Chapter 14 - THE PROPOSAL BENEATH THE OLD OAK
Julian proposed two years later.
Not at a gala.
Not in a ballroom.
Not before reporters.
Beneath the old oak tree at Blackwood Estate.
The same tree where Clara and Maisie had planted their first flowers together.
Elena arrived expecting a family picnic.
Instead, she found Julian standing beneath the branches.
Clara and Maisie waited beside him.
Both girls wore yellow dresses.
Both carried small bouquets.
Elena stopped.
“What is this?”
Maisie giggled.
“A surprise.”
Clara grinned.
“Daddy's nervous.”
Julian laughed.
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
He stepped forward.
“Elena.”
Her eyes filled.
“When you came into this house, I thought I needed someone to fix my daughter.”
He swallowed.
“But you showed me she wasn't broken.”
Elena began crying.
“You taught me that listening matters more than controlling.”
He took her hand.
“And you helped me become the father Clara deserved.”
His voice trembled.
“I love you.”
He knelt.
“Elena Ross, will you marry me?”
She stared.
Then smiled.
“Yes.”
Clara screamed.
Maisie jumped.
Julian laughed through tears.
He slipped the ring onto Elena's finger.
Then kissed her.
Maisie stepped forward.
“Does this mean Clara is my sister?”
Elena laughed.
“If that's what you both want.”
Clara nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes!”
The girls hugged.
Julian looked at Elena.
His eyes filled.
For years, he'd believed his life would be defined by power.
Now he understood something else.
May you like
Family wasn't something you controlled.
It was something you cared for.
