Chapter 16: As Long As There Are Years
904 Words
"You did something wrong. And you have the boldness to change your mind."
Alexander held on tight to his phone and clenched his teeth as he looked at the message then followed by a call. It felt like his dad's words were crushing him. The atmosphere between us became tense with worry, and for a minute, none of us spoke.
"Alexander..." I called him, though it was hard for me to speak.
He looked away from me. His fingers paused over the screen as if wondering whether to answer. He then let out a big sigh, locked the phone, and threw it away.
"Let him be angry," he mumbled. "I do not care anymore about anything he may want to think of."
But I knew that wasn’t true. No matter how hard he tried to hide it. His father wasn’t just a man he could toil with because the man was highly influential and ruthless above all, he knew so much about his son's strengths and weaknesses.
I held his hand, pleading with him to at least answer the call.
He finally met my look, his blue eyes dark with purpose. "Yes. I’ve spent my entire life chasing his respect, doing what he wanted. Not this time. This time, I can’t just continue like that."
"What if he tries to stop us being together?"
A faint grin pulled at Alexander’s lips. "Then he’ll learn that I’m not a child anymore."
He drew me close, his arms wrapping around my waist. I felt safe.
No matter what happens, we will confront it together.
---
The days that followed were filled with stress. Yet, despite it all, Alexander stayed the same. He brought me out to dinner, made me laugh, and held my hand anytime I felt nervous.
And then, one evening, everything changed.
We were in his flat, standing by the big glass window facing the city. The lights shimmered below us.
Alexander stood beside me, his hands in his pockets. "Isabella," I answered, his voice quieter than normal.
I turned to him, expecting him to say something about work, his father, or the merger. Instead, all I could see was an unexpected event. Alexander dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a little box.
I was kind of confused and speechless.
"I have been keeping this waiting for this day," he said, opening the box. "I was waiting for the right moment."
My breath hitched.
He turned to face me, and opening the box, he brought out a ring that was so lovely.
"I know we have been through a lot," he added. "I know my world has brought you pain. But despite everything, you’ve stayed. You’ve worked for us. And I don’t want to spend another second."
He took a deep breath. "I don’t want to marry you because my father doesn’t welcome you. Or because the world thinks I should. I want to marry you because I love you. Because I can’t imagine waking up another day without you by my side."
Tears blocked my view.
"Isabella," he mumbled. "Will you marry me?"
A sob burst from my lips. I didn’t even stop, a big. "Yes." That was all I could say.
He was immediately relieved. He put the ring onto my finger, then grabbed me into his arms, planting his lips on mine. It was deep, packed with a promise of forever.
When we finally drew apart, he put his face on mine. "We’re doing this," he whispered.
I laughed, wiping my tears. "No more family interference?"
He smiled. "No more. Just us."
---
Planning the wedding was chaos but a nice sort of disruption. I had expected pushback, but to my surprise, Alexander’s father never tried to stop us.
Instead, days before the wedding, he wanted a meeting.
I stood with Alexander in the big parlour of the Steele house, facing the man who had formerly controlled Alexander’s life. He looked at Alexander.
"I didn’t approve of this union," he whispered. "But I see now that my opinion doesn’t matter to you anymore."
Alexander’s grasp on my hand strengthened. "No, it doesn’t."
His father breathed. "Then I have no choice but to accept it."
I blinked. I had expected a fight, an order. Not... surrender.
"Why the change of heart?" Alexander asked, suspicious.
His father’s gaze flashed to mine. "Because she makes you happy."
It wasn’t fully accepted reason, though I could not tell what he was up to
As we stepped out of the house, Alexander looked at me, a slow smile building on his lips. "It looks like we won."
I grinned back. "We did."
---
On Bachelor's Eve, the night was full of remembrance of what we both had passed through. It was fun.
"Are you ready?" he whispered.
I leaned towards him. "With you? Always."
We stood a long time, watching the city, reflecting on what we had passed through together.
"I love you," Alexander mumbled.
I turned in his arms, smiling. "Forever?"
He landed a kiss on my face. "And always."
As we stood there, locked in one other’s hug, I knew—no matter what happened next, we were ready.
But deep inside, I couldn’t escape the idea that this wasn’t the end of our troubles.
Was love enough to hush the monsters of our past? Or was this merely the quiet before the next storm?
Find out in the next part!
- Writer
