Chapter 353

She looked just like a greedy piglet. Hadwin Stephenson wasn't sure which restaurant was good in the area, but this didn't stop Lina Sweeney from taking him to one she liked.

"This restaurant serves some special dishes, some of which you can't find anywhere else," she said once they were seated. Lina enthusiastically began ordering from the menu, describing each dish as she went. Halfway through, she noticed Hadwin staring at her gloomily.

"Uh, sorry, I'm talking too much," she said.

"It's alright. You can continue; I'll just listen," Hadwin replied lightly.

Lina touched her nose, suddenly unsure what to say. "Well why are you here today?" she asked, immediately regretting the question. It wasn't easy to move past the blind date topic, and now she'd brought it up herself.

Sure enough, he asked, "If I hadn't come, would you have had dinner with that man?"

Her face flushed. "How can you ask that?" she stammered, feeling slightly guilty. After all, she'd intended to invite him to dinner as an apology, a plan that thankfully fell through. Recalling the man's rudeness, she regretted not punching him at the time.

"Since your family wants to set you up on blind dates, do they have any requirements for a suitor?" he asked casually.

"Just the usual—owns a house, stable job, at least 170cm tall, and so on," she replied. She didn't care about the house; she was happy renting, and they could pool their money to buy one after marriage. However, according to her mother's logic, her age allowed her to demand a man with his own house. A few years older, and that would no longer be an option.

Lina was speechless at her mother's theory. She'd never thought a woman's age was such a problem. Many "leftover women" found love eventually, didn't they?

Her mother retorted, "That's because they have money, looks, and education. What do you have?"

Lina sighed. "Well, at least I have a college degree; I'm not uneducated." She felt compelled to defend herself.

Her mother scoffed, "College graduates are a dime a dozen. You could have gotten a master's degree abroad, but if it hadn't been for Grace, you'd be more than just a designer now."

Lina knew her mother would always bring up Grace. She didn't regret her decision; Grace had been alone, and Lina had been the only one to help her. Unfortunately, she hadn't won Grace's case, resulting in a three-year prison sentence.

The thought weighed heavily on her heart.

"What are you thinking?" Hadwin's elegant voice broke through her thoughts. Lina realized she'd been completely lost in memories of Grace's case.