Chapter 29: Client Chaos - The Feuding Siblings

Ava had dealt with difficult clients before—clients who thought their zodiac sign was more important than their personality, clients who refused to date anyone who didn’t own a yacht, and even one client who demanded a partner "fluent in sarcasm." But Jenna and Max Calder? They were on a completely different level.

"Nothing could have prepared me for these two," Ava groaned, pacing her office as Kelly sat on the edge of her desk, eating pretzels out of a crinkling bag. "It’s like trying to referee a cage match. Except the fighters are smarter, pettier, and have no problem pulling me into the ring."

"You signed up for this," Kelly replied, crunching loudly and thoroughly unhelpfully. "Matchmaking’s messy. You match people with love; I match people with snacks. Both are noble professions."

Ava shot her a glare. "You’re not helping."

Kelly shrugged, tossing a pretzel in her mouth. "Hey, raccoons fight over trash, and these two fight over ruining each other’s love lives. Same energy."

"Except raccoons don’t email me at 2 a.m. with elaborate plans to sabotage each other’s dates," Ava grumbled, snatching her phone off the desk to read the latest text from Jenna.

Jenna: "FYI, Max is in for a surprise tonight. 😉 Hope he likes Star Wars cosplay!"

Before Ava could even process that, her phone buzzed again. Another text—this time from Max.

Max: "Think Jenna will appreciate a silent dinner? Already made the reservation. 🧘"

Ava’s eyes widened as she stared at the screen. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no."

Kelly leaned forward, eyebrows raised. "What is it? Are they planning a laser tag duel to the death?"

"Worse," Ava said, grabbing her keys. "They’re sabotaging each other’s dates. Again."

Kelly popped another pretzel in her mouth. "Should I call ahead to warn the restaurants? Maybe give them a heads-up about flying utensils?"

"Not funny, Kelly," Ava snapped, storming out the door.

---

The trendy Italian bistro was the kind of place that oozed sophistication. Warm lighting, polished wood tables, and a gentle murmur of conversation gave it an air of class—an air that was immediately shattered when Ava spotted Max Calder sitting rigidly at a corner table with what could only be described as a walking Star Wars cosplay tribute.

There she was: Lucy, dressed in Princess Leia’s iconic white gown, complete with cinnamon-bun hairstyle and a plastic lightsaber clipped to her belt.

"Oh my God," Ava muttered, darting toward the table as fast as her heels would allow.

Lucy beamed when she spotted Ava. "You must be Ava! Max told me so much about you!" She gestured excitedly to her outfit. "Isn’t it great? Max said he’s a huge Star Wars fan, so I thought, why not lean into it, you know?"

Ava turned to Max, whose expression could only be described as please send me to another galaxy. He glared at Ava like she had personally orchestrated this mess.

"I didn’t tell her that," Max hissed under his breath. "Jenna did."

"Wait," Lucy said, her radiant smile faltering. "You’re not a Star Wars fan?"

Max’s shoulders slumped. "I’ve seen it. That’s about it."

Lucy gasped, clutching her faux lightsaber like he’d just insulted her family lineage. "So... you’re not the one who said The Phantom Menace is ’underrated genius’?"

Ava winced. "Uh, Lucy, how about I get you a complimentary dessert while Max and I have a quick chat?"

Lucy’s face lit up. "Ooh! Do they have tiramisu?!"

"They sure do," Ava said, ushering her toward the dessert menu before spinning back to Max, who looked like he wanted to sink into the floor.

"What is wrong with you?" Ava hissed, crossing her arms.

"What’s wrong with me?" Max shot back, his voice rising an octave. "Jenna texted her that I’m some diehard fan! She showed up looking like Princess Leia, and I didn’t know how to recover!"

"You could’ve clarified before she arrived in full costume!" Ava snapped.

Max gestured to the lightsaber clipped to Lucy’s belt. "She walked in like that, Ava. What was I supposed to say? ’Nice buns, by the way, but this isn’t Comic-Con’?"

Ava pinched the bridge of her nose. "Jenna is out of control, and so are you."

Before Max could respond, Lucy shouted from across the room. "By the way, I’m totally Team Kylo Ren! Don’t you just love a good redemption arc?"

Max slumped in his chair, burying his face in his hands. "Of course she is."

Ava sighed, looking around the restaurant. Other patrons were now watching the table with poorly hidden amusement, and a waiter in the corner was stifling a laugh behind a tray of breadsticks.

"Okay," Ava said, trying to pull herself together. "Just... smile, nod, and get through this. I’ll deal with Jenna later."

"I don’t think I can survive this," Max muttered.

"Channel the Force," Ava deadpanned, turning to leave.

"Not funny!" Max called after her, but Ava was already halfway to the door.

---

Ava arrived at the second restaurant, a painfully minimalist vegan spot, just as a server with an unnervingly calm expression was delivering a tray of what looked like moss on a plate.

She spotted Jenna immediately. Dressed to the nines in an elegant black dress, she sat across from Ethan, her unfortunate date. He looked like a man who’d walked into an escape room and realized there was no way out. His expression screamed, Help me, I was promised nachos.

"Ava!" Jenna said brightly, waving as if this was a perfectly normal situation.

Ethan looked at Ava like she was his last hope. "Is this... normal?" he whispered.

Ava forced a smile. "Not really. Can I borrow Jenna for a moment?"

Before Jenna could respond, a server glided over with a tray of "foraged mushroom soup" and made a shushing gesture, indicating that silence was now mandatory. Ethan stared at the soup like it had personally offended him.

Ava grabbed Jenna by the arm and hauled her toward the corner of the restaurant. "A silent dinner?" she hissed. "Really?"

"What?" Jenna said, feigning innocence. "Ethan’s profile said he’s into mindfulness."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "I just came from your brother’s date, where his match showed up dressed as Princess Leia."

Jenna burst out laughing. "She brought the buns, didn’t she?"

"She brought the whole costume!" Ava whisper-yelled. "You and Max are completely out of control. Do you have any idea how many fires I’ve put out because of you two?"

Jenna smirked. "Hey, he started it."

"No," Ava said, her tone sharp. "You both started it. And if you don’t stop, I will cancel your memberships and call your grandmother."

Jenna gasped dramatically. "You wouldn’t."

"Try me," Ava said, turning on her heel and stomping toward the door.

As she left, she glanced back at Ethan, who was trying to silently eat his mushroom soup while a server stood nearby, radiating Zen judgment. "I’m sending you a pizza," Ava mouthed at him.

Ethan gave her a thumbs-up.

---

The next day, Ava called Jenna and Max into her office for what she referred to as a "progress meeting." Neither sibling looked particularly thrilled.

"Why are we here?" Jenna asked, crossing her legs and inspecting her nails.

"I have actual work to do," Max added, slouching in his chair.

"Oh, don’t worry," Ava said with a sweet smile. "This won’t take long. I just thought it was time for you two to experience what it’s like when someone else meddles in your love lives."

She opened the door to reveal two people standing in the hallway: Jenna’s "dream match," an outdoorsy wilderness guide with a lumberjack aesthetic, and Max’s "perfect woman," a chic pastry chef carrying a box of macarons.

Jenna’s jaw dropped. "Is this... a setup?"

"No," Ava said innocently. "It’s karma."

Max groaned. "This feels like a trap."

"It’s not a trap," Ava replied, her smile bordering on sinister. "It’s a teaching moment."

---

By the end of the "intervention," Jenna and Max grudgingly admitted that Ava’s matches weren’t as disastrous as they’d expected, though they refused to say it in so many words. Jenna’s outdoorsy date, Jack, had invited her on a hiking trip ("Without wild turkeys this time," Ava clarified, eyeing her sternly), and Max was already texting his match, Elena, about sampling pastries from her bakery.

"You mean you’re not going to insult each other for five seconds?" Ava asked, standing by her desk with arms crossed, her voice tinged with exhaustion and sarcasm.

"Don’t get used to it," Jenna said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "This doesn’t mean I’m going soft."

"Soft?" Max scoffed. "You cried during that bear documentary last week."

"That bear was heroic, Max!" Jenna snapped, spinning toward him. "And you cried too when the cubs got reunited!"

Max opened his mouth to argue, then shut it when he realized he had no defense. Instead, he muttered, "Whatever. You’re still annoying."

Jenna smirked. "And you’re still insufferable."

As they made their way toward the door, Jenna turned back to Max, her smirk sharpening. "You’re still the worst."

"Right back at you," Max retorted, holding the door open for her.

Ava watched them go, sagging into her desk chair with a long sigh of relief. "Finally," she muttered, rubbing her temples. "I deserve a medal for this."

A second later, Kelly popped her head into the office, chewing on a brownie and looking entirely too amused. "So," she said, leaning against the doorframe, "did I miss the Calder sibling death match? Please tell me there was at least some popcorn-worthy drama."

Ava shot her a tired glare. "It wasn’t a death match. More like... a drawn-out battle with no clear winner."

Kelly nodded thoughtfully. "So, like a reality TV reunion special?"

"Don’t start," Ava groaned, massaging her temples again.

Kelly grinned, holding up her brownie. "Hey, at least it’s over. And bonus: no more Princess Leia incidents to clean up. Although," she added with a mischievous glint in her eye, "I heard Max’s match loves a good costume party. Might want to keep an eye on that one."

Ava picked up the stress ball from her desk and lobbed it at Kelly’s head.

"Missed me!" Kelly sang, ducking out of the doorway with the agility of someone who had dodged many projectiles in her time.

Alone again, Ava let herself slump back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling. Somewhere, deep in her soul, she felt a tiny spark of pride. Sure, Jenna and Max were still a pair of relentless troublemakers, but for one fleeting moment, they had almost been civil.

"That counts as a win," Ava muttered to herself.

Her phone buzzed on the desk. Picking it up, she saw a message from Max.

Max: You might be decent at this matchmaking thing. Don’t let it go to your head.

Ava snorted and sent back: I’m charging you extra for emotional damage.

A second text buzzed in from Jenna.

Jenna: He said you’re decent? Don’t believe him. He’s just soft because of the pastries.

Ava rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips. Maybe, just maybe, the Calder siblings weren’t a total lost cause after all.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read