THE VALENTINE PROPOSAL

LioraI looked in the mirror, smiling at myself because I knew that my boyfriend wouldn't be able to take his eyes off me, once he sees me. The roses on my left hand were from his favourite fancy florist, red marigold because those were his favourite. In my right hand, a very expensive bottle of champagne, his favourite as well, which, I chuckled to myself, left me a little broke.I walked down the hallway of Montague tech, and then pressed the elevator button that would take me to the floor of my boyfriend's office. Today was Valentine's Day and I was going to propose to my boyfriend of three years. I know he was the one that was traditionally meant to propose to me, but he was pretty indecisive, and we had soulmate energy. Why wait any longer when we could tie the knot now?And knowing him, he'd be appreciative that I actually put my foot first, he'd say yes. We were too good together. I could feel it in my bones.Even at that, my heart was racing. I'd been planning this for two mon

LIORALater that day, I shared my location with Everett because his publicist texted me via Instagram, and that meant I couldn't talk to Everett directly but through his publicist. He sent a car by seven in the night and by that time I'd packed my favourite clothes into two suitcases. The driver came out to meet me and he helped me offload the suitcases in the trunk of the car. He didn't speak to me as he opened the door for me.The drive to our destination took twenty minutes, and I knew because I was checking the watch every time, anxiety eating up at my insides about the fact that I was going to share the same living quarters with a man I barely knew. We pulled up to a building in the financial district, the skyscraper so tall I couldn't see the end of it. The doorman opened my door before I could reach for the handle."Miss Jovan,"he said. "Mr. Montague is expecting you."Everything inside gleamed of wealth, and I swallowed. I've never been around so many expensive things before.

LIORAThe silence at the dinner table was so thick I could barely breathe. Everyone stared at me like I'd just confessed to murder. Zyler's face was red. Nuala looked like someone had slapped her. Diella sat there with a satisfied smile playing on her lips."Is this true?" Zyler demanded. His voice cut through the quiet like a knife. "You proposed to my son in a public lobby after catching your boyfriend cheating?"I opened my mouth but nothing came out. What could I even say? Yes, I did that. Yes, I'm exactly as pathetic as it sounds.Everett's hand found mine under the table. He squeezed once."It's true," he said. His voice was calm. Too calm. "Liora proposed to me in the lobby of Montague Tech. And I said yes."Nuala made a small sound in her throat. "Everett, please tell me this is some kind of joke.""It's not a joke." Everett looked at me when he said it. His gray eyes held mine. "The way we met was unconventional. I'll admit that. But my feelings for her are real."My heart st

LIORA They all filed back into the conference room. Derek looked annoyed that I was taking up more of his time.I pulled up my presentation. "Okay. So the previous campaign focused on product features. Specs, capabilities, technical details. It was fine. But fine doesn't make people care."I clicked to the next slide. "I want to do something different. I want to tell a story about human connection versus digital isolation. About how technology should bring us together, not pull us apart."I showed them mockups. User submitted photos and videos. Real stories from real people. A campaign that felt authentic instead of corporate."We'd launch on social media first," I continued. "Get people talking. Create buzz. Then we'd roll out traditional advertising that supports the grassroots movement we've already built."I finished and looked around the table. Nobody said anything.Finally Derek laughed. "This is amateur hour. You want to build a campaign on user generated content? You know we

LIORAEverett turned away. He walked to the window and stared outside."You met with a man who's been trying to destroy my company for ten years," he said. His voice was cold. "A man who sees you as just a tool to hurt me. And you're mad at me for not telling you every detail of my past?""I'm mad because you're hiding things.""We barely know each other, Liora." He turned around. "We've been engaged for three weeks. Most of that was pretending for cameras and family dinners. You don't get to demand my whole life story."The words hurt more than they should have. "You're right. We barely know each other. Maybe that's the problem.""This is exactly what Ramsey wants." Everett's hands made fists. "He wants to make us fight and make you doubt me. Don't you see? He just made you think I'm using you.""Are you?"The question came out before I could stop it. Everett stared at me like I hit him."Are you using me?" I asked again. My voice shook. "Because everyone keeps saying I'm in over my