Chapter 1 · Went Looking for Love and Got Accused of Marriage

Twenty minutes into my blind date, a woman walked up to our table and slapped down a 100-thousand-dollar bill.

She said, "Mr. Johnson, this is your wife's tab at our med spa. She said you'd take care of it."

Her voice cut through the restaurant's quiet atmosphere like a blade. Heads turned from the two tables next to us.

I was still holding the menu, about to ask the woman across from me if she wanted lemonade.

Then I looked up.

There she stood, a woman in a black pantsuit, a name tag pinned to her chest that read: [Jocelyn Stanley, Manager, Flora Med Spa.]

Behind her stood two assistants. One carried a folder, and the other had a phone raised in her hand like she was ready to start recording at any second.

I glanced at the bill. The charges were itemized in careful detail.

[Full-Face Anti-Aging Annual Package: 30 thousand dollars.]

[Cellular Restoration Treatment Plan: 22 thousand dollars.]

[Facial Contouring Lift: 18 thousand dollars.]

[Ultimate Feminine Care Package: 13 thousand dollars.]

[Premium Membership Deposit: 15 thousand dollars.]

Along with a pile of add-on treatments, the total came out to exactly 100 thousand.

After I read it, my first reaction wasn't anger.

I was genuinely stunned.

I was here on a blind date.

The woman sitting across from me, Hazel Jacobs, had been introduced by my mother through a mutual acquaintance. She was a thirty-year-old lawyer, and this was the first time we had ever met.

I had been single for all thirty-two years of my life. I'd never lived with a woman before. I didn't even know the exact process for registering a marriage.

Somehow, a stranger was standing in front of me, telling me that my wife had spent 100 thousand at a med spa and that I was expected to pay for it.

The whole thing was so absurd that I thought there had to be some kind of mistake.

I pushed the bill back. "You've got the wrong guy."

Jocelyn smiled.

"You're Eric Johnson, right?" she said immediately. "And your phone number ends in 0716, correct?"

I frowned. "Yes, that's me."

"Then we have the right person," Jocelyn said, pushing the bill right back in front of me.

She said, "Your wife, Mrs. Diana Johnson, came to our place this afternoon for several treatments. Before she left, she told us you'd be dining here tonight and asked us to come settle the payment with you."

Then she deliberately turned to Hazel. "Sorry for disturbing your dinner, ma'am."

The way she said it made it sound less like an apology and more like she was covering up something shameful for me.

Hazel paused mid-sip and looked at me without saying a word.

I looked at Jocelyn. "I don't have a wife."

Jocelyn's smile froze for a moment.

Soon, she switched back to her professional grin. "Mr. Johnson, we get it. Couples fight sometimes.

"But the treatments are already done, and your wife gave us your name and phone number. We checked the information already.

"Now you're saying you don't have a wife. That puts us in a very difficult position."

I sneered. "I'm here on a blind date, and you're telling me I have a wife, huh?"

Jocelyn instantly raised her voice. "Mr. Johnson, your wife already received the services. You can't deny your wife only because you're trying to impress someone on a date."

The lady at the next table let out a quiet gasp. A man in a shirt nearby looked over at me, his expression hard to read.

I knew what Jocelyn was up to.

She was trying to make a scene.

A blind date was the worst possible place for something like this to happen. If I didn't want to be humiliated or worried that Hazel and the onlookers might get the wrong idea, I probably would have paid the bill to end it.

100 thousand wasn't too much for me.

I owned my engineering consulting firm and did fairly well for myself, but having money didn't mean I was willing to let strangers treat me like an idiot.

I set the menu down and grabbed my phone.

As soon as Jocelyn saw me on my phone, she said, "Mr. Johnson, you can pay now. We take cards, mobile payment, and we can split it into two payments if that helps."

"I never said I was going to pay," I said, opening my phone's dialer. "I'm calling the cops."

Jocelyn's face immediately stiffened. "Mr. Johnson, this is a personal matter between you and your wife. There's really no need to involve the police."

I ignored her and made the call.

Once the call connected, I put it on speaker. "Hello, I'm at Lunaris Restaurant on the sixth floor of Riverside Plaza. Some people from a med spa showed up with a 100-thousand-dollar bill, claiming my wife spent it and now I have to pay."

"The problem is, I'm not married. I'm here on a blind date right now. I think someone may be using my information for fraud.

"They're also causing a public scene and damaging my reputation."

After I finished, the restaurant got quieter.

The fake smile disappeared from Jocelyn's face.

She stared at me and lowered her voice. "Mr. Johnson, do you really want to make this into such a big deal?"

I looked her straight in the eye. "You should have expected things to blow up like this before showing up at my blind date with a 100-thousand-dollar bill."

Hazel spoke up. Her tone stayed calm. "Mr. Johnson, are you truly single?"

I turned to her. "Yeah. You can check my personal info."

She nodded. "In that case, do not pay them."

Jocelyn immediately turned to Hazel. "Ma'am, trust me, some men tend to say they're single when they're out meeting other women. They hate it when their wives spend their money."

Hazel set her glass down. "I'm a lawyer."

Jocelyn was taken aback for a moment.

Hazel fixed her with a steady gaze. "You're saying his wife bought your services, right? Then please provide proof of marriage, payment records, the original signed documents, treatment records, consent forms, invoice details, and the receiving account information.

"And regarding a prepaid balance of 100 thousand, on what legal basis are you attempting to collect payment from a third party without written authorization?"

Jocelyn finally looked a little rattled.

She glanced from Hazel to me, sneering. "Mr. Johnson, no wonder you're acting so tough. Turns out you brought a lawyer to your blind date."

I snorted back. "Funny. I didn't expect to find a witness at a blind date either."

Jocelyn paused for a couple of seconds, then suddenly turned to her assistants behind her. "Get the guys at the door over here."

I looked up at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jocelyn stared me down, enunciating every word. "Mr. Johnson, until this bill gets paid, you're not going anywhere."

As soon as Jocelyn said that, Hazel frowned.

I let out a laugh. "Say that again?"

Jocelyn clutched the folder to her chest, as though she had regained her confidence. "Mr. Johnson, your wife spent 100 thousand at our place, and we cannot reach her. We have no choice but to come to you.

"You've already confirmed your identity. Your name matches, your phone number matches, and the information checks out. So yes, you need to pay this bill."

Chapter 1

Twenty minutes into my blind date, a woman walked up to our table and slapped down a 100-thousand-dollar bill.

She said, "Mr. Johnson, this is your wife's tab at our med spa. She said you'd take care of it."

Her voice cut through the restaurant's quiet atmosphere like a blade. Heads turned from the two tables next to us.

I was still holding the menu, about to ask the woman across from me if she wanted lemonade.

Then I looked up.

There she stood, a woman in a black pantsuit, a name tag pinned to her chest that read: [Jocelyn Stanley, Manager, Flora Med Spa.]

Behind her stood two assistants. One carried a folder, and the other had a phone raised in her hand like she was ready to start recording at any second.

I glanced at the bill. The charges were itemized in careful detail.

[Full-Face Anti-Aging Annual Package: 30 thousand dollars.]

[Cellular Restoration Treatment Plan: 22 thousand dollars.]

[Facial Contouring Lift: 18 thousand dollars.]

[Ultimate Feminine Care Package: 13 thousand dollars.]

[Premium Membership Deposit: 15 thousand dollars.]

Along with a pile of add-on treatments, the total came out to exactly 100 thousand.

After I read it, my first reaction wasn't anger.

I was genuinely stunned.

I was here on a blind date.

The woman sitting across from me, Hazel Jacobs, had been introduced by my mother through a mutual acquaintance. She was a thirty-year-old lawyer, and this was the first time we had ever met.

I had been single for all thirty-two years of my life. I'd never lived with a woman before. I didn't even know the exact process for registering a marriage.

Somehow, a stranger was standing in front of me, telling me that my wife had spent 100 thousand at a med spa and that I was expected to pay for it.

The whole thing was so absurd that I thought there had to be some kind of mistake.

I pushed the bill back. "You've got the wrong guy."

Jocelyn smiled.

"You're Eric Johnson, right?" she said immediately. "And your phone number ends in 0716, correct?"

I frowned. "Yes, that's me."

"Then we have the right person," Jocelyn said, pushing the bill right back in front of me.

Then she deliberately turned to Hazel. "Sorry for disturbing your dinner, ma'am."

The way she said it made it sound less like an apology and more like she was covering up something shameful for me.

Hazel paused mid-sip and looked at me without saying a word.

I looked at Jocelyn. "I don't have a wife."

Jocelyn's smile froze for a moment.

Soon, she switched back to her professional grin. "Mr. Johnson, we get it. Couples fight sometimes.

"But the treatments are already done, and your wife gave us your name and phone number. We checked the information already.

"Now you're saying you don't have a wife. That puts us in a very difficult position."

I sneered. "I'm here on a blind date, and you're telling me I have a wife, huh?"

Jocelyn instantly raised her voice. "Mr. Johnson, your wife already received the services. You can't deny your wife only because you're trying to impress someone on a date."

The lady at the next table let out a quiet gasp. A man in a shirt nearby looked over at me, his expression hard to read.

I knew what Jocelyn was up to.

She was trying to make a scene.

100 thousand wasn't too much for me.

I owned my engineering consulting firm and did fairly well for myself, but having money didn't mean I was willing to let strangers treat me like an idiot.

I set the menu down and grabbed my phone.

As soon as Jocelyn saw me on my phone, she said, "Mr. Johnson, you can pay now. We take cards, mobile payment, and we can split it into two payments if that helps."

"I never said I was going to pay," I said, opening my phone's dialer. "I'm calling the cops."

Jocelyn's face immediately stiffened. "Mr. Johnson, this is a personal matter between you and your wife. There's really no need to involve the police."

I ignored her and made the call.

"The problem is, I'm not married. I'm here on a blind date right now. I think someone may be using my information for fraud.

"They're also causing a public scene and damaging my reputation."

After I finished, the restaurant got quieter.

The fake smile disappeared from Jocelyn's face.

She stared at me and lowered her voice. "Mr. Johnson, do you really want to make this into such a big deal?"

I looked her straight in the eye. "You should have expected things to blow up like this before showing up at my blind date with a 100-thousand-dollar bill."

Hazel spoke up. Her tone stayed calm. "Mr. Johnson, are you truly single?"

I turned to her. "Yeah. You can check my personal info."

She nodded. "In that case, do not pay them."

Jocelyn immediately turned to Hazel. "Ma'am, trust me, some men tend to say they're single when they're out meeting other women. They hate it when their wives spend their money."

Hazel set her glass down. "I'm a lawyer."

Jocelyn was taken aback for a moment.

"And regarding a prepaid balance of 100 thousand, on what legal basis are you attempting to collect payment from a third party without written authorization?"

Jocelyn finally looked a little rattled.

She glanced from Hazel to me, sneering. "Mr. Johnson, no wonder you're acting so tough. Turns out you brought a lawyer to your blind date."

I snorted back. "Funny. I didn't expect to find a witness at a blind date either."

Jocelyn paused for a couple of seconds, then suddenly turned to her assistants behind her. "Get the guys at the door over here."

I looked up at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jocelyn stared me down, enunciating every word. "Mr. Johnson, until this bill gets paid, you're not going anywhere."

As soon as Jocelyn said that, Hazel frowned.

I let out a laugh. "Say that again?"

"You've already confirmed your identity. Your name matches, your phone number matches, and the information checks out. So yes, you need to pay this bill."