Semua Bab THE VALENTINE PROPOSAL : Bab 41 - Bab 50

LIORAThe woman standing a few feet away from me looked older than last I saw her.More wrinkles lined her face now and streaks of gray were visible through her dark hair, but I would recognize those warm eyes anywhere."Aunt Lizy?" I breathed out in disbelief.The woman's lips parted slightly before emotion flooded her face."Liora?" she whispered.A smile instantly spread across my face."Aunt Lizy!" I exclaimed happily before rushing toward her.She barely had enough time to react before I threw my arms around her tightly."Oh my goodness," Elizabeth laughed shakily as she hugged me back just as firmly. "Look at you."I buried my face briefly against her shoulder, overwhelmed with joy at seeing the woman.I hadn't realized just how much I missed her until now.When we finally pulled apart, Elizabeth held my face gently between both hands while staring at me carefully like she was memorizing my present look."You've grown into such a beautiful young woman," she said proudly, her eye

EVERETT Liora smiled faintly before relaxing against me.Her hair smelled faintly like strawberries and shampoo.I lazily ran my fingers through the soft strands while studying her face carefully.She looked happy.Something about that alone eased the lingering tension sitting inside my chest all day."How was your day?"Her eyes brightened almost immediately at my question."I have so much to tell you." She started but then paused as her stomach grumbled loudly"I'll tell you properly during dinner."Barely ten minutes later, we were seated together in the dining room.Mrs. Grey had prepared grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and pasta again.The moment Liora started talking, I quickly realized she had genuinely enjoyed herself today.She told me everything concerning every aspect of her day.Several times while speaking, excitement visibly lit up her entire face.I found myself paying less attention to the food and more attention to her expressions instead.Then eventual

EVERETTI quietly led Margaret down to the sitting room before turning to face her properly.“What’s the problem?” I asked in a low voice, careful not to wake Liora upstairs.Margaret adjusted the files in her hands before replying, “Miss Ashford called this morning. She asked me to tell you to return her call.”I immediately frowned, irritated by the woman's desperate behavior.Diella had actually gone as far as calling my PA just to reach me.I dragged a hand through my hair and exhaled sharply. I had blocked her number a few days ago for a reason, yet she still kept finding ways around it.Margaret studied my face carefully. “Is there an issue, sir? If there’s something I can help with, you can let me know.”“There’s nothing you need to worry about,” I replied firmly. “I’ll handle it myself.”“Alright then,” she said gently, though concern still lingered in her eyes.“I’ll call her later,” I added. “Thanks for letting me know.”“You’re welcome, Mr. Montague.”I gave her a small nod

~LIORAIt was strange that Everett hadn’t sent Margaret to bring the flowers to me instead.Unless Margaret was occupied with something else.“He wanted to send his PA, but she had other things to handle, so I volunteered since I was already there,” Spencer explained after noticing the questioning look in my eyes. “Can I come in at least?”His explanation made enough sense, and I didn’t see any reason to be rude to my childhood friend and leave him standing outside awkwardly.“Yeah, sure. Come in,” I said while stepping aside for him. “I was just about to have pie in the kitchen. Would you like to join me?”His eyes swept around the house in visible awe before returning to me again.“Sure,” he replied with a smile. “I love pie.”“Okay.”Seeing him still awkwardly holding the bouquet in both hands, I walked toward him to collect it.“Let me have that.”He immediately handed it over without hesitation.“God, it’s heavy. My hands were already starting to ache,” he joked with a nervous ch

~EVERETT My heart wouldn't stop twisting painfully in my chest. It hurt so much I had to stop for a second, pressing my back against the wall to steady my breathing.Who was I fucking kidding.I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even think properly.The image of her in another man's arms kept replaying over and over inside my head like a parasite I couldn't pluck out. I knew I couldn't stay here, so I resumed my stride and left the house.When I stepped out into the garage, I spotted my driver still standing by one of my cars, smoking a cigarette. At noticing me, he jumped from fright and quickly tossed the unfinished cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath his shoe."S-sir, are you going out again?" he stuttered, clearly taken aback at seeing me again and not expecting to be caught smoking or even my sudden return."The keys." I stretched my hand toward him.He quickly retrieved the keys and handed them over without asking any questions.I started the car the moment I got in and