Soon, it was time for the movie to begin. Jack and Samantha had their tickets checked and stepped into the theater.
The auditorium was spacious, and Jack led Samantha straight toward the couple's section. He had specifically booked a pair of love seats for them. He placed a few snacks and drinks on the table in front.
"What are we watching?" Samantha asked curiously. She hadn't checked the movie title—Jack had picked it on a whim.
"Comedy," Jack replied casually, munching on popcorn.
Hearing that, Samantha's eyes lit up with anticipation. She loved comedies, especially since there had been some really good ones in the past few years.
The theater lights dimmed.
A pitch-black night, no moon in the sky. The sound of rustling filled the surround sound system. Suddenly, from a dilapidated old house onscreen, a hideous old woman lunged straight into frame.
"Ahh!" Samantha screamed and immediately dove into Jack's arms, burying her face in his chest.
She wasn't the only one—several other women in the theater also screamed in terror.
After a few moments, Samantha lifted her head and started lightly pounding Jack's chest with her soft little fists, pouting and complaining,
"This is your idea of a comedy?"
"You're the worst."
"You brought me to a horror movie!"
"Tell me, did you do it on purpose?"
Jack gave an innocent shrug. "I honestly didn't know it was a horror film," he said, though a mischievous smile tugged at the corners of his lips. It was too dark for Samantha to notice.
"You wanna leave?" Jack asked as Samantha calmed down.
"No, let's keep watching! Why wouldn't we?" Samantha replied, glancing around to see that nobody else was leaving. She puffed herself up and tried to act brave.
Jack could barely hold back a laugh watching her fake courage. He was curious to see how long she could actually last.
Samantha turned back to the screen.
Suddenly, a shriveled hand reached out from the screen as if it were coming for her. "AHH!" she screamed again, diving even deeper into Jack's arms, her hand trembling against his chest.
Jack gently stroked her back and held her tight. His hands, however, began to wander a bit, drawing a warning glare from Samantha as she pulled his hand away.
Jack just grinned cheekily.
Samantha realized then—he had done it on purpose. He knew she was scared of horror movies!
There was no way she could keep watching—it was just too terrifying. She squeezed her eyes shut and decided to ride it out until the end of the film.
The eerie sounds and occasional jump scares kept the screams coming, and she refused to open her eyes again. Jack, noticing her trembling hand, held her close, which did help soothe her nerves… though his wandering hands earned him several more glares.
Finally, the movie ended.
They exited the theater, and seeing that it was still early, decided to walk around the mall a bit.
On the third floor, they passed by a luxury watch store.
"What do you think of this one?" Samantha asked, trying on a delicate pink watch. She lifted her wrist and posed it in front of Jack's face.
"It's beautiful," Jack said genuinely, looking more at her wrist than the watch.
"Honestly, you make any watch look good."
Samantha's heart melted at the compliment.
Just then, a heavily made-up woman drenched in perfume clung to the arm of a man with a large beer belly. She looked at him with puppy-dog eyes and whined, "Honey, I really like that watch too. Will you get it for me?"
The man puffed up his chest and replied sleazily, "If my baby wants it, of course I'll buy it for you."
He then shouted to the sales assistant, "Hey, bring me the same watch that lady's wearing!"
Samantha, who had her back turned to them, turned around—only to catch the man staring at her like he'd just seen an angel walk out of a painting.
"I'm sorry, sir," the saleswoman said politely. "That's our showcase piece. It's the only one in stock and has already been purchased."
The man glanced over at Jack, eyeing his branded outfit but youthful appearance, and immediately looked down on him.
"Hey, kid. Sell me that watch," he said arrogantly.
"Nope," Jack replied without even sparing him a glance, continuing his conversation with Samantha.
"Two times the price!" the man offered, annoyed by Jack's refusal.
"Still not selling," Jack answered, clearly growing irritated.
"Three times! Don't be greedy now—think carefully before you answer."
Just as Jack was about to shut him down again, Samantha stepped forward, her eyes wide and innocent.
"You really mean it? You'll pay three times the price?" she asked sweetly.
"Of course!" the man said proudly, eager to impress her.
"Great!" Samantha said, her eyes lighting up. She pulled out a card and beamed. "Then it's a deal—nine million!"
The man froze, completely stunned.
"Nine… million?! Are you trying to scam me?!"
Samantha tilted her head in confusion.
"But you said you'd pay triple the price. The watch costs three million, so that's triple."
The man's face turned red. "This is fraud!"
Now irritated, Samantha turned away from him, no longer interested in talking.
Just then, the clerk approached and said calmly,
"Sir, this watch is our store's signature piece. There are only ten of them in the world, and this one is priced at three million."
The man's face turned pale. He thought the watch was just a few thousand! With trembling legs, he cast a furious glare at the overly dolled-up woman beside him, grabbed her by the arm, and stormed out of the store without looking back.
Jack, unfazed by the drama, selected nine more watches for Samantha to wear on different occasions.
Touched, Samantha leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Jack's cheek when the cashier wasn't looking.
As dinnertime approached, Jack brought her upstairs to a noodle shop on the fifth floor. They each ordered a steaming bowl of rice noodles.
After the meal, Jack walked Samantha to her building and waited until she disappeared safely inside. Satisfied, he nodded and turned back to his car, heading home to Skyview Villa No. 1.
Just as he started the engine, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
Ding! System notification: You have successfully scared the goddess three times today. Congratulations! You've earned the honorary title: "Gentle Boyfriend."
Jack's lips twitched. "Seriously, system? You're giving out titles for scaring people now? That's messed up."
Reminder: The system also detected certain... wandering hands in the cinema. Full monitoring was active. Next time, try a darker corner.
Jack nearly stomped on the gas pedal from embarrassment. "Can you not spy on me 24/7? Ever heard of 'privacy'?"
Privacy? Sorry, I'm not your car's GPS. Full-time surveillance is standard, honey~
Jack rolled his eyes. "Fine. Monitor away. But I just bought ten watches today—any chance of a cashback?"
Cashback not available... But here's a golden quote for comfort: 'A woman's joy, a man's expense.'
"…You're really something," Jack said with a bitter chuckle.
Of course! I've been spinning wisdom in the romance circuit for 500 years—old system's got experience.
Jack shook his head with a smile, rolled down the window a bit, letting the evening breeze wash over him.
"Alright, old system. I'll let you win tonight. But next time we pick a movie, make it less terrifying."
Noted. Next recommendation: higher horror intensity. You're welcome.
"…I swear, one day I'm replacing you with Siri."
You won't.
Jack gave a low snort and drove into