Episode 3:An Unusual Proposal
600 Words
Lena’s POV)
The night air was crisp and cool, a welcome contrast to the stifling warmth of the gala. I leaned against the stone railing outside, my heels dangling a few inches above the pavement.
“Rough night?”
I turned at the familiar voice to find Alexander standing beside me, a half-empty glass in his hand. His suit looked immaculate again no sign of the red wine incident.
“You could say that,” I replied with a wry smile.
“Family drama?” he guessed, taking a sip of his drink.
“Among other things.”
We stood in comfortable silence for a moment, watching the city lights twinkle in the distance. There was something oddly calming about his presence, as if we were old friends who didn’t need words to understand each other.
“You know,” he said finally, breaking the silence, “I owe you an apology for earlier. I was… abrupt.”
“It’s fine,” I assured him. “I probably deserved it.”
He chuckled softly. “You certainly made an impression.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
He tilted his head, studying me. “Good, I think.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So, you don’t hate me for ruining your suit?”
“I never said that.” But there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.
We fell into easy conversation then, trading stories of our respective families and the pressures that came with their expectations. Alexander spoke of Vivian Blackwood’s relentless pursuit to find him a suitable wife, while I recounted the shock of discovering Nathan’s betrayal and Claire’s role in it.
“I never thought I’d be the one to get caught up in such a mess,” I admitted, swirling the remnants of my drink.
“Love has a way of blindsiding us,” Alexander mused. “It makes us do things we never thought possible.”
“Like attend galas and spill wine on billionaires?”
“Exactly like that.”
We laughed, the tension between us dissipating like smoke in the wind.
“Maybe,” Alexander said slowly, “we should take matters into our own hands.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated for a moment, as if debating whether to voice his thoughts. “Marry me.”
The words hung in the air, startling me into silence.
“What?” I managed to choke out, my heart pounding in my chest.
“It’s a joke,” he said quickly, waving a hand as if to dismiss the idea. “Forget I said anything.”
But I couldn’t forget. The idea sparked something inside me, a wild, reckless impulse that I hadn’t felt in years.
“Wait,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. “Maybe… maybe you’re onto something.”
Alexander’s brow furrowed, surprise flickering across his features. “You’re serious?”
“I… I don’t know.”
The words spilled out of me, unfiltered, raw. I wasn’t thinking about consequences or logic. I was thinking about escape. About freedom. About taking control of my own life for once.
“It’s crazy,” I admitted, glancing away. “But maybe crazy is exactly what I need right now.”
He studied me for a long moment, his gaze piercing.
“Lena,” he said softly, “marry me.”
And in that moment, with the city sprawled out before us and the night alive with possib
ilities, I said the one word that would change everything.
“Yes.”
- Writer
