Three months earlier, the prime spot across from the university had suddenly been turned into an enormous auto shop. The newly renovated five-hundred-square-meter business had opened with a bang, and it quickly became a hot topic among Elena's colleagues.
During breaks, they would joke about it in the faculty lounge. "Who opens an auto repair shop in front of a university? Wrong crowd. Does he actually think he'll make money there?"
Yet the scene on opening day had told a completely different story. Luxury vehicles had filled the entrance.
The place soon developed another reputation. Wealthy young heirs began treating it like a place to spend their free time, showing up in groups and fooling around rather than doing anything productive.
Elena had little reason to think highly of Oliver either. After all, birds of a feather flocked together.
Her knowledge of him had initially come from nothing more than his looks.
His name came up constantly among the female students whenever Elena walked around campus, and even some of her female colleagues enjoyed discussing him.
According to the rumors, he was a flirt who had women constantly hanging around his shop.
The more Elena heard, the more irritated she became. In her mind, a man who flirted that carelessly was asking for that kind of gossip.
She certainly did not consider the business across the street a respectable place.
The tire warning remained on the dashboard, forcing her to reconsider. After a short hesitation, she decided to have the problem checked there.
The pressure was falling, but there was still enough air left for her to cross the road safely.
She switched on the hazard lights and carefully drove toward the shop.
During the daytime, the wealthy heirs who frequented the place were nowhere to be seen. They apparently preferred coming after dark, when the repair shop took on the atmosphere of a nightclub.
The actual repair area was beside the main entrance. Elena had barely stepped inside when she noticed Oliver. He was dressed in a dark gray work uniform and had just slid out from underneath a vehicle, supporting himself with one hand against the floor.
As he rose, the broad muscles across his shoulders and back shifted beneath the uniform. Grease stained his neck and forearm, while the veins along his skin stood out prominently.
He towered over most people. Standing there, he looked rugged and unapproachable.
He noticed someone nearby and turned his head. Elena's face was the first thing he saw, its cool, refined beauty immediately catching his attention.
His eyes settled heavily on her.
The look he gave her was so stern he looked like he was there to collect a debt.
Elena frowned and surveyed the repair area. There was no one else there.
For a shop this large, the absence of workers was striking. It was already late morning, yet aside from the receptionist sitting at the front desk, not a single mechanic could be seen.
That kind of careless management only made Elena more suspicious. If Oliver treated his business this casually, how good could he really be at fixing cars?
She decided against using the shop. Her expression grew colder as she stepped backward. If necessary, she would simply call a tow truck instead.
She had barely turned when Oliver's rough voice stopped her. "Why are you leaving? Is there something wrong with your car?"
Elena paused. Since he had already asked, she saw no reason to be rude. Keeping her voice calm, she explained, "The tire-pressure warning came on. I think I may have driven over a nail."
Oliver tilted his chin toward the entrance. "Come on. Let's check it."
Elena assumed he only wanted to inspect it, which seemed harmless enough.
If he could fix it, she could avoid wasting time waiting for a tow truck and still make her next appointment.
After thinking it over briefly, she gestured toward the entrance. "It's over there."
Her white Audi was parked in a spot beside the entrance.
Oliver walked around the car once before crouching beside the front right tire.
Elena's brows drew together. How had he known which car belonged to her?
"The tire's flat," Oliver said, taking a small flashlight from his pocket. "When did you first notice?"
"The warning appeared just after I drove through the campus gate."
"That doesn't mean you picked up the nail there." He shone the light across the tire. "A small puncture usually lets the air escape gradually. You won't notice much at first. The sensor only alerts you after the pressure drops far enough."
"I see," Elena silently agreed. He actually seemed to know what he was talking about.
She pressed one hand against her stomach when he wasn't looking. She had skipped breakfast and had already taught two classes without eating anything.
"Here." Oliver found the puncture and directed the flashlight toward it. "It's on the tread, so a patch will work. But the nail is fairly large, which explains why the pressure dropped so quickly."
Elena bent down to examine it herself. When she straightened, dizziness suddenly swept over her.
She brought a hand to her chest as the tightness intensified. Her brows knitted slightly, and even in pain she looked striking.
"How long will the repair take?" she asked, her voice suddenly more urgent.
"I'll handle it now. It won't take long."
Elena pressed her lips together. Before she could say anything else, her sight began to swim, and a layer of sweat spread across her back.
Something was clearly wrong. She reached toward the car for support, but her hand missed the door handle as darkness gathered at the edges of her vision.
Her body lurched forward. A sharp pain suddenly stabbed through her ankle, and before she could steady herself, she fell straight toward Oliver.
He reacted instantly, catching her in his arms before she could hit the ground.
"Sugar..." she whispered faintly.
Oliver knew right away it was low blood sugar. He slipped one arm beneath her knees, lifted her with ease, and called toward the shop, "Lucy! Bring some sugar water!"
The young receptionist, Lucy Fowler, jumped to her feet. "What happened to the client?"
"Her blood sugar is too low." Oliver carried Elena over to the sofa in the reception area. "Quickly."
"Right away!"
There was plenty of sugar for the coffee on the round table, so Lucy dissolved three cubes into a glass of warm water.
Oliver kept Elena supported against him while Lucy quietly wondered what was going on between them and carefully fed Elena the drink.
Several minutes passed before Elena's brows tightened and her eyes gradually opened.
She soon realized that she was practically leaning against Oliver, and she immediately tried to sit up.
Oliver pressed her back down gently. "Take it slow. You just fainted, and you're already trying to jump up. Your blood sugar dropped too low. Give yourself a moment."
"Thank you," she murmured, her throat dry and her voice faint.
She felt a little embarrassed. She had disliked him for so long, yet he was the one who caught her when she went down.
A basket filled with snacks sat on the round table nearby. Oliver picked out a packet of cookies and a banana and placed both in her lap. "Eat."
"Thank you." Elena slowly sat upright against the sofa, eager to create some space between them. Being this close to him made her uncomfortably aware of his imposing presence.
The moment she tried putting her right foot down, however, a sharp burst of pain shot through her ankle.
She sucked in a breath and immediately dropped back onto the sofa. Looking down, she realized the swelling had become much more severe.
She hadn't noticed the injury earlier because of the dizziness and sudden loss of consciousness. Now that her senses had returned, the pain had become impossible to overlook.
Oliver got to his feet and quickly prepared an ice pack before returning to her. "Raise your leg."
Elena instinctively grabbed the edge of her skirt.
A brief, amused look crossed Oliver's eyes as he gave a quiet scoff. He picked up a cushion and threw it toward the other end of the sofa. "Put your leg on that and keep it raised."
Elena carefully positioned the cushion beneath her leg.
She realized she had read him all wrong.
Oliver had put the ice inside a large Ziploc bag, making it broad enough to cover the swollen area while also allowing it to fit closely around her ankle.
"Thank you," Elena said again. While the ice worked on her ankle, she made herself eat the cookies and banana, trying to get some food into her empty stomach.
The tire repair itself didn't take long. Even with the nail removed, the tire patched, the wheel balanced, and the pressure checked again, everything was finished within forty minutes.
Once the work was done, Oliver returned to the shop and tossed Elena her car keys. The timing worked out perfectly. By then, her ankle had received enough ice.
Elena took out her phone to make the payment. Oliver calmly displayed his WhatsApp username. "Add me on WhatsApp. I'll send you the bank details."
She added him and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"
"One hundred dollars." Oliver slipped his hands into his pockets. "Nail removal, tire repair, wheel balance. And a quick wash."
Only after transferring the money did Elena realize that adding him on WhatsApp hadn't actually been necessary. He could simply have given her the bank information directly. She glanced at the username, Vanguard Auto Repair, and asked casually, "Is this your personal account?"
Oliver met her eyes for a couple of seconds before answering without expression, "It's the shop's."
Elena nodded. The phone in his hand was probably meant specifically for business.
She had just put her phone away when it suddenly rang.
Oliver was tall enough to see the caller ID on her screen: "Blind Date NO. 9."
Elena answered the call. "Where are you?" the man on the other end asked immediately.
"I'm sorry, but I injured my foot. We'll have to arrange another day." Her expression became composed at once, and her voice turned noticeably distant.
The man, who was a doctor, immediately offered to come over and check her injury.
"I've already iced it," she said firmly. "My car broke down, and I'm at the auto repair shop across from the university. Dr. Brown, let's meet another time."
"I'm actually close to your campus," Liam Brown replied. "I could use a car wash anyway. Stay there and wait for me."
Elena stared at her phone. What the hell did he mean by that? Was he seriously going to do their blind date at Oliver's auto shop?
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