Matchmaker Mayhem
Chapter 55: The Wine Switcheroo

Chapter 55: The Wine Switcheroo

The room buzzed with frantic energy as competitors worked at their respective stations, stacks of client personality profiles spread out like a battlefield map. The challenge was clear: create matches based solely on personality descriptions without ever meeting the clients face-to-face. It was a matchmaking puzzle where the stakes were high, the clock was ticking, and the chaos was palpable.

Tension crackled in the air as papers flew, pens scratched furiously, and muttered curses punctuated the frenzied atmosphere. A competitor knocked over a stack of profiles in their haste, eliciting groans from the surrounding tables. Somewhere in the corner, a debate broke out over whether "avid stamp collecting" was a dealbreaker or a charming quirk. It was matchmaking at its messiest—and most entertaining.

Ava hunched over her table, furiously flipping through profiles, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Okay, we’ve got a pigeon enthusiast who spends weekends feeding birds in the park, a mime who... mimes everything instead of talking, and a life coach who refers to herself in the third person. How am I supposed to match these people?"

Ryan leaned against the table, holding a file in one hand and looking entirely too relaxed. "Easy. You just close your eyes, spin in a circle, and throw the profiles in the air. See who lands on top."

Ava shot him a withering glare. "Helpful, as always."

"Come on, Matchmaker," Ryan said, smirking. "Where’s that famous intuition of yours? Just... feel the vibes."

"I don’t ’feel vibes,’" Ava snapped, her tone sharp. "I use logic, patterns, and careful consideration—"

"Hydration is key to success!" came a cheerful voice from behind them.

Ava and Ryan turned to see Mei approaching their table, balancing a tray with two glasses of what appeared to be water. Mei was all smiles, looking like the picture of innocence in her floral blouse and pearls.

"Thanks, Grandma," Ava said distractedly, reaching for a glass without looking up from her stack of profiles.

Ryan, however, paused, his eyes narrowing as he picked up the other glass. He sniffed it, then raised an eyebrow. "Wait a second. This isn’t water."

Mei’s smile widened. "It’s a special blend. Good for focus."

Ryan took a sip, his smirk deepening. "You mean wine?"

"Exactly," Mei said, patting his shoulder like a proud coach. "Just enough to help you relax. You’re welcome."

Ava finally looked up, frowning as she held the glass up to the light. "Grandma, we don’t have time to relax. We’re trying to figure out how to pair a mime and a pigeon enthusiast without them running for the hills."

Mei waved her hand dismissively, like she’d just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Trust me, dear. A little wine will do wonders for your intuition. Your mind is too cluttered with overthinking. Let the wine help."

"Overthinking is literally my job," Ava argued, but Mei had already turned and sauntered off, humming to herself.

Ryan chuckled, raising his glass in a mock toast. "To Mei. The real MVP of matchmaking."

"She’s impossible," Ava muttered, taking a reluctant sip of the wine. It was surprisingly good. Too good, actually. She set the glass down with a sigh. "We can’t just drink our way through this."

Ryan shrugged, taking another sip. "Why not? It’s working for me. Look at this guy—pigeon enthusiast. Loves quiet spaces, hobbies include birdwatching and reading old travel magazines. Total introvert, right?"

"Obviously," Ava said, flipping through another profile. "And?"

Ryan picked up the mime’s profile. "This guy—introvert. Hates small talk. Communicates through gestures and silence. Tell me they’re not perfect for each other."

Ava blinked, surprised. "That... actually makes sense."

Ryan grinned. "See? The wine’s working already."

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help scribbling down the match. "Fine. But if this goes wrong, I’m blaming you."

"Blame the wine," Ryan quipped, leaning back in his chair.

Ava smirked. "Or you."

"Hey, at least I’m not the one overthinking it. That’s your specialty."

"Remind me to fire you after this."

Ryan clinked his glass to hers. "Deal."

---

When the buzzer signaled the end of the challenge, competitors moved into the observation room, where their matched clients were placed in one-on-one conversations. Ava fidgeted as she watched the mime and the pigeon enthusiast awkwardly sit across from each other.

"I knew this was a terrible idea," she muttered, gripping the edge of her chair. "Look at them. They’re just... sitting there."

Ryan tilted his head. "Give it a second."

Sure enough, as the conversation progressed, the mime began gesturing animatedly, miming the act of feeding birds. The pigeon enthusiast’s face lit up, nodding enthusiastically as she pulled out her phone to show him pictures of her favorite park pigeons.

Ava’s jaw dropped. "Are they... bonding?"

"Of course they are," Ryan said smugly. "Unconventional communication styles. You’ve got to think outside the box, Matchmaker."

Ava groaned but had to admit it was working. "Fine. You get one point for this."

Meanwhile, across the room, Julian Ashcroft watched his ultra-glamorous influencer clients bicker over who deserved the better lighting for their selfies. One of them stormed off in a huff, leaving Julian looking uncharacteristically flustered.

Ryan elbowed Ava, jerking his chin toward Julian. "See? Intuition beats algorithms every time."

Ava smirked. "Let’s not get ahead of ourselves."

Just then, a loud crash redirected their attention. A competitive bodybuilder was trying to demonstrate a workout routine to his timid match, but his enthusiasm sent a chair toppling over. The timid client stared, wide-eyed, until they both burst into laughter.

Ava leaned back with a satisfied grin. "Sometimes chaos works just fine, too."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Is that you admitting my methods might actually have merit?"

"Let’s not push it," Ava quipped. But her gaze lingered on the mismatched pairs, most of whom, against all odds, seemed to be connecting in their own quirky ways.

---

After the challenge ended, Ava and Ryan returned to their table to pack up their notes. Mei appeared a moment later, holding her now-empty tray, her grin as wide as the Grand Canyon.

"Well?" Mei asked, her tone smug. "Did my special blend work?"

Ava crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "Okay, I’ll admit it worked out. But you can’t just trick us into drinking wine during a professional competition!"

Mei smiled, entirely unrepentant. "I didn’t trick you. I merely... enhanced the process."

Ryan chuckled, clearly enjoying Ava’s frustration. "She’s got a point. You were way less uptight after the wine. It was like watching a robot discover fun for the first time."

Ava shot him a death glare. "This is why I can’t trust either of you."

"Trust is overrated," Mei said breezily, adjusting her pearls like a criminal mastermind adjusting her disguise. "Results are what matter."

Ava sighed, rubbing her temples. "Grandma, you can’t just keep interfering like this. We’re supposed to be professionals, not... whatever this was."

Mei patted her cheek, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "Oh, of course, dear. I’ll stay out of it from now on."

Ryan leaned closer to Ava, whispering, "You know she’s lying, right?"

"Obviously," Ava muttered.

Before she could launch into another lecture, Mei interrupted, her voice dripping with mock innocence. "By the way, I left a little surprise for the judges—just a hint of my famous elderberry tonic in their post-event tea."

Ava froze. "Please tell me you didn’t."

Mei shrugged. "Results, darling. Results."

Ryan burst out laughing as Ava groaned. "We’re all doomed."

---

As the competitors gathered for the results announcement, Ava couldn’t help glancing toward Julian, who looked unnervingly calm despite his influencer match disaster. His unnerving calmness was amplified by the fact that one of his clients was still sitting in the corner, crying over the "betrayal" of bad selfie lighting.

"You think he’s plotting something?" Ava whispered, narrowing her eyes.

"Definitely," Ryan replied, leaning closer. "But don’t worry. We’ve got the secret weapon."

Ava arched an eyebrow. "You mean my intuition?"

"No," Ryan said, his smirk widening. "Mei."

Ava groaned, burying her face in her hands. "We’re doomed."

From across the room, Mei raised her glass of wine in a silent toast, her grin as mischievous as ever. Chaos sparkled in her eyes, like a seasoned general watching her troops march into glorious disarray.

Just then, the MC stepped onto the stage to announce the winner. "Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve been waiting for!"

Mei, unfazed by protocol, stood up and shouted, "It’s obviously my granddaughter. Let’s not drag this out!"

The room burst into laughter, except for Ava, who turned bright red. "Grandma, sit down!" she hissed.

Julian smirked, leaning over to Ava. "Family support is so touching."

Before Ava could respond, a loud pop echoed through the room. Ryan had opened a bottle of sparkling cider and accidentally sprayed himself. He blinked, drenched, as Ava tried and failed to stifle a laugh.

"See?" Ryan said, shaking droplets off his hair. "Chaos. It’s our brand."

Mei cackled, lifting her glass again. "To chaos, darlings! The ultimate matchmaker!"

Ava sighed but couldn’t suppress a grin. Chaos, it seemed, was their not-so-secret weapon after all.