Married At First Sight Chapter 4543
Serenity knew coming here to propose marriage wouldn’t lead to anything today.
River knew it too—he was doing it on purpose. And of course, Serenity could see that River did have some feelings for Romina.
After all the tension and friction between them, maybe River really did want to marry her.
Serenity looked at her brother-in-law, forced a smile, and said, “Mr. Lafond, Mrs. Lafond, I know it’s a bit sudden to show up today with a marriage proposal, but Romina really has damaged River’s reputation. This isn’t something that can just be settled with a little compensation for emotional distress. River has stayed chaste for years, and now, Romina’s actions have tainted that. If he wants to date someone in the future, people will talk.”
“He’s thirty-one and still single. The elders in our family are anxious about his love life. I came to Eaglioncile this time mainly for tourism, yes—but I also came with a mission from the family: help River find a good woman.”
“He works here in Eaglioncile. It’s not practical for him to fly back to Wiltspoon just for blind dates. Even if he met someone, it’d end up a long-distance relationship and likely fall apart. So the family’s intention is for River to date locally and settle down here.”
“But after what happened last night? If that gets out, who would even consider going on a date with him? I’ve even drafted a marriage profile for River and was planning to submit it to major dating agencies here in Eaglioncile.”
She stopped there.
River quietly praised his sister-in-law in his heart.
The Lafayette family exchanged glances.
They thought Serenity was just being diplomatic, but none of them could argue with her.
It was true—River was thirty-one, had no girlfriend, and had never been linked to any scandals. He was a serious workaholic. The only woman he ever clashed with publicly was Romina—his long-time rival.
Now, all eyes turned to Romina.
The Lafayettes didn’t dislike River, even though his company, Yantail, was a rival to the Lafayette Group and he’d clashed with Romina for years. Maybe it was because he was just too competent—and too attractive.
Instead of disliking River, they actually respected him.
They had no objection to River becoming a son-in-law. Of course, they were open-minded and would support whatever choice Romina made. Her happiness was their priority.
Romina was clearly in the wrong here. It was up to her how to fix things and clean up the mess.
Under the pressure of everyone’s eyes, Romina slowly calmed down. She said to Serenity and River, “Sister Seren, River… I was wrong last night. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of him, but I was drunk and not thinking straight. I don’t hold my liquor well. When I drink, I have a bad habit—I flirt with attractive guys. I know it’s wrong, and I take full responsibility.”
“I’m willing to make amends. But there’s no love between River and me. If I married him just to take responsibility, I wouldn’t be happy—and that would be unfair to both of us. It’d ruin our lives.”
“I’ll make sure no word of last night gets out. No matter how much it costs, I’ll silence anyone who saw what happened. I’ll protect River’s reputation.”
“I’ll compensate him for the emotional toll, and if I still owe him a meal, I’ll double it next time. And if he’s open to dating, I’ll help him find someone. I promise I’ll only introduce the best.”
Serenity replied, “In our York family, when it comes to marriage, we care about character and family background.”
Married At First Sight Chapter 4544
Romina quickly said, “Sister Seren, don’t worry. I would never introduce River to someone with a bad background or character. I take my role as matchmaker seriously. We’re all living in Eaglioncile now—we’ll see each other all the time. I wouldn’t dare mess this up.”
“There are plenty of amazing women in the Lafayette Group—smart, kind, from good families. If River’s willing, I could line up ten dates in a single day.”
“With so many great women around, I’m sure we can find him someone perfect.”
Serenity gave River a look, signaling him to speak.
River thought for a moment, then said to Romina, “You were drunk last night and not in your right mind. As long as you keep things under wraps and make sure no word of it spreads, that’s step one.”
“Then, you treat me to a meal and set up two blind dates for me every day. Since we’re both swamped with work, let’s not let it interfere. Set up one date at lunch and one at dinner—so I can eat and date at the same time.”
“You’ll be the matchmaker and the chaperone. You’ll cover the cost of each meal. Don’t worry—I won’t order expensive food just to drain your wallet. Standard meals—two or three dishes and a soup—will be fine.”
“One month. That’s the deal. You help me find a girlfriend and treat me to meals for a month. If I don’t find someone by then, we’ll call it even, and I won’t bring up what happened again.”
Romina agreed instantly.
A month of dinners and matchmaking was far better than having to marry him.
The Lafayette family all turned their eyes to Romina again.
Grandpa Lafond looked like he wanted to say something but held back. He glanced at River twice, then stayed quiet.
Mrs. Lafond had a strange feeling, like her daughter had just walked into a trap. But she couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong.
River’s compensation plan sounded completely reasonable.
“There’s one more thing,” River suddenly added.
Romina, who had just relaxed, tensed up again. “What now?” she asked, wary. “Don’t tell me you’re backing out.”
“You poured a glass of wine on me and ruined my suit jacket. You owe me ten new suits.”
Romina let out a long breath and agreed immediately. “Fine. Ten new suits.”
But in her mind, she grumbled about how petty River was becoming.
She’d only splashed wine on him because he made her so mad.
River was getting more and more vindictive. Next time she saw him, she’d need to keep her emotions in check—she couldn’t afford to let him get the better of her again.
“Words aren’t enough,” River said calmly. “Let’s put this all in writing—two copies, signed by both of us. That way no one can go back on it.”
Romina choked on her own breath but still agreed.
She personally wrote up the agreement based on River’s terms. After he reviewed and approved it, River printed two copies.
Married At First Sight Chapter 4545
Romina asked, “River, do you have any more questions?”
River took another look at the two agreements and replied, “No more.”
“Then let’s sign them. Starting tomorrow, I’ll arrange two blind dates for you every day for a month,” Romina said. “And don’t worry about what happened last night. I’ll make sure it stays quiet and doesn’t ruin our reputations.”
Romina had no intention of letting last night’s incident leak.
Because if River’s reputation went down, hers would go down with it.
She had no idea how many people saw her flirting with River last night.
“Okay,” River replied calmly. “I trust you.”
So, under the watchful eyes of the Lafayette family, they signed the agreement and pressed their fingerprints on it.
Each kept a copy.
After reviewing the document one more time, River folded it neatly and stood up. He looked at Grandpa Lafond and the others, apologetic. “Grandpa, Uncle, Auntie, I know I was a bit abrupt today.”
Everyone except Old Mr. Lafond stood to see him off.
Mrs. Lafond said, “We’re just glad it’s resolved. You don’t need to apologize—it was Romina’s mistake, unintentional as it was.”
River looked at Romina and said, “If it had been intentional, I wouldn’t have let it slide.”
Then, turning back to the others, he added, “These small gifts are just an apology for dropping in and disturbing you. Please accept them.”
The “bride price” he brought on short notice was modest and symbolic—nothing extravagant.
Mrs. Lafond and the others tried to return the gifts, but after some polite back-and-forth, they agreed to keep half and return half.
After River and Serenity left, Romina plopped down on the sofa, grabbed a fruit plate from the coffee table, and started munching on some fruit.
“I’m starving,” she mumbled as she ate. “River, that jerk—I was drunk, not crazy. And he actually came here to propose, like I’m the one who owes him something.”
Her whole family stared at her.
Romina stuck out her tongue playfully. “Okay, okay—I know I messed up. Stop glaring at me. I swear I’ll never get drunk again.”
“Mom’s to blame anyway. She jinxed me. She told me to drink less before I even left the house. And look what happened.”
Mrs. Lafond tapped her daughter’s head. “You didn’t listen, and now you’re blaming me? I warned you. I even told Maddox. But you ignored us, drank too much, and made a fool of yourself. Don’t you know what you’re like when you’re drunk? Maddox was right there—if you wanted to flirt with someone, why not him? Isn’t he handsome enough?”
Romina chewed a piece of fruit and muttered, “Maddox is good-looking, but River’s just a bit more… striking. Maybe I gave up on Maddox the second I saw River.”
Mrs. Lafond tapped her head again.
Donovan chimed in, “Honestly, River enabled it. Maddox was supposed to take Romina home since he was her date for the night. Everyone assumed our families were moving toward marriage.”
“But River stepped in, claiming he didn’t trust Maddox to get her home safely, so he took over instead.”
Romina paused. “Wait… so I molested him and he gave me the opportunity on purpose?”
That explained why River was the one who took her home.
Married At First Sight Chapter 4546
So River had blocked Maddox from escorting her home—but in the end, he went himself.
Donovan was quiet for a moment, then said, “But you were the one who stopped him and made a move. No matter who took you home, the result would’ve been the same.”
Romina muttered, “Not the same. Maddox was my date, and we were thinking about becoming a couple. River’s my sworn enemy. Every time we meet, it’s like fireworks—nothing but tension.”
Donovan laughed. “Yet when you saw him, you ditched Maddox, threw yourself into River’s arms, and wouldn’t let go?”
Romina blushed and had nothing to say.
Her drunk self was a whole different person.
“Grandpa, Brother,” she asked, turning to her grandfather, “did you help block the rumors about last night?”
Donovan replied, annoyed, “Maddox talked to everyone who saw it and told them you were just drunk. He made sure no one spread it.”
“Everyone in our circle knows how you act when you’re drunk.”
“No one was shocked that you flirted with River. What surprised them was that you got drunk again. They haven’t seen that in years.”
Romina let out a laugh of relief.
Maddox had handled it well.
She’d definitely call him later to thank him and apologize.
“Romina, Maddox said the two of you aren’t a good match. He thinks you should just be friends,” Donovan said suddenly.
Mr. Lafond sighed. “And there goes our future son-in-law.”
Romina froze, then nodded in understanding. After what happened, Maddox probably thought she had feelings for River.
If he only wanted to stay friends, she couldn’t blame him.
They’d stay friends.
Honestly, she’d always felt like something was missing between her and Maddox anyway.
Donovan asked, “You’re setting up two blind dates a day for River. Who are you choosing?”
Romina answered casually, “Easy. We have tons of young women working at our company. If I announce it, they’ll line up for the chance to go on a blind date with River.”
“River’s popular.”
She had to admit, outside of their business rivalry, she really admired him.
“His looks, physique, and money-making skills—he’s the total package.”
Donovan said seriously, “Still, I think it’s strange how quickly River agreed to this deal. He’s usually not this easygoing. Be careful—you don’t want to get played again.”
Romina dismissed it. “It’s just blind dates and meals. What could he possibly get from me? He even said three dishes and one soup are enough. Even if I splurge every day at the most expensive hotel in Eaglioncile, how much would that even cost?”
She was rich. River couldn’t possibly bleed her wallet dry.
Old Mr. Lafond, quiet until now, said to his son and daughter-in-law, “You’re not too busy—go check out River’s background in Wiltspoon. This young man isn’t ordinary. He’s made a name for himself here, but no one knows anything about his family. But judging by his cousin’s wife—she carries herself with elegance and confidence. That York family of theirs might be far more influential than we realize.”
Wise as always, Old Mr. Lafond had seen the signs.
Serenity wasn’t just anyone.
And if she was part of River’s family, the Yorks were definitely not to be underestimated.