Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
Solenn
There was something in the air today. Something different.
I wasn’t sure what it was, but I could feel it the moment I stepped into the office.
The usual Monday sluggishness was gone, replaced by an energy that buzzed through the room like static before a storm.
People weren’t hunched over their desks, drowning in emails.
They were whispering. Glancing at me. Smiling in a way that felt… off.
Lillian from HR nearly choked on her coffee when she saw me, her eyes widening before she spun on her heel and practically ran in the opposite direction. Two interns were huddled together near the breakroom, sneaking glances at me and giggling.
Something was up.
I slid into my chair, setting my bag down carefully, eyeing the people around me. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out, expecting a text from Nina, but my screen was flooded with news notifications.
I frowned, clicking on the top article.
And froze.
LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE – MAVERICK SPENCER MAKES MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT
What?
Before I could even process it, the TV screens around the office flickered, all switching to the same live broadcast. Conversations died instantly. Phones were lowered. Everyone turned toward the screens.
And there he was.
Maverick stood at the podium, looking ridiculously calm for someone who had just hijacked every major media channel. His suit was sharp, his tie perfectly in place, but it wasn’t just the way he looked that sent a bolt of unease through me.
It was his eyes.
They were focused, determined, burning with something deep and absolute.
"This should be about business," he started, voice smooth, steady, filling every inch of the room. "It should be about numbers and strategies, profits and projections. Because that’s all my life has been for years. Controlled. Calculated. Safe."
I couldn’t breathe.
"But safe never made me happy," he continued, his gaze unwavering. "I spent years running from love. I thought I didn’t need it. I thought I didn’t need anyone." He paused. A muscle in his jaw flexed. And then, his next words stole the air from my lungs.
"Until her."
The office erupted. Gasps. Shrieks. Someone dropped their phone.
I couldn’t move.
Maverick’s voice didn’t waver. "For weeks, the media has speculated. They’ve twisted stories, dug into my past, created lies, and painted their version of the truth. So, let me correct them. Solenn Wheeler is not a fling. She is not temporary. She is not a passing distraction."
I gripped the edges of my desk, my heartbeat hammering in my ears.
"She is the woman I love," he said simply.
A stunned silence fell over the entire office.
Maverick let the words settle before continuing. "And since I believe in making things official…" He reached into his pocket, pulling out a velvet box.
I nearly fell off my chair.
The gasp that ripped through the office was deafening. Lillian squeaked. Someone dropped a stapler. My heart stopped beating altogether.
And then—my computer screen lit up with a message.
Maverick Spencer: Turn around.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t turn around.
Because if I did, that meant this was real. That meant he was here.
My fingers trembled as I slowly spun in my chair.
And there he was.
Standing at the entrance of the office. Holding the ring. Looking directly at me.
I heard someone whisper my name. I heard my heartbeat pounding against my ribs. I heard the world tilt on its axis as I locked eyes with him.
He took a slow, deliberate step forward. Then another. And another. Until he was right in front of me, the entire office watching, the cameras still rolling, the weight of the world disappearing because it was just him and me.
Maverick lowered himself onto one knee.
The strongest, most powerful, most untouchable man I had ever known was kneeling for me.
I forgot how to breathe.
His voice was lower now, meant only for me.
"You changed everything," he murmured. "You changed me. And I don’t want a life where you’re not in it.
So, Solenn—" He flipped open the box, revealing the most breathtaking ring I had ever seen.
A deep-cut emerald, encased in diamonds, elegant and bold, exactly like him.
"Marry me."
Time stopped.
The entire world held its breath.
I could feel every single pair of eyes on me, waiting, expecting, but none of it mattered. None of them mattered. Only him.
I swallowed, trying to steady myself, but my hands were shaking. "Maverick, I?—"
A pause.
A hesitation.
Not because I doubted him.
But because holy hell, I was going to marry him.
I sucked in a shaky breath. My lips parted. The words fell from my tongue like they had been waiting forever.
"Yes."
The entire office exploded. Cheering. Shouting. Applause. Someone was crying. Lillian from HR fanned herself dramatically. I barely had time to register any of it before Maverick stood, pulling me into him, crashing his lips against mine.
His grip was tight, unrelenting like he had no intention of ever letting me go. I melted into him, my fingers tangling in his suit, kissing him like the entire world wasn’t watching.
Because none of it mattered.
Not the cameras. Not the media. Not the chaos.
Only him.
When he pulled away, his forehead rested against mine, his voice quiet but fierce. "You’re mine now."
I smiled breathlessly. "I always was."
The applause, the laughter, the shockwaves of what had just happened wrapped around us like electricity. The office had just witnessed the most dramatic proposal in corporate history.
And I had just said yes to forever.