Chapter 83: Trouble in the Seine
The afternoon sun cast a golden glow over the Seine, shimring across the gentle waves as boats glided along the water. The L’Amour ??lite’s latest matchmaking challenge had all the elents of Parisian romance: a scenic river cruise, breathtaking views, and, of course, the possibility of utter disaster.
Ava stood at the dock, arms crossed, surveying the lineup of elegantly dressed clients ready for the evening’s event. The goal was simple—pair up compatible matches and send them on a scenic boat ride to encourage conversation and chemistry.
But Ava had learned long ago that nothing was ever simple. Especially when Julian Ashcroft was involved.
"Let
guess," Ryan murmured beside her, adjusting the collar of his blazer. "Sothing is about to go horribly wrong."
Ava sighed. "Isn’t it always?"
Across the way, Julian stood near the boarding area, casually chatting with a well-dressed businessman while occasionally casting smug glances in their direction. That alone was suspicious, but when Ethan Chase appeared, wearing an all-too-pleased expression, Ava’s stomach sank.
"Okay, that’s it," she muttered. "Julian’s up to sothing."
Ryan followed her gaze, narrowing his eyes. "You want
to ’accidentally’ spill wine on him again? I can make it look natural."
Ava smirked despite herself. "Tempting, but let’s try to be one step ahead for once."
Unfortunately, "one step ahead" was difficult when disaster was already in motion.
---
Chaos Sets Sail
The boat was well underway, gliding smoothly along the Seine. The clients were already engaged in conversation, with so pairs laughing easily while others awkwardly avoided eye contact.
Everything seed to be going well—until Ava noticed one of her clients, Daniel, suddenly flailing at the edge of the deck.
One mont, he was standing near the railing, adjusting his tie. The next, he was falling.
Ava gasped. "Oh, you have got to be kidding !"
With a resounding splash, Daniel plunged into the Seine, his panicked yelp cut off by a mouthful of water.
Gasps rippled through the boat. So clients shrieked. A woman nearly dropped her champagne flute. Ethan, on the other hand, was laughing.
Ryan was already moving before Ava could react.
"Ryan, don’t—!" But it was too late.
Without hesitation, Ryan tossed off his blazer, kicked off his shoes, and leaped over the railing.
There was another splash.
Ava groaned, running a hand down her face. "Unbelievable."
Julian, still dry and very smug, leaned lazily against the railing. "Oh dear. What a tragic accident."
Ava shot him a glare. "Oh, please. That was no accident."
Julian shrugged, feigning innocence. "People are just so clumsy these days."
Ava clenched her jaw, watching as Ryan resurfaced, swimming toward Daniel. Ryan managed to grab hold of the flailing man, who was now coughing and sputtering as if he’d swallowed half the river.
"You’re fine, man, just breathe," Ryan reassured him, dragging Daniel toward the boat’s edge.
By the ti Ryan managed to pull Daniel up to the deck—with the help of so clients and crew mbers—Ava was waiting, arms crossed and tapping her foot impatiently.
Ryan, dripping wet and completely unfazed, grinned at her. "Did I impress you, Matchmaker?"
Ava let out an exasperated laugh. "Why are you like this?"
Ryan winked. "Because otherwise, you’d be bored."
Ava shook her head but grabbed a towel from a nearby crew mber and tossed it at him. "You’re an idiot."
Ryan caught the towel, ruffling his soaked hair. "And yet, here you are, still keeping
around."
Julian, watching with amusent, chuckled. "Well, this has been entertaining, but I believe I have more important matters to attend to."
Ava’s eyes narrowed. "Like what? Pushing soone else into the river?"
Julian smirked. "Please. I would never be so... obvious."
Ethan snorted, still barely containing his laughter. "Oh, co on, Ava. It’s just a little water."
"Shut up, Ethan," Ava snapped before turning her attention back to Ryan. "And you—"
Ryan raised a brow. "Yes, dear?"
Ava glared. "Don’t ’yes, dear’ ! You could have drowned!"
Ryan grinned, leaning in. "You were worried about ."
"I was worried about the competition," Ava said stubbornly. "What if Daniel drowned? We’d be disqualified!"
Ryan let out a bark of laughter. "Uh-huh. And ? No concern there?"
Ava opened her mouth to retort but closed it quickly. Her cheeks burned, and she hated that Ryan could tell.
"That’s what I thought," Ryan said smugly.
Ava huffed, turning away. "You’re impossible."
Ryan, still grinning, slung the towel over his shoulders and followed her back inside the boat’s main cabin.
---
Drying Off (Sort Of)
Back inside, the rest of the clients returned to mingling, though the excitent of the impromptu swim had left the room buzzing. Ava was still fuming, half at Ryan for his reckless heroics and half at Julian for clearly orchestrating it.
Ryan, now wearing a slightly damp spare shirt that he had sohow managed to find (probably stolen from the crew), slumped into a chair across from Ava, shaking out his still-wet hair.
"Could you not?" Ava grimaced, dodging the water droplets.
Ryan smirked. "What? I thought you liked the ’drenched hero’ look."
Ava rolled her eyes. "You reek of river water."
Ryan leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "So what you’re saying is, I need a shower?"
Ava nearly choked on her drink. "I—what?"
Ryan’s grin widened. "You’re blushing."
"Am not!"
"Are too."
Ava huffed, turning away, but she could feel the heat creeping up her neck.
Before Ryan could tease her further, i appeared, holding a cup of steaming tea. "Ah, my brave knight! Risking life and limb for love!" She patted Ryan’s head like he was a child. "How noble."
Ryan smirked, accepting the tea. "Thank you, i. Soone here appreciates ."
Ava shot him a glare. "You do not get to play the victim."
i ignored them both. "Anyway, did you see Julian’s face? He was delighted by all this."
"Obviously," Ava muttered. "I need to figure out how to get ahead of him."
"Simple," i said. "Beat him at his own ga."
Ava frowned. "Easier said than done."
Ryan, finally finished toweling off, leaned forward. "We don’t have to out-sabotage him. We just have to be better. More natural. Real matchmaking, not staged drama."
Ava looked at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice.
Ryan wasn’t always serious when it ca to the competition, but when he was, it made her realize why they worked so well together.
She exhaled. "Okay. Then let’s get back to work."
Ryan grinned. "That’s my girl."
Ava froze.
Ryan froze.
i gasped dramatically. "Oh my!"
Ryan quickly backtracked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I an—"
Ava cleared her throat. "You ant that we are a team."
Ryan nodded too quickly. "Exactly. Strictly professional."
i grinned mischievously. "Strictly professional. Of course."
Ava groaned. "I hate all of you."
Ryan just winked. "No, you don’t."
And unfortunately, he was absolutely right.
---
The Aftermath
By the ti they disembarked, Julian was already gone, no doubt plotting his next move. Ethan had disappeared as well, probably off to brag about his role in today’s disaster.
Ava sighed, walking along the riverbank beside Ryan, the twinkling Parisian lights reflecting on the water.
"You okay?" Ryan asked.
Ava nodded. "Yeah. Just... I don’t like losing."
Ryan nudged her lightly. "We didn’t lose. We just had a minor setback. And, if I may remind you, I saved the day."
Ava scoffed. "You an you drenched the day."
Ryan smirked. "You love it."
Ava didn’t answer.
Because, maybe—just maybe—he wasn’t entirely wrong.
And that was the most dangerous part of all.
---
The evening air in Paris was crisp and laced with the scent of warm pastries and roasting chestnuts from nearby vendors. The Seine shimred beneath the soft glow of streetlights, reflecting the twinkle of the city’s endless charm. The boat event had ended, but Ava and Ryan lingered by the riverside, their footsteps falling in sync as they walked along the cobblestone path.
Ava wasn’t sure why she didn’t suggest heading back imdiately. Maybe because, for once, there were no challenges, no i-induced chaos, no Julian plotting in the shadows. It was just them, the city, and a mont she wasn’t ready to let go of yet.
Ryan, still slightly damp from his heroic dive into the river, exhaled in satisfaction. "Well, that was eventful."
Ava smirked. "You an idiotic?"
Ryan shot her a lopsided grin. "Potato, potahto."
She rolled her eyes but, for once, didn’t argue. Instead, she let the warmth of the mont settle in, the soft hum of the city filling the silence between them.
Then, as if struck by an idea, she suddenly stopped walking.
Ryan, caught off guard, turned to face her. "What?"
Ava glanced around, spotting a cozy p??tisserie tucked between two buildings. The window displayed an assortnt of delicate French desserts—eclairs, macarons, mille-feuille—all bathed in the golden glow of the warm interior.
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You know, you did kind of save a man’s life today."
Ryan’s brows lifted. "Kind of?"
Ava shrugged, the corners of her lips twitching. "Okay, fine. You did save a man’s life today."
Ryan grinned, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I like where this is going."
Ava shook her head but walked toward the bakery, pulling him along by the wrist. "Co on, hero. You earned yourself a treat."
Ryan blinked down at their joined hands before quickly following, his grin only widening.
---
The little p??tisserie slled like heaven—freshly baked pastries, lted chocolate, and a hint of vanilla. It was nearly empty at this hour, save for an elderly couple sitting near the window, whispering to each other like they were teenagers sneaking out past curfew.
Ava made a beeline for the display case, scanning the options with a determined look. Ryan, amused, leaned on the counter beside her.
"I gotta say, Matchmaker," he mused, "I’m liking this whole ’reward system.’ Do I get pastries every ti I do sothing heroic?"
Ava tilted her head as if considering it. "Depends."
"On what?"
She smirked. "On how tolerable you are on a daily basis."
Ryan chuckled. "So, I shouldn’t push my luck."
"Exactly."
The shopkeeper, an older woman with kind eyes, approached with a knowing smile. "For your boyfriend, mademoiselle?"
Ava opened her mouth to correct her, but Ryan smoothly interjected.
"Yes, she’s rewarding
for my bravery today," he said, shooting Ava a smug look.
The woman chuckled. "Ah, a man of courage! Then you must try our special chocolate soufflé—it is only for the most deserving of heroes."
Ava huffed. "Great. Now we’re encouraging him."
Ryan smirked. "I like this place."
With a small shake of her head, Ava placed the order, watching as the shopkeeper carefully packed the soufflé into a small box. After paying, she turned to Ryan, holding it out to him.
"There. Your grand prize."
Ryan took the box but, instead of moving, he just looked at her for a mont. There was sothing soft in his expression, sothing teasing but also... sothing deeper.
"You know," he said, flipping the box open and breaking off a piece, "you could’ve just told
you cared instead of bribing
with dessert."
Ava scoffed, but her cheeks ward. "Don’t be ridiculous."
Ryan held out a bite-sized piece of soufflé toward her. "C’mon. Try it."
Ava hesitated, glancing around as if i or Harold might burst in at any mont and ruin whatever this was. But no one did. It was just them, the quiet hum of the bakery, and the lingering warmth of a mont she wasn’t quite ready to na.
Finally, with a sigh, she leaned in and took a small bite.
It was rich, velvety, and lted in her mouth instantly.
Her lips parted in surprise. "Wow."
Ryan smirked. "Good, right?"
Ava nodded, swallowing. "Okay, fine. You made a solid dessert choice."
Ryan leaned closer. "Does this an I get to pick all our pastries from now on?"
Ava narrowed her eyes. "Don’t push it, Kim."
Ryan laughed, nudging her shoulder playfully. "Noted."
---
By the ti they left the bakery, the streets had quieted, the lively chatter from earlier now replaced with a soft breeze and the distant sound of a street musician playing a slow lody on his violin.
Ava felt sothing shift between them—subtle but undeniable. Maybe it was the dim streetlights casting golden hues over their path. Maybe it was the way Ryan kept glancing at her, as if morizing her in this mont. Or maybe it was the simple fact that, for once, they weren’t arguing, teasing, or running from chaos.
They were just... being.
As they strolled along the riverbank, Ryan—seemingly without thought—reached for her hand.
Ava stiffened for a second, but then... she let him.
His grip was firm, warm, steady.
Her fingers curled around his naturally, and just like that, it felt easy.
Ryan gave her hand a light squeeze. "You realize this is the longest we’ve gone without arguing, right?"
Ava humd. "I think that soufflé sedated you."
Ryan chuckled. "Or maybe you just like
more than you’re willing to admit."
Ava turned to him, raising a brow. "Don’t ruin it."
Ryan grinned but didn’t let go of her hand.
And for once, Ava didn’t pull away.
They continued walking, the quiet hum of Paris surrounding them, the air thick with sothing unspoken.
Eventually, Ryan sighed. "You know, I wouldn’t mind staying here forever."
Ava tilted her head. "What? In Paris?"
Ryan nodded. "Yeah. Good food, good views..." He shot her a look. "Decent company."
Ava rolled her eyes but smiled. "You’re impossible."
"And yet..." Ryan swung their hands slightly, a knowing look in his eyes. "Here we are."
Ava exhaled, shaking her head. "Yeah."
They fell into a comfortable silence again, their hands still linked as they walked. And though Ava wasn’t quite sure what this was, she wasn’t in a rush to define it.
For now, the quiet, the city, and him—it was enough.
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