As a field photographer for Global GeoScope, I once rescued several critically endangered Golden-Spined Mountain Toads during an assignment deep in the mountains. They were incredibly rare, even possibly priceless.

At that time, I hadn’t even made a formal report them to the Ministry of Endangered Species Conservation when they were stolen by my blind date’s secretary. Worse, they were thrown straight into a boiling hotpot!

When I saw the toads being eaten, I sucked in a breath of shock. I was just opening my mouth, but the secretary turned on me and shouted as her face was covered in an angry red rash,

“It’s because of those frogs I got these rash! You wild woman! You poisoned me because you’re jealous I’m prettier than you!”

I bit back my anger and tried to reason with her. “Let’s be clear here! You literally stole my toads and went ahead cooking them. Now you’re trying to flip it on me?”

She sneered. “Oh, come on! They're just a few gross frogs. Do I need to tell you if I cook some of them? So petty over worthless frogs!”

“Just you know, this face of mine represents the Cole Tech! I spend millions every month to maintain my beauty! Ugh! You think you can afford to ruin my face?”

I gave a cold laugh, pulled out my phone and calmly dialed the emergency response line for the Ministry of Endangered Species Conservation.

“Sir, reporting an incident. There's an illegal poaching and consumption of protected Golden-Spined Mountain Toads. I'd estimate it's value worth around forty-five million crowns.”

After making my report, I said, “Looks like a storm's coming. The Mighty Coles are about to go bankrupt!”

——

After wrapping up my field assignment, I planned to settle the endangered toads at the endangered species sanctuary as soon as possible. I didn't expect my mom to call, that's why my plan got delayed.

Mom insisted that I meet someone named Gavin, said he was the eldest son of the powerful Cole family. She swore up and down that this blind date would absolutely impress me.

I agreed. Well, reluctantly.

Honestly, I was already working out what excuse I’d use to slip away early.

I swear I only got separated so briefly with the toads. I went to an aquarium store, buring a thermal carrier for the toads. Yet somehow, in that short moment, the toads were gone. It got stole and ended up boiling in a hotpot out of my wildest expectation!

Now, Gavin’s secretary, Cassey Blinks, was sitting across from me, clutching her red and blotchy with a spreading rash face. All the while she kept on screaming accusations.

“Aria picked this restaurant! She must’ve poisoned me! She put something in the hotpot! Mr. Cole, you have to stand up for me!"

Her outburst instantly caught the attention of the nearby diners.

“Poison? Wait—actual poison?”

“Jesus, look at her face… that’s not just an allergy.”

“Ugh, classic jealous girl drama. Bet it’s over that guy—her boss? Looks like he walked off a magazine cover.”

All eyes bounced between me and Cassey, then finally landed on the man next to her.

Gavin, the so-called ideal match my mom had arranged, sat there in a custom-tailored suit, looking painfully out of place in this mediocre hotpot restaurant.

At the moment, he was looking at me with a frown, “Aria, care to explain what happened to Cassey’s face? And what exactly were you carrying in that box?”

The way he spoke, calm, aloof, like he was presiding over a corporate meeting rather than a personal meltdown, made me want to laugh.

We were both here because our parents insisted. I hadn’t forced anyone into anything. And if I wasn’t mistaken, he saw exactly what happened when Cassey reached into my bag, took the container and tossed those rare golden toads straight into the bubbling hotpot.

Gavin said nothing abut it though. He did nothing and just let that incident happen.

If I hadn’t randomly opened Cassey’s livestream while I was out buying the carrier, I never would’ve known that the creatures I risked so much to rescue had ended up in her stomach.

I swallowed my anger and tried to stay calm. “Explain? Mr. Cole, maybe your secretary should first explain why she took my property without asking. Do you have any idea what those toads actually were—”

Before I could finish, Cassey shrieked, “Don’t you dare accuse me! I didn’t take anything from you! Those were just some frogs I bought from a street vendor!”

"Who knows what kind of nasty stuff was in that box? You were clearly jealous that Mr. Cole was treating me well, so you slipped poison in when I wasn't looking!"

"Mr. Cole, call the police! She tried to poison me on purpose!"

I nearly laughed out loud in disbelief. “You bought the frogs off the street?” I then pulled out my phone and opened the video I had just saved.

On screen, Cassey was grinning with excitement, holding a golden-yellow toad with striking black spots between a pair of tongs, proudly showing it off to the camera.

“Look! A golden toad! It's a super rare wild delicacy!” she gushed. “I hit the jackpot today, girls! Got it from some old lady—word is, eating it brings wealth and good luck! Mr. Cole, want to try something exotic?”

In the next moment, the golden toad was unceremoniously tossed into a pot of boiling soup.

Cassey then turned to the camera, made a peace sign and said in a sickly sweet voice, “Hotpot time! It's made of golden toad's broth. Let's wish Mr. Cole skyrocketing success and endless fortune!”

By now, a crowd had gathered and exchanged whispers among them.

“Damn... so she did steal it? Plus, she posted it on her socials? Is she stupid?”

“That toad is actually gold, gold! Ew, it looks freaky. Definitely not your regular frog. I'm not surprised it it's actually poisonous.”

“Serves her right! She stole someone’s stuff and then accuses the owner. What a twisted woman!”

Those comments easily reached Cassey’s ears. Her face instantly turned bright red with fury. “You! How dare you spy on me! Mr. Cole, she—"

"Enough!" Gavin barked, cutting her off.

Clearly, Gavin was livid, more with embarrassment and frustration than anger. He clearly hadn’t expected his sweet little assistant to be stupid enough to steal something and post a video outing herself.

He took a deep breath, then turned to me. Warmth no longer appeared on his gaze. “You know, Aria? Cassey did take your stuff and she is in the wrong. But it’s done now. She’s already paid a heavy price.”

“Let’s just get back to why we’re here. The whole matchmaking meet up was my parents' idea anyway. Now that things had blew up this way, I don’t think there’s any point in us continuing.”

He reached out and gently patted Cassey’s by the hand that clung tightly onto his arm. A flicker of tenderness crossed his eyes.

“You must be able to relate, Cassey’s a woman. And her looks are everything. Sure, you didn’t poison her, but the toad did come from your box." He continued, "So here’s what we’ll do: you compensate her with 3 million for facial reconstruction and we’ll call it even.”

“Call it even?” I repeated the phrase simply.

If I didn't know Gavin's grandpa; If Grandpa Mich wasn't a close friend of my grandpa; I wouldn’t have agreed to this blind date in the first place.

Looking at Gavin’s self-righteousness, whatever my restrain to end this problem politely had vanished.

I let out a mocking smile. “What makes you think I’d agree to that, Gavin?”

By that, I meant paying the 3 million. Yet, Gavin seemed to interpret it another way, he actually thought I was still clinging to the idea of being with him.

His lips curled into a sneer. “Aria, be realistic. You’re just a photographer who spends her days hiking through the wilderness. You think you’re good enough to be Mrs. Cole?”

“Do yourself a favor and let's end this meeting with some dignity and pay the money. If not, the Coles have plenty of ways to make sure your family are blacklisted in all corners of Blue Vale. You won’t even be able to get a decent job, let alone continue your little photography career.”

Gavin didn't shout those threats out loud, but it was enough for the onlookers to catch it and created gossips.

“The Coles? As in Cole Tech, the tech giant conglomerate? She’s in serious trouble now…”

“Three million crowns? There's no way she can pay that even if she sold herself!”

“Poor girl. Her blind date kicks her out over some secretary. Now he even demands money?”

Those whispers boosted Cassey's confidence. Even more so now that Gavin was siding with her.

“That's right! I’ve spent millions maintaining this face over the years! And now you’ve ruined it. Honestly, three million is a bargain! Can a broke little nobody like you even afford that? If not, you might as well start preparing for prison!”

Then her eyes lit up with a twisted idea. She pointed at the scraps of toad still floating in the pot and sneered, “I've figured you can’t afford it. How about this? Eat the rest of that frog soup and get on your knees and beg.”

“Maybe if I’m in a good mood, I’ll even cut you a discount.”

Gavin just stared at me coldly, clearly not planning to stop Cassey. There was a cruel gleam in his eyes, like he was waiting for me to break down.

All eyes in the restaurant were on me—curious, pitying and secretly thrilled. Everyone wanted to see how this poor, no-name photographer would collapse under pressure from the heir to Cole Tech and his rabid little secretary.

What none of them knew was that my grandfather was a decorated war hero who received a first-class military honor in our country. My parents were senior engineers working in classified government tech divisions. Low-profile, yes, but nowhere near powerless. And my family were definitely not one to be looked down on like this.

That simmering anger I’d been swallowing finally boiled over. I calmly reached into my canvas shoulder bag and pulled out my phone.

“All right, I’ll pay,” I said calmly. “But first, you owe me compensation.”

I unlocked my phone, swiped to an encrypted album and tapped open a few photos.

They had been taken just days ago—shots I risked my life for at the edge of the Black Foothills rainforest, during a thunderstorm and landslide alert. Three nearly extinct golden-yellow toads with distinct black star-shaped markings rested quietly on damp moss. Each photo was labeled with their scientific names and tracking numbers.

I looked up, gaze meeting Gavin and Cassey’s squarely as I spoke clearly,

“They are Golden-Spined Mountain Toad. Critically endangered species under national Class One protection. Fewer than fifty are known to exist in the wild.”

“This species has global conservation significance and immense research value. Each individual specimen is valued between 1.2 to 1.8 million crowns.”

My eyes flicked to the pot in front of Cassey—then locked onto Gavin’s visibly paling face.

“Considering I rescued those toads alive during extreme weather and documented them for a national research database, these were living specimens, with high breeding and scientific potential.”

“I’m not asking for much. One and a half million crowns per toad. That’s 4.5 million crowns for all three. So, what's it's gonna be? Cash or card?”

Everyone was stunned silent by the news. Expressions of shock, disbelief and awe were present in the room.

“Four and a half million? For frogs?”

“That’s insane! I don't think a literal solid gold frog would worth that much!”

“Golden-Spined what? Never heard of it. Is this girl making stuff up because she’s desperate?”

Gavin’s face turned stone gray. He slammed a hand on the table and shouted, “Aria Linfield! Are you fucking insane? You think you can extort me with some photos of frogs? Four and a half million? Why not just rob a bank while you’re at it?! You’ve lost your goddamn mind!”