Chapter 14 - THE MAN WHO FINALLY ASKED
Aurelio proposed two years after our first date.
Not at a gala.
Not in front of reporters.
Not beneath chandeliers.
He took me back to the private club.
The same room.
The same western windows.
The same table.
I laughed when I saw it.
“You're kidding.”
He smiled.
“No.”
I looked toward the table.
A fresh white tablecloth covered the surface.
Two glasses of bourbon sat beside a small vase of flowers.
I raised an eyebrow.
“Are you trying to traumatize me?”
He laughed.
“Possibly.”
We sat.
He looked nervous.
That was new.
Aurelio Bianchi had faced creditors, investigators, hostile investors, and public scandal.
But now his hands trembled slightly.
“Paola.”
“Yes?”
“I spent years believing I had to control everything.”
I smiled.
“I noticed.”
He laughed.
“Then you walked into my life and ruined a very expensive contract.”
“Technically, I ruined a tablecloth.”
“And saved the company.”
I looked at him.
“You saved it. You made the hard decisions.”
He nodded.
“Maybe.”
Then he reached into his pocket.
A small velvet box appeared.
My breath caught.
Aurelio opened it.
Inside was a delicate diamond ring.
“Paola DeLuca, will you marry me?”
I stared.
Then laughed through tears.
“You know I'm going to read the marriage license before signing.”
He grinned.
“I wouldn't expect anything less.”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
His expression softened.
“Yes?”
“Yes, Aurelio.”
He stood.
May you like
I wrapped my arms around him.
And for the first time, the room where I had once feared losing my job became the place where I chose my future.
