Matchmaker Mayhem
Chapter 79: Julian’s Sabotage Begins

Chapter 79: Julian’s Sabotage Begins

The next morning, Ava arrived at the matchmaking event feeling surprisingly... good. The Pont des Arts challenge had been chaotic but fulfilling, and despite Mei’s relentless teasing, the easy companionship with Ryan had settled into something warm and steady.

That should have been her first warning that something was about to go terribly wrong.

Because when things were going too well, it usually meant Julian was lurking in the shadows with a smirk and a plan.

---

Ava and Ryan stood at the grand entrance of the Hotel De L’Amour, where today’s matchmaking event was taking place. The ballroom was elegant, with soft candlelight, fresh floral arrangements, and romantic jazz playing in the background. Couples-to-be were gathered at separate tables, eagerly waiting to meet their matches.

Margaux, the ever-poised host of L’Amour Élite, took the stage. "Today, you will be arranging one-on-one introductions for your assigned clients. A proper matchmaker must see beyond the surface—beyond algorithms, beyond first impressions. Your job is to ensure your clients find genuine chemistry."

Ava glanced at Ryan. "Sounds easy enough."

Ryan grinned. "You say that now."

Little did they know, Julian Ashcroft was already several steps ahead of them.

Across the room, Julian casually sipped his espresso while watching his assistant, Bethany, execute his master plan. She hovered near the staff managing the seating arrangements, discreetly swapping out client profile cards at key tables.

By the time Ava and Ryan received their official seating list, their entire client roster had been altered.

And neither of them had any idea.

---

At first, everything seemed normal.

Ava greeted her first client, Sophie, a charming pastry chef who had written in her profile that she was looking for "someone down-to-earth, who enjoys cozy nights, good food, and meaningful conversation."

Her assigned match was Louis, a soft-spoken bookshop owner who had requested someone "gentle, patient, and loves to bake."

Perfect, right?

Wrong.

Because the man sitting across from Sophie wasn’t Louis at all.

Instead, a leather-jacket-wearing, motorcycle-riding man named Xavier leaned back in his chair, flashing Sophie a cocky grin. "So, I heard you like danger."

Sophie blinked. "I... what?"

Ava, standing nearby, froze. Oh no.

Meanwhile, at another table, a quietly sophisticated woman named Elise—who had listed "art galleries, intellectual debates, and wine tastings" as her interests—was stuck with Philippe, a man whose primary interest (according to his real profile) was chicken farming.

Ava overheard their conversation just in time to see Philippe enthusiastically pulling out his phone to show off pictures of his prized rooster, Napoleon.

"Look at his feathers!" Philippe was saying proudly. "He’s won four competitions!"

Elise stared in silent horror.

Ava turned to Ryan, pure panic on her face. "Ryan, something is wrong."

Ryan, who had been helping another couple, winced as he looked over at Elise’s expression. "Yeah. Something is definitely wrong."

---

Within fifteen minutes, the entire event had turned into an elegant disaster.

A woman who was supposed to be paired with a charming poet had somehow ended up with a man who only communicated in memes.

A man who had written a heartfelt essay about his search for true love had been seated with someone who openly declared she ’wasn’t into commitment’ and only came for the free champagne.

And Ava?

Ava was watching her matchmaking credibility go up in flames.

Ryan glanced over the list in Ava’s hands and finally saw what had happened. His brow furrowed. "Wait a second—Ava, these aren’t the same clients we prepared for."

Ava’s stomach dropped.

Someone had switched the client profiles.

And she knew exactly who had done it.

Ava turned toward the far side of the ballroom, and—sure enough—Julian Ashcroft was watching with the smug satisfaction of a villain who had just pressed a self-destruct button.

"Julian," Ava growled.

Ryan followed her gaze and groaned. "Of course it’s Julian. I should have known the moment I saw that espresso."

Ava clenched her jaw. "We need to fix this. Fast."

Ryan nodded. "Agreed. How do we—"

Just then, a loud shriek cut through the ballroom.

Everyone turned to see Camille—the same woman from the Love Lock Bridge disaster—standing up dramatically.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" she shouted at her date. "You said in your letter you were a romantic! That you wrote poetry about my eyes!"

The man (who was definitely not the intended recipient of her love letter) raised his hands. "That wasn’t me! I don’t even like poetry! I sell motorcycle parts!"

Camille gasped.

"Unbelievable," she muttered, grabbing a champagne flute off a passing waiter’s tray and downing it in one gulp.

Ava let out a long, slow exhale. "Okay. Now it’s an emergency."

---

With no time to lose, Ava and Ryan scrambled to fix the damage.

Ryan distracted Julian by "accidentally" spilling a drink on his suit, giving Ava just enough time to get the event’s seating chart corrected.

Ava personally reassigned each mismatched couple, apologizing profusely and making quick adjustments based on the real profiles.

Mei—who had somehow gotten hold of a microphone—dramatically announced, "And NOW! A brief intermission while we do a little matchmaking magic!"

By the time the event finally settled into something resembling order, Ava was exhausted.

Ryan, equally drained, handed her a glass of water. "Well. That was only mildly traumatizing."

Ava sighed. "I hate Julian."

Ryan smirked. "Yeah, but... you have to admit, that Camille scene was kind of amazing."

Ava shot him a look but couldn’t stop the reluctant smile that tugged at her lips.

---

As the event wrapped up and the last successful matches were made, Mei sauntered over, smirking like a cat who had just watched a very entertaining show.

"Well, that was fun," she said, sipping her champagne.

Ava glared at her. "Mei, do not tell me you knew Julian was behind this."

Mei batted her eyelashes. "What? Me? Never. Though, I did happen to notice his assistant sneaking around the seating charts earlier."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "And instead of stopping them, you just let it happen?"

Mei took another sip of champagne. "Of course! How else would I get such quality entertainment?"

Ava groaned.

Mei winked. "Besides, dear, did you see the way Ryan hovered around you the whole time? So protective."

Ryan coughed, suddenly looking a little too interested in his watch.

Ava crossed her arms. "Mei, please stop."

Mei smirked. "No."

Ryan choked on his drink.

Ava buried her face in her hands. "I need a vacation from this vacation."

Ryan patted her shoulder, grinning. "Well, I did hear there’s a great little café around the corner..."

Ava sighed but let him lead her away.

Because as much as she hated Julian’s schemes, she had to admit—having Ryan by her side made it all just a little bit easier.

---

The café was charming, with soft jazz playing in the background, the scent of freshly baked croissants filling the air. Sunlight filtered through the window, casting golden streaks over the rustic wooden tables.

Ava slid into a cozy corner booth, sinking into the seat with a groan. "This might be the most peaceful place in all of Paris."

Ryan chuckled, setting their order down—two espressos and a plate of warm madeleines.

He nudged one toward her. "Here. Sugar always helps after near-disasters."

Ava picked one up, inspecting it with mock suspicion. "You didn’t spike this with anything, did you?"

Ryan smirked. "Wouldn’t dream of it."

She popped the pastry into her mouth, closing her eyes as the buttery sweetness melted on her tongue. "Okay," she admitted, "this is the best decision you’ve made all day."

Ryan leaned back, watching her with a slow, knowing smile. "See? I am capable of good decisions."

Ava opened one eye. "Debatable."

Ryan huffed a laugh. "Says the woman who let Mei drag her into an international matchmaking circus."

She groaned. "Okay, fair point."

---

For a while, they sat in companionable silence, sipping their coffee, letting the warmth of the café and the lingering adrenaline from the day settle.

Ryan rested his arm along the back of the booth, his fingers casually brushing against Ava’s shoulder.

It was a small thing, barely noticeable, but it sent a thrill of awareness down her spine.

She could have moved away.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she let herself lean into it, just a little.

Just enough to feel the steady warmth of him against her.

Ryan noticed.

His fingers twitched slightly, as if he was debating something. Then, with the lightest touch, he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Ava froze for a fraction of a second, her heart stuttering.

Ryan’s voice was softer now. "You okay?"

Ava swallowed, forcing her voice to stay even. "Yeah. Just... tired."

Ryan’s lips curved into something softer, something just for her. "I know. Long day."

He didn’t pull his hand away.

Not immediately.

And Ava didn’t rush to fill the silence like she usually would.

It wasn’t awkward.

It was... something else.

Something warm and lingering and full of unsaid things.

And then—because fate clearly had a personal vendetta against them—Mei’s voice rang out from the doorway.

"There you two are!"

Ryan sighed, dropping his hand from Ava’s shoulder with a reluctant chuckle.

Ava groaned. "Of course."

Mei sauntered over, Harold trailing behind her, carrying what looked like an entire baguette under his arm.

"Are we interrupting something?" Mei asked far too innocently, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Ava crossed her arms. "No."

Mei looked at Ryan, who was still grinning like a man who had just gotten away with something.

Ryan took a slow sip of his espresso. "Maybe."

Ava kicked him under the table.

Ryan laughed.

Mei sighed dramatically, plopping into the seat across from them. "Well, anyway, I hope you two are enjoying yourselves because tomorrow’s challenge is going to be even bigger."

Ava pinched the bridge of her nose. "Mei. Please let me enjoy one moment of peace."

Mei grinned. "Absolutely not."

Ryan nudged Ava, still smirking. "Told you peace wasn’t an option."

Ava let out a long, suffering sigh.

But when Ryan’s fingers casually brushed against hers again, lingering just long enough to make her stomach flutter, she decided that maybe...

Maybe chaos wasn’t so bad.