Chapter 112: Chapter 112

JUNE

It has been a month since the first dinner with my father. That night was awkward. Had it not been for Favour, we would have sat there all night, gawking at each other. It wasn't until after I spoke with Henry that he voiced out how odd it was meeting Kristen. Not only was he my Guardian, but also my partner.

But that was a month ago. After getting to know each other, they surprisingly became friends. Now, Favour spends most of her time with me.

They were supposed to return to Oklahoma, but because of our contact, Henry asked for a transfer to Seattle. It was a hectic month for them, but things have quieted down.

After my confrontation with Kristen, he hasn't brought Edith home. And she hasn't contacted me. Though she's still working in the company, Kristen promoted her. She's now a manager, while a recent employee replaced her as his secretary. All this he did was to placate me, knowing how much I loathed their intimacy.

I can't let someone like her get close to my partner. As someone who works all day with him, she might snag him right from under my nose.

But it's okay now. Everything has returned to its natural position. I still have Kristen here with me. And…

A smile tugged at the side of my lips. I can't wait for tonight to tell him the wonderful news. He will be super pleased to hear about that. I just can't wait for it.

For now, I have to entertain Mark, who showed up at my doorstep, claiming he was bored out of his mind at home. It's a Saturday, so we don't have classes.

I suggested that he spend the day in my house, but he declined, asserting he would die should he spend any more time indoors.

That was how we spent the rest of the day, moving from one place to another. It was as if he was set on driving around the city in a day.

Kristen didn't call me throughout the day, which was odd. He doesn't stay for more than an hour without texting me, at least. But today, he never called. And when I called him, he hung up after informing me he was attending an important meeting.

“Aren't you drained already?” I yawned, checking the time on my wristwatch. It was almost 6, yet Mark didn't seem eager to take me back.

“Tired? You've got to be kidding —” A beep from his phone caused him to hesitate. He frowned. “Seems like it's time to go home.”

“Really?” I raised a sceptical eyebrow at that. “What caused you to change your mind so easily? You weren't ready to do as I asked minutes ago.”

“My old man wants me home.” He started the car. “Let's do this some other day. We might even go on a road trip,” he promised.

“Sounds wonderful,” I readily agreed, nodding my head at it. There is no doubt, Kristen will let me travel anywhere with him. Had Mark been another guy, he would have asked me to end the friendship between us. But Kristen knows better.

He parked the car in our outside garage, and helped me out of it, like a gentleman.

I would have teased him about that had it not been for the car parked in the driveway. Seems like Henry and Favour came for a visit. And not only that but Kristen's car was also parked out.

“Odd,” I muttered, staring at the house.

“What?” Mark locked the door and came to stand beside me. “What's it?”

“Why will Favour and Henry visit without telling me? And not only that, but Kristen, who claimed to be busy, happens to be at home, earlier than normal.”

“Perhaps they—”

“Come, let's go.” I took his hand in mine and led him towards the door. Unlocking it, I strode into a pitch-black room.

“Kristen?” I called out, more confused than I was before. Without waiting for a reply, I walked towards the wall, feeling it for the switch.

The light suddenly got on, and I almost shrieked. Kneeling not too far from me was Kristen, with an open box. My eyes went to the diamond, which looked roughly identical to the first one.

“Kristen?” I peered down at him before I turned my attention to the extra three people in the sitting room. Henry and Favour stood together, while Edith stood alone, smiling like the rest of them.

I would have demanded to know what she was doing here, but my focus returned to the man kneeling on one knee in front of me.

“Are you proposing? Again?” I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

Three weeks ago, he took the proposal ring from me, claiming it was awfully tight, and needed to be loosened. Who knew he was planning on this?

“The first time was between us, with no one to bear witness to it aside from God, and the moon,” he stated, looking straight at me. “But when you found your father, I guessed it would be better to propose to you, with him in attendance. That's why I'm doing this today.”

He opened the box, with his focus still on me. “I know you promised me forever from the first day, but I'm hoping to hear it from you once more, June. Will you marry me?”

I watched him as a tear slid down my right eye. I don't think I have loved someone half as much as I cherish him. And I doubt I will ever do the same with another.

“Say yes, say yes!" Favour clapped, grinning. And soon, the others followed suit, chanting those words.

I took a step towards him as more tears rushed down my cheeks. He regarded me without saying a word, though he looked like he was minutes from rising from the floor. Seeing me in tears must have distressed him.

I stopped in front of him and stared down at him, feeling a surge of emotion in my rib cage.