, she reluctantly agreed to meet the blind date her family had set up for her. She figured that someone her family recommended would be more decent than some random men she got to know elsewhere. After all, she had a history of attracting the wrong kind of men. Alas, her blind date was not much better than the others. Annie could not help but grumble about the man's tardiness, for she had a particular loathing for people who had no sense of urgency.

She was a little moody when a man at a nearby table pulled out a chair and sat across from her.

When Annie snapped out of her senses and looked at the man, she was so startled that she nearly spat out the orange juice she had just sipped.

She coughed violently and asked herself, 'What kind of person is he?' The man sitting across from her was much, much older than her. He had the old-fashioned style and reeked of grease. Worse of all, he had very little hair left on his head! That did not look remotely like the top student her mother mentioned.

Qualifications notwithstanding, his appearance did not match that of a recent graduate from a top university. He was more like a top student from her father's generation!

"You must be Miss Annie! Sorry, I'm late. The traffic here was terrible. I hope you won't mind the slight delay," said the man.

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1544-Annie's lips twitched as she said with a forced smile, "Slight delay is an understatement."

The man raised his arm nonchalantly and rolled up his sleeves to reveal a luxury watch. "It's been forty minutes past the designated time already? I'm sorry, Miss Annie. I didn't realize that time would pass so quickly." He chuckled.

Annie had given up any hope of having a meaningful conversation with that blind date. She was trying to come up with a polite excuse to leave when the man adjusted his thick glasses and said with a grin, "Never mind that. We've

finally met, so let's not sweat the small stuff. It's a pleasure meeting you, Miss Annie. Please allow me to introduce myself."

'Let's not sweat the small stuff, huh? Hello! You've been more than forty minutes late, sir! How could you act like it's not a big deal?' Annie chided in her heart.

The man proceeded to introduce himself confidently, "My name is Gibby Zender.

I'm a twenty-eight-year-old graduate of WEX University, the top university in Molomia. I'm one hundred eighty centimeters tall, and I weigh one hundred eighty kilograms."

Annie glanced at him again. He had already sat down when she saw him, so she was unable to confirm his height. However, his round face belied his weight, and she could tell that it was certainly more than 180 kilograms.

"Hi, my name is Annie," Annie responded with a faint, awkward smile." There's no need to be lengthy, so I'll just cut to the chase and skip the introductions. I don't think we're a good match for each other."

Gibby seemed puzzled when he heard that. "What's wrong? Why did you jump to such a conclusion so quickly? I have a very good impression of you so far, especially your good looks! You might be a little older than I expected, but your beauty is more than enough for me to look past that! You stand at about one hundred sixty-five centimeters, right? It fits my requirements just nicely."

Annie was taken aback to hear the man being so nitpicky about her many different aspects. 'He can't be serious! What did he mean when he said that I'm a little older than him? I'm only two years younger than him! Where did he get the nerve to call me old?' "Didn’t you say you're twenty-eight?"

Gibby nodded confidently. "Indeed, I am. My friends and family all regard me as a young and promising man. I always tell them not to praise me so much. I wouldn't want to end up being too proud of myself! Haha!"

'Proud of yourself? What's there to be proud of? What part of being bald, having poor eyesight, and being overweight is worth being proud of?' Annie snickered to herself.

"Why would you say that I'm a little older than you expected when you're twentyeight and I'm twenty-six? It's only a two-year difference. Don't you think it's a little odd?"

Gibby shook his head and said sternly, "You're a woman, so it's not right to compare yourself to US men. We're both adults, so I won’t beat around the bush. We need to view this blind date from a realistic perspective. You're already twenty-six, and you're not very highly educated either. There's not much of a future for you, especially when you're working as a clerk.

Til give you credit for taking good care of your good looks, but being pretty isn't going to put food on your table. In the end, you're still going to rely on a man to support you in the future. Forgive me for being harsh, but a woman's value diminishes after she turns twenty-five. This is a reality you must accept. You're lucky that someone promising like me can still tolerate your age," said Gibby.

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1545-Annie was at a loss for a moment. She had met many people who were full of themselves, but she never met someone so insufferable. Gibby was delusional enough to believe that he was a promising individual, and it was as if he was oblivious to his multifaceted flaws!

A burst of displeasure welled up within her, but Annie stopped herself from being rude to him since he was the son of her mother's friend.

Gibby misconstrued Annie's silence as surrendering to his profound wisdom. He smiled with what he deemed to be a mature and charming expression, saying, "To be honest, you don't have to introduce yourself. I've learned about your

background from your family. I'm not disgusted by you, so please don't feel inferior in any way. Let's date and give each other a chance."

Annie was utterly speechless. She never imagined him to say something so outrageous. "Did you just say I don’t disgust you? What could I have done to disgust you?" she retorted.

Gibby responded, "I heard that you got engaged once and almost married, but there was a commotion at the wedding and it was eventually called off. If Annie nodded to confirm his statement. "That's true. What about it?"

Gibby shook his head and continued, "You need to understand that most men will regard a girl like you as being in her second marriage already. I don't mind that at all, and I'm willing to accept you as you are without being affected by other people's opinions of you. You should have no reason to hesitate."

'In my second marriage? What right do you have to say that?!' Deep down, Annie was fuming.

Unable to contain her anger any longer, Annie could not care less that Gibby was the son of her mother's friend. She was prepared to give him a piece of her mind.

"Hahaha! Now that's hilarious, coming from you! Have you ever looked in a mirror? I didn't want to judge people based on their appearance because I wouldn't want to hurt your fragile ego, but I see no reason to be courteous after all those rude comments you make about me. Your ugliness is off the charts, and you certainly don't look like a twenty-eight-year-old kid. I'd say you look more like a forty-eight-year-old uncle because you seem so much older than my father! 1 "Don't try to convince me that you're mature and stable. I've met men who were genuinely mature and stable, and those men have nothing in common with you!

Oh, and so what, if I'm not highly educated? My family's rich! I don't need to excel academically to have a comfortable life. I can buy whatever I want because my family dotes on me! Jealous?

"I was almost married once, but the keyword here is 'almost'! Do you understand what the word 'almost' means? If you can't comprehend such a simple word in the English language, you might want to go back to elementary school! Your degree is worth nothing if you can't grasp a basic concept! And to think you had the nerve to criticize other people for lacking academic qualifications? Please!"

The criticisms that Annie leveled at Gibby left him fuming with anger. "How dare you!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1546-Annie folded her arms. "What are you going to say now? Everything I said was true, and you know it! If you're as amazing as you claim to be, you wouldn't even need to go on a blind date to get a woman."

Gibby was furious and slammed his hands on the table as he stood up. ’ Did you think I'd willingly choose an old, unwanted woman like you if our parents didn't know each other?"

Annie glared at him. "Who are you calling old and unwanted? I'm younger than you! If your logic is anything to go, you're the one who is an old, unwanted man!"

Gibby could not contain his temper and reached for the juice on the table. He was seconds away from splashing it all over Annie's face when a hand appeared out of nowhere and held him back.

Annie flinched instinctively to avoid the impending splash, which never came.

When she looked up, she was surprised that Aaron appeared and stopped Gibby in the nick of time. He took the glass and poured it calmly into a trash can beneath the table.

Gibby was perplexed by the sudden intervention. He frowned as he looked at the stranger who grabbed the glass and poured out its contents. "Who are you?

Why did you pour out the drink?"

Aaron placed the empty glass on the table and smiled. "Why? Because I can't stand to see a grown man like you splash juice at a woman."

Gibby stood up and realized he was significantly shorter than Aaron, who was 186 centimeters tall. Gibby's height hardly came close to being 180 centimeters as he had claimed. He felt utterly humiliated in front of a man who far surpassed him in looks and height, and that led to increased agitation from him. "This is between me and my girlfriend! Who are you to butt in and interfere? Get out of my sight and stop meddling in other people's affairs!"

Aaron chuckled upon hearing this. "Your girlfriend? Are you referring to the lovely young woman sitting across from you?"

Gibby raised his head proudly. "That's her! Now get lost! This is none of your business! If you don't leave, I'll have the restaurant's security escort you out!"

Aaron snorted lightly and swiftly pulled out a chair to sit beside Annie." Feel free to call security. We'll see if they'll throw me out, or if they'll want to get rid of a creep like you who has no shame in assaulting women."

Gibby became even more incensed after seeing Aaron sit. "Did I say you could sit with us? Get up and stay away from my girlfriend!"

Aaron paid no heed to him and glanced affectionately at Annie instead. He asked, "He says you're his girlfriend. Is that true?"

Annie was reeling from the shock of Aaron's sudden appearance. It was only when she met his captivating gaze that she snapped out of it and shook her head. "No, I just met him today."

Once Annie provided her response, Aaron looked up at Gibby. "Hear that, pal?

Annie said she doesn't know you."

Gibby was stunned for a brief moment, and he immediately pointed at the two of them. "You two know each other?"

"Yes," Aaron answered with a smile. "I've been trying to win her heart for three years now, but she hasn't reciprocated any of my gestures yet."

Gibby felt unable to compete with Aaron's far better appearance, so he resorted to sarcastic remarks. "Haha! Is that so? Why are you even interested in someone like her? She's an old and unwanted woman who was almost married once. I'm sure you can tell she's not a virgin! Your taste in women is pretty bad!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1547-Annie wanted to make a couple of pointed remarks at that eccentric meathead, but Aaron's presence seemed to make it difficult for her to express herself. In the end, she could only lower her head and keep silent.

Aaron then frowned. "Why would you agree to go on a blind date with her if she disgusts you that much?"

Gibby seated himself and responded arrogantly, "Her mother tried to set her up with a potential partner, so my mother caught wind of it and asked me to meet her. I had nothing to lose, so I figured it shouldn't be a problem to come here."

Aaron then grinned. "Ah, so you intend to take advantage of her?"

Gibby glanced at Annie and corrected him, "Not exactly. I'm doing her a favor. If word gets out that none of the men introduced by her family are willing to go on a blind date with her, she can say goodbye to getting married."

Aaron sneered. "Cut the crap, pal. You came here because you think she's pretty, and you were hoping to gain something from her since she has a good family background. Let's be honest, someone of your standard has a zero chance of ever getting a girl like her."

Gibby's self-esteem took a severe hit. "The hell did you just say? What do you mean, 'someone of my standard'? Who are you to say that my standard is below par? I'm a graduate student at a prestigious foreign university! My mother tells me there aren't a lot of guys like me in the country. What academic qualifications do you have? List them out, and we'll see if you have the right to judge me!"

Aaron grinned at him. "I'm not obliged to tell you my academic history because I don't rely on degrees to be successful. In my opinion, only those who have recently graduated and haven’t secured a decent job yet would brag about their education level. If my guess is right, you probably don’t have a job!"

Gibby was tongue-tied as Aaron's statement had hit the nail on the head. He did not have a job yet and faced numerous difficulties when job-hunting abroad.

Upon returning to his home country, his parents arranged a few positions for him to try, but he did not find them to his liking.

The offers were all laughable, in his opinion. As a graduate student from a renowned foreign university, he turned his nose at the idea of starting from the bottom!

Aaron continued to smile and stated, "I've seen loads of arrogant yet mediocre people like you. They all rely on their parents to take care of them even though they're nearing their thirties. You're blind to your flaws, but you're picky when it comes to jobs and women. Look in the mirror, will you?"

Gibby pointed at Aaron in a rage. "Who are you to say that about me? Don't compare yourself with me if you don't even have the balls to share your academic qualifications!"

Aaron took a business card from his pocket and placed it on the table before pushing it toward Gibby. "As the VP of a publicly traded company, I'm not part of the upper-class circle. Forthat reason, I still feel that I'm not up to Annie's standards. I need to work harder."

Gibby was bewildered when he read the elegant text printed on the high- quality business card: Aaron Rhode-Vice President of Newmoon Group. Gibby had heard of the Newmoon Group before. It was a well-known and rapidly developing company that many graduates from prestigious universities aspire to join!

'How is he the vice president of the Newmoon Group?! Someone like him will probably be surrounded by tons of women! Why would he lower his standards to win the heart of an unwanted woman like Annie?' Gibby wondered.

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1548-When Aaron saw that Gibby was still in a state of shock, he tapped the table and asked, "Is something wrong? Are you skeptical about the authenticity of my business card?"

After taking the business card, Gibby glanced at Aaron's bespoke suit and noticed that the latter had an aura that only higher-ups in a company could exude. He still had his doubts, so he said to Aaron, "I'll believe you if you succeed in getting me a job at Newmoon Group."

That shameless request made Aaron laugh. "You've got some nerve making that request."

Gibby crossed his arms haughtily. "Oh? Does that mean you can't do it? What a shame. This all but proves that you're bluffing!"

"Honestly," Aaron began with a smile, "I don't have to prove my identity to you at all. But since you're a top graduate from a prestigious university, I won't mind having someone of your talents join our company."

Annie looked at Aaron in shock. ‘Why in the world would you hire someone who has only academic qualifications for show?' Gibby was elated by that remark. Though the blind date was a failure, getting a job at a prestigious company was a fortuitously welcome outcome. "You have good judgment, Mister Aaron. What position are you offering?"

"You'll find out tomorrow when you clock in. I can safely say that you'll be assigned to a position that's commensurate with your abilities."

Gibby slipped Aaron's business card happily into his pocket. "I'll hold you to that, Mister Aaron. I'll show this business card to your company's human resources department tomorrow."

He then promptly stood up and excused himself. His initial intention was just to sleep with Annie, so it was not that big of a deal to let Aaron have her.

"Wait," Aaron stopped him once again.

"What is it, Mister Aaron? Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?" Gibby was polite to Aaron as Aaron was poised to be his prospective superior.

Aaron sat down and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave when I haven't told you the prerequisites to join our company?"

"Prerequisites?" Gibby asked curiously, "What prerequisites?"

Aaron explained, "You've seen my business card, right? I'm merely a vice president. The president of our company is a woman, and she insists that every employee who joins must be respectful to women. Unfortunately, your comments about Miss Annie here suggest you might not treat women with due respect."

Gibby frowned and explained, "Well, Mister Aaron, I made those earlier remarks in the heat of the moment. She started it and attacked me with her rude comments!"

Annie, who had remained silent for some time, could not help but interject. "How dare you accuse me of being rude to you first? You're lying! You attacked me first!" 1 Gibby glared at Annie. It would be inappropriate for him to treat Annie badly in front of Aaron. For the sake of the job, he put on a hypocritical smile and said, ’Miss Annie, let's not dwell on who started first. Whatever it is, I apologize if my earlier behavior has upset you."

Annie was revolted by his insincerity. "I don't accept your apology."

Gibby, unfazed by Annie's response, turned to Aaron. "I've already apologized to her. That should be enough to demonstrate my deep respect for women."

Aaron-who was resting his arm on the chair's armrest while propping up his forehead with his hand-replied with a half-smile, "What were you about to do to Miss Annie when I first arrived?"

Gibby's expression froze before he laughed awkwardly. "As I said, I was angry at the time. Besides, you intervened in time, so I technically didn't do anything."

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1549-Aaron snorted and turned to look at Annie. "Girls shouldn't be too soft, Annie.

Treat him the same way he was prepared to treat you earlier."

His implication was clear as he glanced at the glass of orange juice in Annie's hand.

Annie understood right away. She had grown fed up with Gibby and no longer cared about maintaining her ladylike image. After removing the straw from her glass, she held it up and splashed it on Gibby's face.

Gibby barely had time to react when the sticky juice drenched the most expensive shirt in his wardrobe. He specifically chose that for the blind date.

Furious, his temper flared, and he raised his hand. "You… You b-"

Aaron cleared his throat lightly. "Remember. All our employees must respect women."

Realizing that acting on his anger could jeopardize his chance to secure a decent job at a big company, Gibby froze mid-sentence and stopped short of uttering the B-word. He mustered an ugly smile and said, "I'll happily go through this if it helps ease your anger, Miss Annie."

He then turned to Aaron and asked, "Mister Aaron, will this suffice to prove that I respect women?"

Aaron could not be bothered to have him linger around any longer. "You may go."

Gibby sought to confirm if he was still accepted for the job. "Does that mean I can clock into my first day of work at Newmoon Group tomorrow?"

"Yes." Aaron nodded.

Gibby smiled in relief and glared at Annie briefly. "I'll excuse myself now, Mister Aaron."

When Gibby left, Annie frowned and confronted Aaron. "Why would you want someone like him at the company? Isn't it obvious he doesn't genuinely respect women?"

A hint of amusement graced Aaron's eyes. "I'm aware of that."

"Then why did you allow him to clock in for work tomorrow?" Annie asked in confusion.

Aaron looked at her pissed-off expression. "He bullied you. Drenching him in a glass of orange juice isn't enough. I'll have the opportunity to deal with him properly once he's at the company."

Annie went blank for a moment and hesitated to look at Aaron. She averted her gaze awkwardly and said, "All he did was say some unpleasant things. I wouldn't go so far as to say he bullied me. And… Well…"

Aaron leaned closer and whispered, "And what?" He was so near that his warm breath tickled her ear and made her blush.

"And it has nothing to do with you in the first place!" Annie avoided his gaze as her face grew even redder.

Unexpectedly, Aaron rested his chin on her shoulder. His tone turned somewhat suggestive as he said. "Who says it has nothing to do with me? It's not okay for anyone to bully you. I can't stand it, and I won't allow it."

The weight on her shoulder surprised her, prompting her to exclaim, "Ah! Y -YYou're too close! Sit over there! It's making me uncomfortable!"

Aaron raised his chin knowingly and smiled faintly. "You're a little warm even though the restaurant has air-conditioning. Why is that? Do you feel warm because I'm too close to you?" he asked teasingly.

Annie's face grew even redder. She turned away unhappily and said, "Cut it out, or I'll get mad at you!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1550-Aaron immediately shook his head. "Okay, okay. I'll stop."Sit over there." Annie frowned and pointed to the seat opposite her.Aaron nodded. "I'll do as you say." He then stood up and took his seat across from her. Unfortunately, Annie felt even more uncomfortable as he was able to make direct eye contact with her."So, why are you here?" Annie asked, trying to shift the conversation.Aaron looked at her with a smile. "I heard you were having a blind date here, so I came to check on things."Annie frowned. "Who told you that? That blabbermouth is going to get it from me!"Aaron did not reveal that Sunny was the one who gave him that information.After all, he was a man of some principles despite his usual nonchalant attitude."I have my ways."Annie blushed and frowned upon hearing that. "Ugh, don't give me that bull!You're just here because you're interested in every woman's business!""Easy there!" Aaron raised his hands helplessly. "I'm not that kind of person!Annie had seen Aaron's flirtatious behavior in the past and no longer trusted his smooth talk."Do you find amusement in meeting my oddball of a blind date?" she asked.Aaron shook his head. "Amusing? Hardly. I find it surprising, more than anything.""Surprising?" Annie blinked in confusion. "How so?""I find it surprising that he'd dare to speak to you in such a manner," Aaron explained. "You would've been drenched in orange juice if I hadn't intervened."Annie chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Nothing is surprising about that. He thinks I'm an unwanted girl who has no right to look down on him like that, so he got angry and wanted to teach me a lesson."Aaron raised an eyebrow. "That's not it. I'm shocked that a person of his social status would have that attitude toward Jeremy's niece!"Annie finally understood what he meant. She laughed at herself and shrugged it off. "The whole world knows I'm Jeremy's niece. I used to enjoy some sort of protection because of him, but this is how everything works since he's missing.My family isn't that close to his family anyway, so it is what it is."Aaron narrowed his eyes. "Is your family going through a tough time as well?"Annie did not want to admit it, but she also did not want to cover it up with a lie.