The venue for the day's challenge couldn't have been more different from the serene gardens and soft cherry blossoms of the previous events. The Matchmaker Summit organizers had gone full modern this time—glass walls, sleek white counters, digital monitors blinking like a sci-fi set. Every inch of the room gleamed like a tech company headquarters.
Ava narrowed her eyes as she stepped inside.
"This feels less like a dating challenge and more like a villain's lair," she muttered.
Ryan, walking beside her in a tailored black button-down and his sleeves rolled up just enough to show off those forearms, whistled low. "Wow. This place screams we're about to get ethically questionable."
They were greeted by a woman in a lab coat who introduced herself as Dr. Takahashi, the lead researcher of today's "experiment."
"Today, we'll explore the science of attraction," she explained with a rehearsed smile. "Pheromones, heart rate sync, scent-based chemistry—all measurable. All real."
