Chapter 78: Challenge 1 – The Love Locks
The late morning sun bathed Paris in a golden glow as teams gathered at the Pont des Arts, the famous Love Lock Bridge. The railings were already lined with thousands of padlocks, each one carrying a story—some filled with love, others forgotten over time. The air buzzed with excitement as Margaux Duval stood at the front, exuding the effortless elegance that Ava had come to associate with L’Amour Élite.
"Bienvenue, mes amis," Margaux greeted, her smile polished but sharp. "For your first challenge, you will be testing the foundation of all romance: words. Love letters have been at the heart of grand romances for centuries. Today, you will each receive a set of anonymous letters written by our participating clients."
A staff member handed out envelopes to each team. Ava glanced at hers with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.
"Your task," Margaux continued, "is to match each love letter to the correct recipient—someone waiting to find the words meant for them. Once you believe you’ve made a perfect match, your couple will seal their connection by placing a lock on the bridge together."
Ryan leaned in, glancing over Ava’s shoulder. "You know, for a city that banned putting new locks here, they sure don’t mind using it as a matchmaking test."
Ava smirked. "Just don’t let Mei hear you say that, or she’ll start selling ’limited edition’ locks with our faces on them."
Ryan shuddered. "I wouldn’t put it past her."
Margaux clapped her hands. "And with that, bonne chance!" The teams scattered to find their clients, letters in hand.
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Ava and Ryan skimmed through the letters quickly. Some were poetic, some were playful, and at least one was filled with so many emojis that Ava groaned audibly.
"Who even writes like this?" Ava muttered, holding up a note that read: