Chapter 8: The Ring That Ruined Her Logic
902 Words
Jared King didn’t do anything halfway.
When he committed, he went all in — whether it was business, charity, or now… marriage.
Even if Zenobia saw their relationship as a strategic alliance, Jared didn’t intend to treat it like a boardroom merger. He wanted her to feel valued. Honored. Surprised.
Because somewhere between her cool confidence and quiet sadness, Jared had started to care.
Not just about the deal.
About her.
So, the moment she agreed to marry him — for real — he made up his mind.
She deserved a moment.
A real one.
Not scripted. Not strategic.
Just… sincere.
Before Zenobia could change her mind, Jared started planning.
He booked a private garden venue tucked in the hills of Tagaytay — beautiful, intimate, and surrounded by lights strung like stars.
He made sure both families were invited — the Cortezes and the Kings — under the pretense of a casual “get-to-know-you” dinner. No one told Zenobia a thing.
He even asked her mom privately, a day before the event.
“Tita,” he began, with the kind of polite tone that usually made board members nervous, “before anything else, I want to ask for your blessing.”
Her mother blinked. “Blessing for what?”
Jared smiled. “To ask your daughter’s hand in marriage — properly this time. Not the quiet conversation in a restaurant. I want to do this the right way.”
Her mother, slightly stunned, took a moment before replying.
And then she smiled — wide, hopeful, and a little emotional. “You really mean it?”
“I do,” he said, surprising even himself with how easily the words came. “I want to make this special for her. She deserves that.”
Her parents agreed immediately, no hesitation.
They had long feared Zenobia would never open her heart again — stuck in a limbo of mourning, hiding overseas, living half a life.
To them, Jared was a sign she was finally finding her way out of the grief.
Meanwhile, Zenobia had no clue.
She thought they were attending a “family dinner” in Tagaytay. Jared told her to wear something elegant — but not overly formal.
That should’ve been her first clue.
Still, she brushed it off.
Business alliances came with weird social obligations.
She arrived at the venue in a cream-colored satin dress, hair tied in a low bun, heels clicking softly on the stone path leading to the garden entrance.
“Miss Cortez?” one of the event staff smiled, opening the large oak doors for her.
She stepped into the garden…
…And froze.
Warm golden lights glowed from every tree. A long table lined with candles and flowers sat under a canopy of hanging glass orbs. Familiar faces turned toward her — her parents, her cousins, her aunties, and even Jared’s family… all seated, smiling, waiting.
And standing in the middle of it all — Jared King.
In a navy suit, hands behind his back, smiling like she had just walked out of his dreams.
Zenobia blinked.
“What… is this?”
Jared stepped toward her, one hand still behind his back. “This,” he said, “is me doing this the way you should’ve had it the first time.”
She stared at him, heart thudding louder than she wanted to admit.
“I know you said this is business,” he continued, “and I respect that. But I also believe that even business deserves beauty. I want to give you something real — even just this moment.”
From behind his back, he revealed a small velvet box.
He opened it.
Inside was a ring that didn’t scream luxury — it whispered elegance. A simple oval diamond set in a band of rose gold, engraved with something small inside.
Zenobia didn’t need to read it to know he had chosen it carefully.
The crowd watched in stunned silence — even their mothers held back quiet gasps.
Jared got down on one knee.
“Zenobia R. Cortez… will you marry me — for real this time, in front of everyone, with no escape route?”
A small laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it.
Everyone leaned in.
Zenobia stared at him, ring box still open in his hand, and… felt something.
Her heart skipped.
Just once.
But hard.
A familiar ache. A flutter she thought she buried in the cemetery beside Xavy’s name.
She wasn’t supposed to feel this. Not here. Not like this.
And yet…
She looked at the man kneeling in front of her — not begging, not forcing, just… waiting. Hoping.
And in his eyes, she didn’t see strategy.
She saw sincerity.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she extended her hand.
“Yes,” she whispered.
The crowd burst into cheers.
Jared slid the ring on her finger, stood up, and — with permission in his eyes — gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.
It lingered longer than it should’ve.
And her heart betrayed her again.
Later that night, as the music played and the wine flowed, Zenobia stood near the balcony, staring at the ring that now sat on her finger like a quiet promise.
Was this still business?
Or was something already starting to change?
She didn’t know yet.
But for the first time in a long time…
She wasn’t afraid to find out.
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