"You watch too many movies; this might be a prank. You know how the youths are nowadays. Nonetheless, I'll take a video of this for my granddaughter so we can bond over it," an elderly woman said, taking her smartphone from her purse to capture the unfolding scene on video.
Emily observed as the crowds continued to gather, her irritation melting into a mix of embarrassment and fascination at what Elias was trying to achieve with his sudden actions.
[ Update! Emily's affection for you has decreased by 1% ]
Witnessing the system's notification again, Elias immediately spoke, "I met this amazing woman today!" he began, gesturing towards Emily, "and I made a terrible mistake by not being completely honest with her, so here it goes."
He paused, taking a deep breath and suppressing his embarrassment at his actions, "I've been vague about my work because I have a trust fund and invest in startups. I didn't want to reveal it early because I've had many bad experiences with people judging me solely based on my financial background rather than who I am as a person. But I realize that if we're going to build something real, I need to be upfront with you from the start."
He looked directly at Emily, stretching his right hand forward, "Please, stay a little longer. Let's finish what we started."
The crowd around them began to murmur, some even clapping softly.
Emily stood there, momentarily speechless, her eyes wide with surprise and emotion.
[ Update! Emily's affection for you has increased by 3% ]
Her eyes softened as she absorbed Elias's words, sensing his sincerity. She looked at his outstretched hand, then into his eyes, and finally, she responded, shaking her head, "I'm sorry, I've already decided to end this date. You should have told me about this sooner rather than hiding it; maybe you've a genuine reason for your decision. However, I don't think this will work for me."
Hearing Emily's response, the crowds suddenly began to clamour.
"Come on, give him another chance. It might be that he was simply waiting for the right moment to inform you for a genuine reason!" yelled a voice from the crowd.
"Yes, I agree. If this is your first day together, he might have been waiting for the right moment to release such sensitive information!" resonated another voice across the area, chiming in.
The murmurs and clatters from the crowds continued pleading with Emily to reconsider her decision.
Elias, however, immediately snapped out of his thoughts after witnessing the sharp increase in Emily's affection. With this, he instantly knew he still could get her back and complete the date, so he pressed on.
"I promise no more extravagant spending—just us getting to know each other," Elias responded, stretching his right hand forward.
He had already told several lies to get her to stay. He couldn't formulate another one for fear of getting found out, so if she still decided to refuse and not continue the date, he would have no choice but to let her go and abandon the cashback rewards he had carefully cultivated.
Emily bit her lips in response. 'Grandma was right; city boys are truly dangerous,' she thought, her mind reeling back as she reconsidered her decision.
Suddenly, Emily took a deep breath and walked towards him, shaking her head in disbelief as she took his hand.
"Okay, you win," Emily responded softly, her earlier reservations melting away in the face of Elias's bold and endearing gesture. "Let's continue our day and see where this takes us."
[ Update! Emily's affection for you has increased by 3% ]
Elias beamed, relieved and overjoyed, as he held Emily's hand firmly.
The crowds suddenly began to cheer, and several soft rounds of applause resonated through the air.
"Thank you, everyone!" Elias yelled gratefully at the crowds, understanding that he wouldn't have achieved this without their help.
They had literally saved his life.
Before the crowds' eyes, Emily and Elias walked hand in hand and returned to the park, ready to continue their date.
…....…
One hour later
After spending the rest of their day in the park, discussing various topics related to one another while trying to learn more about each other, Elias had to knowingly divert the question when it became about him—the only thing he let out was his parents being already dead, which hinted at why he was living off a false trust fund, and his younger brother still in school, which had helped him gain some sympathy from her.
By simply revealing more about himself a little, he was able to make Emily's affection rise to a sizeable amount before their date had ended.
"I must head home to rest and prepare to open my store early tomorrow. I'll see you later," Emily said, leaning in to gently kiss Elias's cheek.
[ Update! Emily's affection for you has increased by 2% ]
She turned around and entered the taxi he had already called for her.
Emily waved her hand, smiling brightly as the taxi took off, speeding into the road and disappearing into the distance.
Witnessing Emily leave, Elias exhaled deeply as though his body was deflating rapidly. His shoulders slumped downwards as he took a deep breath and calmed himself down from the stress he had accumulated from their date.
Although he genuinely had a great time with Emily, he couldn't help but feel bad for outright deceiving her to increase her affection for him.
"It's for the best," Elias reassured himself, "I'll make this relationship so amazing that she'll never forget it." The thought of breaking up with Emily was painful, but he believed it was the only way to protect her from the truth. "Then, when the time is right, I'll end it," he resolved, "before I hurt her."
He will meticulously plan the perfect way to break up when he can finally afford to live without depending on the cashback rewards. It will be a clean break up, a way for them to move on and not continue living in such a deceitful relationship.