The boisterous response brought Ivory to join in with modest applause. She found someone standing on the podium with an incredibly cool hairdo. His teeth were white, shining when he smiled too broadly. He introduced himself as Hadid.
"For the Copulation participants joining this event for the first time, I welcome you! And the Copulation participants who have participated in this extraordinary event, welcome back! Enjoy an evening of entertainment from this wonderfully kind host, and get to know your partner before the event officially opens!"
The noise of the people around her made Ivory even more frustrated. Her eyes stared wildly at the people clapping excitedly in front of her. She bit her lip and pinched her thighs tightly to avoid running out of the room.
"Now, I will call each pair to meet each other and get to know—"
Ivory glanced irritably. Not far from the podium stood several men and women who smiled arrogantly at the Copulation participants from the Secondary. Gene E, The Primary, signed up for this year's Copulation. Some of them nodded as if agreeing with the presenter's words.
Ivory's eyes fell on the line of distended old men smoking their expensive cigars. The old man looked terrible. She kept praying that Aaron Magnifico wasn't one of those potty men.
"Hiro, Lee!"
The name of the first Copulation participant mentioned was a man. The man named Hiro Lee then stood up from his seat. He is pretty frightened when met with his Copulation partner, an adult woman with garish makeup from the Primary.
"Megan, Kara!"
Megan, her best friend, stood up and approached the couple Hadid mentioned. Unexpectedly, Megan's partner is a handsome man who Ivory estimates is in his mid-thirties. Ivory gulped. Lucky enough for Megan, too, she thought.
"Kelana, Ivory!"
Her name is called.
Ivory stood up timidly. With trembling legs, she tried to walk toward Hadid. On the side of the podium, she glanced at the presenter, who smiled reassuringly at her. Not long after, Hadid called out Aaron Magnifico's name out loud.
"Magnifico, Aaron!"
One of the crowds of old men slowly revealed himself. He walked down from where he stood with his colony. Ivory held her breath as she watched the figure walk toward her.
No. Aaron did not have a distended stomach like other men. His body was so... well proportioned.
The man was much taller than her. He wore a black shirt with a faint polka dot pattern paired with a simple gray striped coat. His black pants matched his shiny black shoes, which Ivory was sure would cost the equivalent of five full years' wages.
The man was handsome.
Ivory had to admit that the man was very handsome. His dark brown hair left in the wind that came from nowhere really stunned Ivory. The man had a pair of beautiful amber eyes, with thick eyelashes and thick eyebrows that further emphasized the frame of his face.
Ivory watched her partner closely. Aaron Magnifico wears three piercings each on his right and left ears. As a final touch, the man did not forget to pin trendy sunglasses at the intersection of his shirt collar. He also wears a branded watch which is definitely an exorbitant price.
In short, Aaron Magnifico is absolutely stunning.
The man gave Ivory a slight smirk, which made the 20-year-old girl chuckle for a moment.
After all the pairs were mentioned one by one, Hadid shouted again in his cheerful tone.
"Now, welcome to meet your potential partners!"
A second after the host said those words, Aaron walked casually over to Ivory. Ivory approached the handsome man and was petrified, unable to move an inch. She was silent as Aaron smiled slightly at her while nodding slowly.
"Ivory Kelana?"
Ivory wanted to answer yes firmly, but her tongue felt very stiff. Her lips froze. She even struggled to breathe just because of the sharp gaze of the figure in front of her.
"Hey, are you really Ivory Kelana?"
Ivory pinched her own thigh before answering with a low nod.
"I think you already know my name. I'm Aaron Magnifico." He bent over to Ivory.
Ivory's eyes went wide. It's rare for The Primary to be polite to The Secondary. Especially those who want to bow down to a lowly human like her...
"Please don't bow," Ivory said as quickly as possible. She pulled Aaron's shoulders back up straight as before. At that moment, she realized his mistake.
"Gosh, I'm sorry!"
Aaron chuckled softly. He patted his future partner's shoulder as gently as possible. "Don't apologize. Touching me is not a crime."
The words in a relaxed tone made Ivory even more uncomfortable. It was unusual for the Primary to be friendly toward her. Hardly anyone like it except Roger.
"Don't feel bad for me. Manners have been taught from generation to generation in my family."
Aaron laughed again.
Ivory likes it.
She adored the crisp laugh that escaped Aaron Magnifico's lips. She liked Aaron's deep voice. She was fascinated by the man.
"I think we should find a comfortable seat," said Aaron. "How about over there?" He pointed to two chairs at the far end of the room.
Ivory nodded in agreement and walked after Aaron. She nearly tripped over her own feet as she followed Aaron from behind. When they arrived at the intended seat, Ivory's potential partner pulled a chair for Ivory. Aaron then ordered drinks for the two of them.
"Bourbon whiskey, please."
He flashed a smile at one of the beautiful bartenders. Ivory, who was sitting next to him, even tilted her head to see Aaron Magnifico's smile. As if hypnotized, Ivory couldn't take her eyes off Aaron for even a second.
"What are you drinking?"
Ivory was stunned for a moment. After a while, she decided, "May I ask for a glass of chocolate milk?"
Aaron laughed again. This time he even covered his mouth with his fist to not disturb the surroundings too much. His glasses almost fell from the excitement he laughed. Ivory looked at him, confused.
"Chocolate milk? Seriously? Haven't you ever tried alcohol before?"
Ivory shook her head weakly. She did intend to try alcohol someday, but not now...
"Milk is the best drink I've ever had, and I haven't had it in a long time. So umm … can I have a glass of chocolate milk?"
Aaron giggled. His hand reached out effortlessly and gently stroked Ivory's black hair. Ivory froze. Her body stiffened as the three-second touch broke her concentration.
"You're so cute."
Cute.
Aaron-handsome-sweet-and-super-polite-Magnifico called her cute...
Ivory blushed.
"A glass of chocolate milk, please," Aaron ordered the bartender.
In the end, Aaron ordered what Ivory wanted. After that, Aaron turned his chair and faced directly in front of Ivory. He tried to look at Ivory's face, which looked down automatically. Being caught staring at Aaron was an embarrassment for Ivory.
"Don't look down, Ivory." Aaron Magnifico touched Ivory's chin and raised it slowly.
Unfortunately for Ivory because really, at this moment, her heart felt like it would burst from the nervousness. Ivory smiled at the treatment of her potential partner. Anxiety and slug combined into one.
"Just try to smile. You'll look good with a smile."
Ivory was confused as to why she was suddenly asked to smile. However, she obediently smiled briefly before wiping the smile from her lips again. She was nervous about being watched so intensely by Aaron.
"See? Everything's better with a smile. You do have a gummy smile, you know."
Ivory hastily closed her mouth. She doesn't even realize she opens her mouth when she smiles. Did that mean Aaron had been watching her?
"You're beautiful."
Ivory's cheeks felt hot. The girl was sure that her face was as red as an apple. Her breath hitched a little even though she didn't run. Her heart rate rose. Her hands felt cold, but strangely, she felt burning.
The three words burned her body. Her potential partner finds her sweet. Aaron's wide smile when he saw her face made her stunned. Ivory never thought that someone like Aaron Magnifico would be her potential partner. Not a rude old man, but a polite, handsome man with a charming smile.
Can Ivory be happy?
"You remind me of someone."
Ivory frowned. Aaron's gaze pierced her eyes.
"Who is that?" Ivory asked timidly.
'Even when daydreaming, he looks like a prince.' Ivory thought to herself.
Aaron answered Ivory's question with a brighter face than before.
"My fiancee. Her name is Joy. I think once Copulation is over, I will marry her."
The smile on Ivory's lips slowly faded, in contrast to Aaron's wide grin.