Stars Waited Above Empty Streets by Lorin Wren 10

Posted by ADMINMMADMIN, ? Views, Released on January 6, 2026

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram

Chapter 10 The Matches You Forgot

Finished

Back at the Morren Residence, dinner was just being laid out. After everyone washed up, they all took their seats at the table.

Once most of the food was on their plates, Jonathan spoke up. “Ava, you’re 25 now, right?”

Ava set down her fork and knife. “Yes, Great–uncle Jonathan.”

“In a few days, we’ll have to give you a proper birthday celebration,” he said, then added. “So… have you started dating anyone at school?”

Everyone at the table paused, fork and knife mid–air, and turned to look at her. Ava felt like she was on trial and had no choice but to be honest. “I did date someone before, but we broke up before the New Year.”

That was when something suddenly came to Ava’s mind.

I think I even matched with a few husbands? How could I have completely forgotten about that?

“Break up, fine. Out with the old, in with the new. We’ll keep an eye out for you!” Jane patted her shoulder, though inside, she was already running through potential candidates.

Ava met their gazes, and she didn’t need to guess what was going through their minds.

Clearing her throat, Ava turned to the head of the table. “Great–uncle Jonathan, I forgot to mention something. The day before I went back to the sanatorium, I stopped by the Match Bureau and got matched with five people…”

Jane still had a spoonful of soup in her mouth and immediately started coughing, her eyes wide with shock.

“You went to the Match Bureau? And matched with five people? Ava, you really know how to pull off big moves quietly.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “How come I didn’t hear a word about this the past few days?”

“I forgot,” Ava admitted, scratching her nose with a sheepish grin. “Just remembered now.”

Jane nearly cried from laughter. “Unbelievable. You actually forgot who you got matched with.”

Jonathan asked, “Who are the matches? Give me the list so your Uncle Lucas can take a look.”

He didn’t care if it seemed extreme. Even if they were official Match Bureau matches, he wasn’t above using some heavy–handed methods if necessary.

Ava glanced at her left wrist. It felt empty. That was when she remembered she’d tossed the

1/4

15:36 Tue, Jan 6

Chapter 10 The Matches You Forgot

(58 )

Finished

Holoband in a drawer ages ago and hadn’t touched it at all these past few days, thanks to being in a foul mood.

“I’ll grab the Holoband right now.” She got up immediately and headed off to fetch it.

Jane clutched her stomach and couldn’t stop laughing. My Ava is something else. She really doesn’t seem to care about this at all. I have no idea which poor souls got matched with her!

Christian poured her a glass of water. “Quit laughing. If you keep going, your stomach’s gonna hurt.”

“Don’t you guys think it’s hilarious?” She wiped tears from her eyes. “I’m gonna be laughing about this for years! Later, I really wanna see which guys Ava can’t stand. They just got matched and–poof–sent straight to outer space.”

“She probably only went to the Match Bureau because she didn’t have a choice. You shouldn’t be laughing. Think about what she was dealing with back then. I can’t believe you’re laughing about it. The only shame is that we found them way too late.” Asher felt even more protective of sensible little Ava.

After hearing that, Jane finally stopped teasing.

Honestly, if it were me, I’m not sure I’d handle it any better.

“Good thing she didn’t just marry some random guy back then. Even though Match Bureau’s been quiet these past few years, they still seem solid.” Asher couldn’t help but think Ava was pretty clever.

Ava quickly pulled off her Holoband, opened the message from Match Bureau, and projected it into the air so everyone around could see it.

The room went dead silent, and then even quieter.

Ava felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. She glanced at one person, then another, noticing the subtle, unreadable expressions flickering across everyone’s features.

Is something wrong?

Jane stared at Ava, her expression tangled with a mix of emotions, while Ava just stood there, completely clueless.

Is this what they mean when they say ‘some people are lucky just because they’re clueless‘?

“Do

you

know these people?” Jane asked.

Ava shook her head. “Nope. Why, is something wrong?”

2/4

15:36 Tue, Jan 6

Chapter 10 The Matches You Forgot

:

Jane stared at her in disbelief, took a deep breath, and said, “Well, luckily we’re family. If anyone else heard that, they’d think you were showing off on purpose!”

58

Finished

Ava couldn’t help but laugh and groan at the same time. “I really don’t know them! My days are packed with schoolwork, and I’ve been taking on side gigs for my mentor. I just want to focus, earn my scholarship, and make some extra cash.”

She wanted the usual things, too–shopping, traveling, nice dinners–but there was no one behind her to catch her if she fell. First, she had to make sure she could survive.

Jonathan lost his temper, which was a rare occurrence. “Jane, do you think everyone was born into a life of luxury like you?”

Jane hurriedly apologized. “I’m sorry, Ava. I wasn’t trying to make fun of you!”

After spending a few days together, Ava had started to get a sense of Jane’s personality. Jane spoke her mind, never once beating around the bush.

“It’s fine, Jane. I didn’t feel like you were laughing at me. Honestly, I was just desperate back then. I didn’t have the money to pay that huge fine. If someone hadn’t pointed me in the right direction, I’d never have gone to the Match Bureau. I just forgot about it later when Grandpa got sick.”

Jane grinned and patted her shoulder. “It’s all good. I won’t ever laugh at you.”

I laugh at certain people… and it’s enough to keep me laughing for a lifetime! The moment I open my mouth, it’s game over!

“Man, you’ve got some serious lucky streak!” Asher laughed along. “Looks like next time someone ropes me into a betting game, I’m dragging you along to pick the mystery box. Gotta ride that crazy luck of yours!”

So basically, these guys pass muster?

Ava’s mind was spinning through a bunch of thoughts. “I checked with the Match Bureau, and they usually only line up one or two matches. I was ready to say no back then, but they said there was no way to cancel. Now I’m starting to think they were just messing with me. Great- uncle Jonathan, do you think there’s any way to call this off?”

Jonathan studied her eyes. “Are you sure about this? Even if it’s me, Elias, or Lucas lining up matches for you, it doesn’t mean anyone could just skip ahead of these few.”

After learning exactly who these candidates were, Jonathan found it somewhat amusing. No matter what, the Morrens girl would come out ahead. How the other families felt didn’t matter to him. They weren’t the ones in a hurry.