Chapter 8 - The Proposal
Six months later.
I took Elena to Paris for her twenty-seventh birthday—a week-long journey away from the responsibilities of school and the estate. It was her first time in Europe, and watching the world through her wide, joyful eyes felt like discovering life for the very first time.
On our final evening, I booked a private dining terrace at a historic hotel overlooking the illuminated Eiffel Tower. The autumn air was crisp, and a violist played soft French melodies in the corner of the garden.
Elena wore an emerald green silk gown that accentuated every curve of her figure, her dark hair pinned up in an elegant style. She looked stunning—a far cry from the frightened girl I had found crouching on my kitchen floor a year ago.
As dessert was cleared away, I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, placing it on the white tablecloth between us.
Elena stopped mid-sentence, her eyes dropping to the box, then lifting to mine. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Daniel..." she whispered.
I stood up from my chair, walked around the table, and dropped onto one knee beside her. I opened the velvet box, revealing a flawless three-carat oval diamond set in a platinum band embedded with micro-sapphires—a ring custom designed to represent strength, loyalty, and eternal protection.
"Elena," I said, looking up into the eyes of the woman who had saved my family's soul. "A year ago, you stepped into my life during its darkest hour. You proved that real strength isn't about power or wealth; it's about the love you're willing to give when the world is cruel. You brought light back into my mother's life, and you gave me a reason to love again."
Tears glistened on her cheeks, reflecting the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower behind us.
"Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" I asked. "Will you build a life, a family, and a future with me?"
Elena didn't hesitate for a single second. She threw her arms around my neck, pulling me close as she cried tears of pure, unadulterated joy.
May you like
"Yes!" she sobbed into my shoulder. "Yes, Daniel! A thousand times yes!"
I slipped the ring onto her finger, pulling her into a deep kiss as the Eiffel Tower burst into its hourly light show, flashing millions of bright white stars into the night sky above us.
