In the restaurant of one of the most luxurious hotels in Z City, Charles Kosonen sat waiting at a table right next to the window.
There was no one else in the restaurant. He had already booked and fully paid for every other table for the night.
He had waited for this conversation for five months. The first impression he had made on her had been bad enough. Now, he didn't want any random stranger in the room to ruin it, no matter how low the chances were.
First, he had sent a limousine to pick her up the moment their phone call ended.
Next, he had gotten rid of the stiff vest jacket he had worn all day, unbuttoned his white shirt into a more open, friendly look, and sprayed himself from top to bottom with the perfume he had just bought when he left the airport earlier that day.
"This one is very strong and masculine, with heavy leathery and musky notes at the base, and lovely wild juniper and citrus notes on top. Women go crazy for these bold mixtures, Mr. Kosonen," the shop assistant had said.
He couldn't even tell any juniper note from the tester, but he was already sold at "women go crazy for these mixtures."
Fifteen minutes later, a tall, slender figure stepped through the entrance to the restaurant.
She was covered from head to toe in black. Even her face mask and cap were still on, just as they had been from the moment she got into the limousine.
Charles's brow lifted slightly at the outfit before he quickly smoothed his expression back into stillness.
He knew he had called her suddenly and picked her up from the middle of the street, but he had expected something a little more… civilian-looking than a full black intelligence-agent ensemble.
Seeing Kaija approach, Charles rose quickly from his seat.
"Mr. Kosonen," Kaija said with a polite bow. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner."
"Kaija," he greeted in return, pulling out a chair for her. "Please, have a seat."
She didn't sit immediately, instead just standing there, momentarily dumbfounded, as if startled by his sudden gentlemanly behavior.
Then she leaned in slightly, close enough to make him flinch and instinctively step back.
"Sorry," she said, realizing her carelessness. "You smell really good."
A subtle smirk lifted at the corner of his mouth as he straightened himself.
"I didn't think you would notice, Kaija," he said, gesturing to the chair again.
"Well… it kind of punches me right in the face," she replied as she finally took her seat. "Did you put it on just now? I don't recall smelling it on you earlier during the flight."
Charles stiffened slightly as he lowered himself back into his chair.
"Well, yes," he nodded faintly, his gaze darting away. "I only wished to be a little presentable while having dinner with you, Kaija."
"Hmm," she hummed, watching him closely.
Then her expression flattened as her attention drifted to the shimmering chandelier above.
"See, Mr. Kosonen, I appreciate your kind gesture," she said, "but I'd also appreciate it if you could get straight to the point of the matter you wished to discuss with me in private."
Charles stared at her, momentarily speechless.
Was she always this straightforward in person, or was she unhappy with his choice of location for dinner?
In his experience, the women he used to date would first compliment the place, then spend some time going through the menu. Maybe they'd compliment how handsome he looked that night, before launching into long conversations about themselves for the rest of the evening.
He had barely even warmed up, and she already wanted to get straight to the point, as if she couldn't wait to leave.
His brow began to twitch faintly.
"I like how straightforward you are," he said, waving the waiter over, "but why don't we place our order first before getting into the main discussion?"
"Good idea," she shrugged, taking the menu from the waiter. "You picked the place. What do you suggest?"
"I've always liked the braised duck here," he said, flipping through the pages. "The salmon is also excellent. I've heard people your age are really into boba tea these days. I think they have that here too."
Her gaze snapped up at him over the edge of the menu.
"Say that again?" Her voice dropped low and dangerous. "Boba tea?"
"Yes, miss," the waiter confirmed brightly. "We have everything here. We're one of the best places in the city, after all."
Her low voice instantly lifted into a lighter tone, her flat expression blooming into a bright smile. "Then anything's fine for me, Mr. Kosonen. I'm not a picky eater," she said. "But I'd like one oolong milk tea with brown sugar, grass jelly, pudding, red beans, and white pearls, please."
Charles's calm expression twitched slightly at her words. He turned to the waiter and said, "Then we'll have two full-course braised duck sets, and two oolong milk teas with… uh… what she just said."
The waiter's face didn't seem any better than Charles's. Still, he kept his composure as he hurried away to the kitchen.
It didn't take long until the first course and Kaija's long-awaited boba tea arrived.
Across the table, Charles didn't look nearly as excited as the girl opposite him.
He stared at the tall glass as if it were some alien object, gave it a stir, then scooped up the toppings one by one, studying them with strange fascination.
A millennium later, he commented, "So, boba tea is basically a drinkable dessert?"
"Eh… yes!" Kaija's face twitched slightly. "In a way. Just try it, Mr. Kosonen."
Charles gave her a skeptical look, then took a sip through the wide straw. The moment the tea and boba hit his tongue, his eyes flew wide.
He took another sip. Then another. Then he tried the pudding, then the grass jelly. His expression grew more fascinated with every passing second.
"Wow," he said, brows shooting up. "This drinkable dessert is something else."
"It is, especially when you go overboard with the toppings like that," she nodded slowly. Then she took a long sip of her own tea, savoring the sugar rush, before pushing the glass aside and resting both arms on the table, leaning forward.
"So, Mr. Kosonen, we've placed our orders and gotten our drinks," she said, watching his face closely. "May I know why you wanted to see me now?"