CHAPTER 12

I remain incredulous about the realization that has dawned on me. The world is, indeed, remarkably small. Or perhaps it was truly meant to be, reuniting us once more and now drawing us closer together owing to a confluence of circumstances. The thoughts that have crossed my mind have left me with a smile.

I am aware that I ought not to feel elated when thoughts of Bryle cross my mind, knowing full well that our marriage is, in fact, a mere artifice. Yet it is difficult to reconcile myself to the notion that his actions were utterly devoid of significance.

I reclined in my swivel chair, feeling a wave of fatigue wash over me, as I had only just arrived. I had told Bryle that I needed to attend a meeting, but our departure was still very much on schedule. I remained utterly clignorant of our destination. My phone's sudden ringing interrupted my reverie; it was Bryle.

"I'm on my way to pick you up. Wait for me there." He terminated the call abruptly after uttering those words. I winced, gazing at the phone's screen.

"Grumpy," I murmured, tucking my phone into my pocket. Aeun entered to summon me, the meeting being on the verge of commencement, so I fixed myself before taking my leave of the office. Upon the meeting's conclusion, I hastened back to my office, and upon opening the door, I was immediately greeted by Bryle's countenance, which bespoke a profound ennui.

"You took a long time," he remarked. I winced, approaching him, as he occupied my swivel chair.

"The meeting entailed a considerable amount of discussion. As you're aware, the company's recent troubles have only just been resolved," I explained, my tone betraying a certain listlessness.

"Yeah, right; anyway, we need to go," he said, and proceeded to exit the conference room. I was taken aback, my mouth agape, as I struggled to comprehend his abrupt departure. Is he angry again? I wondered, my eyebrows raised in consternation. I shook my head, electing to follow him in silence. Once we were ensconced in the vehicle, the silence persisted, with him driving in a quiet reverie.

I stole a glance at him. "Are you all right? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," he replied curtly, his tone flat and unemotional. I grimaced, shooting him a disapproving glance. I felt an urge to slap him, his moody demeanor was really getting to me. Tsk. "What's your favorite color?" I was taken aback by his question, hadn't he already asked me that? Was he repeating it? Had he forgotten? Then again, why would he remember? Right? Uh, never mind.

"Green," I replied tersely. I noticed he didn't respond or even nod; his attention remained fixed on the road as he drove. I rolled my eyes. "Green is my favorite color, Bryle," I repeated, thinking perhaps he hadn't heard me initially. Still, he didn't respond, his focus unwavering from the road, as if he hadn't heard me at all. I was starting to feel a tinge of irritation.

"Didn't you hear me? I said green! Matcha, avocado, kiwi, cactus, bamboo, broccoli, watermelon, clover, grass, cucumber, celery, turtle, grasshopper, tree—" He interrupted my tirade.

"What the hell are you saying, woman?" His eyebrows rose as he spoke, prompting me to shoot him a disapproving glance. Good, he's finally paying attention. I thought he was deaf for a moment.

"Ah, you're listening, are you? I thought you were unfamiliar with the color green, which is why I enumerated all the green things that came to mind," I explained with a smirk, prompting Bryle to exhale a sigh, lapsing once more into silence. We arrived at the mall, and I was taken aback when Bryle grasped my hand, proceeding to lead me somewhere.

"Mr. Caje," I turned to see who suddenly called out to Bryle. An elderly man, thin and with a long white beard, was calling. He was formally dressed like Bryle and was wearing round eyeglasses, only on his left eye, white gloves, and carrying a gold-tipped cane.

"It's nice to see you, Mr. Farri," Bryle greeted the elderly man. They bowed slightly to each other in greeting. "I have a reservation, Mrs. Garzero already here?" he asked the old man, who immediately smiled and nodded at him.

"Yes, yes, she's already here, waiting for you in the private room," the two of them walked away, continuing their conversation. I glanced at our hands, which were still touching intertwined. I felt my cheeks grow warm because of this, and it seemed like my heart was beating faster the longer I stared at our hands. Wait, what? Don't go thinking about things like that, Felicity Rose Lee!

We arrived at a large white double door, after which we entered. The elderly person seated us, and they briefly conversed with Bryle before proceeding to the other door. It seems the person we're here to see will be called in soon.

Mr. Farri arrived accompanied by another woman who appeared to be Mrs. Garzeo, the person we were here to see. She was carrying what looked like a notebook and approached us with a smile. "It's good to see you, Mr. Caje. Here's your request," Mrs. Garzeo said, handing him the notebook-like item. Bryle took it and quickly flipped it open. It was only then that I realized it was a brochure featuring various ring designs.

“I want this,” Bryle pointed to a ring with a large green stone. I read its name, and it was called La Luna di Smeraldo. I tried to read the other details, and my mouth was slightly agape as I saw the price: $54.7 million…

They conversed for a moment longer, after which I was surprised when Mrs. Garzeo suddenly measured my hand. She took my left hand and measured my fourth finger. Following that, they spoke briefly again before we exited the room. So, the ring Bryle chose is for me? Why didn't he let me choose? Tsk. I shook my head and followed him as he walked, until he changed direction, which immediately made me curious.

"Wait, Bryle, this isn't the way," I said, pointing in the other direction where we had entered earlier. "The path is that way. Are you having a memory lapse?" I whispered.

"Could you please stop talking and just follow me?" he snapped at me somewhat irritated. I sighed and pouted at him.

I crossed my arms, walking with a furrowed brow, staring at the path, when he suddenly stopped and turned to face me completely. "What?!" I snapped irritably. A peculiar smile crossed his face, and he sighed,

"Stop pouting, or I might kiss you right here." I stared at him, seemingly like an idiot, because of what he said.

"This is a public place, Bryle. Can you please keep your antics in check?" I reprimanded him. I heard his soft chuckle, and then he turned to look at me.

"Yeah, whatever. The first time we kissed was also in a public place." The question I'd wanted to ask him earlier immediately came to mind.

"Wait, Bryle," I stopped our walking. His eyebrow rose, and he waited for me to speak. "I wanted to ask what you meant by that. You said before that you kissed me, even though that was the first time I'd met you."

"Are you serious? You really don't remember me?" He asked incredulously. I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head. "Wow, that's something. So there are people who really forget what they do when they're drunk," he muttered, a comment I didn't quite understand.

"That's why I want clarification so I'm aware of what happened. Why don't you tell me?"

"Uh, never mind. It wasn't important." He replied indifferently and walked ahead. I furrowed my brow at his behavior; there he goes again with his moodiness. His mood swings are really something else.

"So, you brought me to the mall to buy a ring and clothes?" I asked wingly, scanning the store we'd entered. It's all fashion clothes; what does he think of me? I don't have anything to wear, so he's buying me new ones? My eyebrow rose at the thought.

"No. We're buying matching semi-formal attire for later," he said, already browsing through the clothes. I furrowed my brow, confused. What's the occasion for matching clothes? Are we attending a couples' event? Ugh, cringe... I rolled my eyes and decided to just go along with Bryle's plans.

After a few minutes of browsing, we had picked out clothes. He paid at the counter and instructed me to wear them. At first, I was puzzled as to why he wanted me to wear clothes that matched his, but I smiled as I realized why. He had reserved a dinner date for the two of us.

He brought me to a garden in a nearby five-star hotel, and that's when I realized he had customized our date spot. Our surroundings were filled with various plants and flowers, a fountain, and a white bench on the side. In the center was a set table where the two of us would dine. He helped me sit, and poured red wine into my glass. He gazed at me briefly as a waiter served the food in front of us.

"I wasn't able to do this the other day after we hung out at the beach. I'm sorry it took until now." Bryle said, making me smile slightly.

"It's okay, I didn't really expect you to do this anyway."

"I know," he replied quickly, exhaling softly. "We still have a lot to learn about each other. We still have a lot to go through. We're not at the point of being in a relationship, but even so... I want us to talk about what we are to each other now."

I saw the sincerity in him. I knew where this conversation was headed, but of course, it was better to hear it from him, to be asked something so important.

"You know, we've met before, right? Five years ago, we had an encounter in a mall because you suddenly slipped, but it wasn't a good start for us back then. To me, you were someone I didn't want to be with. But look at us now; I'm the one who approached you."

"I didn't expect you to be my ex-fiancé," I quipped, earning a soft laugh from him. I gazed at Bryle, watching his smile. If there's one thing I'm grateful for now, it's this moment...

Bryle set down a small box, and I opened it, unable to help but freeze at what I saw...

What does this mean?

Is he proposing to me?​