Proposal

Ashley’s POV

The sunlight filtering through the sheer linen curtains of my bedroom was too bright.

It stabbed at my eyes, forcing me to drag myself out of the heavy, drug-like sleep that usually followed a night of high-adrenaline peaks.

I stared at the ceiling, a pristine, coffered expanse of white and waited for the realization to dissolve. I waited for the memory of Julian’s icy blue eyes and his predatory job offer to fade into the fog of a champagne-induced nightmare.

It wasn’t real, I told myself, clutching the silk duvet to my chest. The job offer, the mention of Marcus, the way Julian looked at me like I was a prize to be stolen, just a dream.

But then I saw it. On my bedside table, the glass award from the Harvard Business School sat catching the morning light, its edges sharp and undeniable. Beside it lay a heavy, charcoal-colored business card I didn't remember taking, but must have clutched in my hand like a lifeline.

It was reality. I had been offered a kingdom by my boyfriend’s greatest enemy, and the invincible feeling from the stage had curdled into a cold, hard lump of anxiety in my stomach.

The door to my room swung open with a violent bang, hitting the stopper and bouncing back. I didn't even have to look up to know who it was. Lurii didn't believe in boundaries when she was on a mission.

"Ashley! Why are you still horizontal?"

Lurii practically vibrated as she bounced onto the edge of my bed. She was already dressed in a vibrant yellow sundress that made her look like a burst of sunshine, her hair pulled back into a messy, energetic knot. She looked at me, her eyes wide and sparkling with a secret she was clearly struggling to keep.

"Lurii, please," I groaned, pulling a pillow over my face.

"My head is spinning. Last night was a lot."

"Last night was a triumph!" she corrected, yanking the pillow away.

"You’re the Best School Master’s Graduand! You’re the queen of Boston! And today? Today is going to be even better."

I sat up, squinting at her.

"Why are you so excited? You look like you’ve had four espressos and won the lottery."

"Better than the lottery," she chirped, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips.

"Tell me."

"No." She stood up, grabbing my wrists and pulling me toward the walk-in closet.

"I refuse. If I tell you, the magic dies, and I’ve spent too long watching you work yourself to the bone to let the magic die today. Get dressed. Now. Something elegant, buttttttt walkable."

"Walkable? Lurii, where are we going?"

"Less talking, more preparing!" she shouted over her shoulder as she began rummaging through my racks, pulling out a cream-colored midi dress that she knew Marcus loved.

An hour later, I was being led out of the apartment, my confusion deepening with every block we traveled in the car. I tried to probe her for information, but Lurii just cranked up the radio and sang along, ignoring my growing unease.

When the car finally came to a stop, my heart skipped a beat.

The Charles Hotel.

The very place where the nightmare had begun. The place where Julian Vane had whispered those dark promises in my ear and where I had felt the first crack in the foundation of my life with Marcus. My breath hitched as I looked up at the grand entrance.

"Lurii, I don't want to be here," I whispered, my hands starting to shake.

"Can we go somewhere else? Anywhere else?"

"Trust me, Ash. Just for five minutes, trust me."

She didn't wait for an answer. She led me through the lobby, but instead of heading toward the ballroom, she steered me toward the private rooftop garden, a place reserved for the ultra-elite. Just as we reached the heavy mahogany doors leading to the terrace, Lurii stopped.

"Okay, stop," she commanded. Before I could protest, she pulled a silk scarf from her bag and looped it around my head, plunging my world into darkness.

"Lurii, this isn't funny," I said, my voice rising.

"I have a really bad feeling about this."

"Shh," she whispered, her hands steady on my shoulders as she guided me forward.

I could smell the scent of jasmine and expensive mulch. The air was cooler up here, moving softly against my skin.

The sound of Lurii’s footsteps receded, replaced by a silence so profound I could hear the thrum of my own pulse. I stood there, blindfolded and vulnerable.

Then, I heard it. Footsteps. A familiar, rhythmic stride on the stone tiles.

"Ashley?"

My breath escaped me in a rush.

"Marcus?"

A warm, calloused hand slid into mine, fingers interlocking with mine in a way that had always felt like home.

"I’m sorry for the theatrics," Marcus whispered, his voice low and thick with an emotion I couldn't quite place. He didn't remove the blindfold. Instead, he led me forward a few more steps, the scent of roses becoming overwhelming.

"But I wanted this moment to be perfect. I wanted you to know that while the world might see the Best Graduand, I see the woman who stayed by my side when I had nothing but a dream and a desk."

He stopped walking. I felt him move in front of me, his hand still holding mine tightly.

"Ashley, you’ve spent your whole life building a fortress for everyone else," he said. I could hear the slight tremble in his voice now.

"Let me be the one to hold the gates for a while."

He gently tugged the blindfold away.

The sunlight hit me first, dazzlingly bright, but as my eyes adjusted, I gasped. The rooftop was covered in thousands of white roses.

In the center of the garden, overlooking the skyline of the city I had just conquered, Marcus was down on one knee. He held a velvet box, and inside, a diamond the size of a postage stamp caught the light, fracturing it into a thousand tiny rainbows.

My heart stopped. The memory of Julian Vane faded into nothingness. The job offer, the rivalry, the fear, it all vanished.

Marcus looked up at me, his eyes full of a raw, beautiful hope.

"Ashley Vance," he said, the golden question hanging in the air between us.

"Will you marry me?"