LUSTING TO HAVE HER WAY

THE ENGAGEMENT

CHAPTER 16

At exactly five o'clock that evening, James stood at the entrance to Joyce's room for the first time.

Joyce looked up from the clothes she had been folding, clearly surprised to see him there.

She was dressed in a simple bedroom dress, modest but feminine. For the first time, James saw her outside the familiar housemaid's uniform.

His eyes lingered for a moment before he quickly looked away. He noticed the gentle curves of her figure and the modest neckline of her dress, details he had somehow never allowed himself to notice during the five years she had worked for him.

Something stirred inside him.

It wasn't merely appreciation.

He was seeing Joyce differently.

Joyce simply looked at him respectfully.

"Sir?"

"I'm surprised to see you here for the first time."

James stepped inside. There was a sincerity in his eyes that she had never seen before.

"Joyce, from the very day you came to work for me, I knew there was something different about you. Your kindness, your diligence, and your loyalty have never gone unnoticed."

Joyce listened quietly.

James drew a slow breath.

"But until this morning, I never imagined I could feel the way I feel about you today."

Her eyes widened.

He continued.

"The events of the past few days have opened my eyes. I no longer want to marry Angela."

Joyce stared at him, unable to find the right words for an immediate response.

"In a nutshell, Joyce, after watching you for five years, I no longer see you as my housekeeper."

His voice softened.

"I see the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Joyce stood speechless.

"Sir... I thought I misunderstood you this morning."

"You didn't."

James stepped closer.

"I meant every word."

Silence filled the room.

For a few seconds, Joyce simply stared at him.

She had never imagined that the conversation from earlier in the day would lead to this moment.

Yet James stood before her with an unmistakable seriousness.

She lowered her eyes, unsure of what to say.

James watched her lowered gaze and smiled softly.

"You don't have to be afraid of what I'm saying."

Joyce slowly looked up.

"I'm not afraid, sir."

"Then what are you feeling?"

She hesitated.

"I don't know."

James took another small step toward her.

"I think I know."

Her cheeks warmed.

"What do you think?"

"I think you're wondering whether I'm speaking from my heart or simply reacting to everything that has happened with Angela."

Joyce said nothing.

James reached gently for her hand but stopped before touching it.

The gesture gave her the choice.

After a moment, Joyce placed her hand in his.

His fingers closed gently around hers.

A quiet warmth passed through her.

James looked at their joined hands.

"I've held your hand before," he said softly. "Usually when you've needed help carrying something. I've never thought about how different it would feel to hold it because I wanted you."

Joyce's heart beat faster.

She looked down at their hands.

"Sir..."

James held her gaze.

He understood that she was still trying to process everything.

Then, to Joyce's utter astonishment, James slowly went down on one knee.

Her breath caught.

"Please, Joyce."

He looked up at her.

"Marry me."

Joyce's hands flew to her mouth.

"Oh... sir..."

She struggled to breathe.

"You're my employer... my boss..."

Words failed her.

Overwhelmed, she turned away, threw herself face-down on the bed, and burst into tears.

James remained kneeling.

"I know this has come suddenly," he said gently. "But I have never been more certain of anything in my life."

He reached into his pocket and brought out a small velvet box.

Opening it, he revealed a gold engagement ring set with a modest diamond that caught the evening light.

He waited.

Patiently.

Without saying another word.

The silence seemed to stretch between them.

James did not pressure her.

He simply remained where he was, giving her the time she needed to process his proposal.

Joyce wiped her face and slowly turned towards him.

Her eyes fell on the ring.

For a moment, she could hardly believe what she was seeing.

Several moments passed before Joyce slowly sat up.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

She looked at James.

For five years, she had known him as a generous employer.

Today, she saw something entirely different.

She saw sincerity.

She saw humility.

She saw a man laying aside his status to ask for her heart.

"Joyce..."

James' voice was barely above a whisper.

"Will you marry me?"

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

She nodded.

"Yes..."

Her voice trembled.

"I will."

James smiled through moist eyes.

He gently took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Joyce suddenly wrapped her arms around him.

James embraced her.

She cried freely against his shoulder until the front of his shirt became damp with tears.

He gently lifted her chin and wiped her cheeks.

Only then did Joyce notice tears gathering in his own eyes.

She held him even tighter.

"My boss..."

Her voice shook.

"Today, you've given your love to an ordinary maid."

She paused.

"You've touched my life in a way I never believed possible."

Another tear escaped.

"I have nothing worthy to offer you except my heart."

She looked into his eyes.

"And I give it to you completely."

"I love you."

James smiled.

He gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"The woman who calls herself an ordinary maid has become the most extraordinary woman in my life."

He squeezed her hand.

"I don't know why it took me five years to truly see you."

He smiled softly.

"But I'm grateful that I finally did."

"Thank you for accepting my proposal."

"Thank you for accepting me."

Joyce gazed helplessly at him, tears still glistening in her eyes.

"I love you too."

James smiled.

He kissed her gently on the cheek.

Joyce looked down at the ring sparkling on her finger.

Everything still felt unreal.

Only a few hours earlier, she had been cleaning his sitting room.

Now she was wearing the engagement ring of the man she had admired quietly for years.

For Joyce, the change was almost impossible to comprehend. The room, the clothes she had been folding, and even the familiar walls around her were the same, yet her understanding of her own future had changed completely. She knew that accepting James' proposal would bring new responsibilities and difficult questions, but she also knew that she could not deny what she felt.

James noticed the way she kept looking at the ring.

"You still can't believe this is real, can you?"

Joyce shook her head.

"No."

He smiled.

"Neither can I."

He gently touched her cheek.

Joyce closed her eyes for a brief moment, allowing herself to feel the tenderness of the gesture.

When she opened them again, James was still looking at her.

There was a quiet intimacy between them now—something neither of them had experienced in their previous relationship as employer and employee.

James leaned closer.

Joyce's breath caught.

He paused, giving her enough time to pull away if she wanted.

She didn't.

Instead, she remained where she was, her eyes meeting his.

James kissed her softly.

It was brief and tender, carrying more emotion than passion.

When they parted, Joyce looked down shyly.

James smiled.

"I've wanted to do that since I realized how much I cared about you."

Joyce's lips curved into a small smile.

"And I never knew."

"That's because you were always too busy minding your business."

She laughed softly.

"Maybe."

James touched her hand again.

"Now I hope you'll let me get to know the woman behind that quietness."

Joyce looked into his eyes.

"I think you already know more than most people ever have."

"Then I'll spend the rest of my life learning the rest."

James pulled her gently into his arms once more.

"I promise to spend the rest of my life making you happy."

"I will love you, protect you, and honour you for as long as I live."

Joyce smiled through her tears.

"I'll love you too, James."

She rested her head against his chest.

"I'll stand beside you through every season of life."

She looked up at him lovingly.

"My king."

James smiled at the name.

"My king?"

Joyce nodded shyly.

"Yes. My king."

He laughed softly.

"I think I like that."

She wiped the last tear from her cheek.

"Then you'll have to get used to it."

"I can live with that."

For a few moments, they simply stood together.

The room that had always been Joyce's quiet private space suddenly felt different.

It no longer felt like the room of a housemaid.

It felt like the beginning of something she had never dared to dream about.

Joyce looked down at the ring once more.

The reality of what had happened was only beginning to settle in.

She had spent years working quietly in the house, never imagining that her life could change so suddenly.

Now everything seemed different.

Then Joyce's expression changed slightly.

She looked down at the ring again.

"James..."

"Yes?"

"What about Angela?"

The question wiped the smile from his face.

He took a slow breath.

"I'll deal with that."

Joyce looked concerned.

"I don't want to become the reason another woman is hurt."

"You aren't."

James gently held her hand.

"Whatever happened between Angela and me began long before today."

Joyce remained silent.

"I've already made my decision," he continued. "And I won't blame you for a decision that was mine."

She nodded slowly.

"Then I trust you."

Joyce lowered her eyes.

She did not want to ask more questions.

If James had made his decision, she would respect it.

For now, she simply hoped that everything would be handled peacefully.

Yet Joyce understood that love did not erase consequences. Whatever had happened between James and Angela would have to be resolved honestly, and she did not want her new relationship with James to begin with bitterness or unnecessary conflict. She silently hoped that James would handle the matter with the same fairness he had shown her.

James glanced at the clock.

He realized how quickly the evening had passed.

James turned toward the door, then stopped.

He looked back at her.

"Joyce."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

She smiled.

"For what?"

"For giving me a reason to believe that something good can still come out of a difficult time."

Joyce's expression softened.

"Maybe that was why you found me."

James smiled.

"Maybe."

He walked out.

Joyce remained standing in the middle of the room, staring at the ring on her finger.

She allowed herself to imagine a completely different future.

And somewhere beyond the walls of the house, another future was quietly beginning to fall apart.