PROPOSAL SPECIAL - The Question I Had Been Asking For Years
Adrian's POV
I carried the ring for thirty-two days.Not because I kept changing my mind.Because I kept waiting for the right moment.
The problem was—every moment with Lia felt right.
—
The ring box lived inside the inner pocket of my suit jacket.
Every morning, I moved it into whichever jacket I planned to wear that day.
Every evening, I placed it back inside the safe beside my bed.
A routine.A dangerous one.Because every time I touched that small velvet box, one thought followed immediately.
Today?
Maybe today.
Then something would interrupt us.
Work.
Family.
Rain.
Life.
And I would tell myself to wait one more day.
—
Sofia noticed on day twelve.Of course she did.She noticed everything.
"You still haven't done it?"
I looked up from my office desk.
"I'll know when it's time."
She laughed.
Actually laughed.
"You bought that ring almost a year ago."
"I know."
"You've had it in your pocket for nearly two weeks."
"I know."
"And you're waiting for what exactly?"
I thought about it.
Longer than necessary.
Finally—
"I want her to remember the moment."
Sofia's expression changed immediately.The teasing disappeared.She smiled instead.
A real smile.
"She'll remember."
The certainty in her voice surprised me.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because she'll be looking at you."
—
Three days later, I canceled an entire board meeting.Twenty executives were waiting.Three international investors had already arrived.My assistant looked genuinely horrified.
"Mr. Monteverde... they're all here."
"I know."
"Should I tell them something happened?"
I glanced toward the window.The sky outside was perfectly clear.The kind of autumn afternoon Lia always loved.
Golden leaves.
Cool air.
Sunlight.
Perfect.
I stood.
"Tell them something more important came up."
The assistant blinked.
"...More important than the merger?"
I smiled.
"For me?"
I picked up my car keys.
"Much more important."
—
Lia thought we were going for lunch.That was the plan I gave her.
Simple.
Believable.
She never questioned it.Which made me feel slightly guilty.Not enough to ruin the surprise.
Just enough.
—
She climbed into the passenger seat wearing a cream sweater and blue jeans.No makeup except mascara.Hair moving gently in the breeze.
Beautiful.
Without trying.
Without knowing.
She smiled the moment she saw me.
"There you are."
The two words settled somewhere deep inside my chest.
Home.
That was what they sounded like.
Home.
—
"Where are we going?"
"Lunch."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You're smiling."
"I usually smile."
"No."
She pointed directly at me.
"That smile."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because apparently my fiancée-to-be could already identify suspicious smiles.I maintained complete composure.
Mostly.
"You're imagining things."
"Am I?"
"Yes."
Another pause.Then she laughed quietly.
"I'll figure it out."
I smiled again.
She definitely would.
Eventually.
—
An hour later, we arrived at the botanical gardens.One of Lia's favorite places.
Peaceful.
Quiet.
Filled with flowers no matter the season.The staff greeted us politely.Everything had already been arranged.Private.Exactly the way Lia preferred.No audience.No dramatic spectacle.
Just us.
Always us.
—
We wandered through the gardens without rushing.Talking about everything.Nothing.The future.Books.Travel.The coffee shop she'd discovered near campus.The stray cat she'd been feeding for three weeks.Ordinary conversations.
The kind I'd grown to treasure.Because life wasn't made of grand gestures.It was made of afternoons like this.Walking beside the woman I loved.Listening to her talk about things that made her happy.Realizing I wanted to hear that voice for the rest of my life.
—
Eventually we reached the greenhouse.Glass walls stretched toward the afternoon sky.White roses filled the room.Sunlight filtered softly through the ceiling.
The entire space glowed.
Lia stopped walking.
"Adrian..."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.She looked around slowly.
Then back at me.
"This is beautiful."
No.
I almost answered.
You're beautiful.
Instead, I simply held out my hand.She took it without hesitation.The way she always did.The way I hoped she always would.
—
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.We stood surrounded by flowers and sunlight.The world felt impossibly quiet.As though it understood this moment belonged only to us.I looked at Lia.Really looked at her.
The woman who had changed everything.The woman who taught me that love wasn't weakness.The woman who turned a lonely penthouse into a home.The woman who made tomorrow feel exciting instead of empty.Every version of my future carried her smile.Every dream I still dared to have began with her.
I reached into my jacket slowly.My fingers found the familiar velvet box.Thirty-two days of carrying it.Years of imagining this moment.A lifetime of believing I would never deserve it.
Then, before I could lose my nerve—I stepped closer.
"Lia."
She looked at me.
Her smile slowly faded into quiet curiosity.And for the first time in years...Adrian Monteverde, the man who could command boardrooms without hesitation...Forgot every speech he had rehearsed.