The Proposal
813 Words
Chapter Two: The Proposal
(Simeon's POV)
The day began like any other-endless meetings, telephone conferences, and the minute attention to detail required to maintain a billion-dollar conglomerate. My world was one of order and control. All was prearranged, expected, and well within my control.
Until the day she stepped into that coffee shop and turned my whole world upside down.
Elizabeth Hastings, to all appearances, did not seem like the kind of person who would disrupt my neatly ordered life. Her appearance was nondescript at first: her hair just the least bit disheveled, her cheeks flushed. And yet, there was this quiet intensity about her, an urgency that struck before she spoke.
Then she did speak, and what was said froze me.
"Marrry me.
For a moment, I could have sworn I'd heard her wrong. Women made their way to me often enough, but there was always an angle. Proposals, too, weren't unheard of, though they were always cloaked in layers of flattery and manipulation. This was another thing altogether.
I studied her closely. She wasn't flirting. She wasn't begging for money or prestige. She was desperate, yes-but for something so much deeper.
"Excuse me?" I repeated, my tone sharper than I meant it to be.
She didn't flinch. "I'm serious. Marry me."
Her hand shook only a little as she slid an engagement ring-her engagement ring, judging by its appearance-on to the table between us.
It was crazy. Impossible. Yet, I couldn't get up and leave. Something in her eyes kept me there, my feet nailed to the floor.
"Do I look like someone you can manipulate?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
No," she returned, her tone even, though her nerve was palpable. "I'm not trying to manipulate you. I just.I need help."
The honesty lacing her words gut-punched me a little harder than I'd expected. Most who came before me had lines rehearsed, calculated strategies to butter me up. Not her. Raw, unpolished, vulnerable.
I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes further. "Why me?
She hesitated. "You were there. And… you looked like someone who could understand."
I almost laughed. Understand what? Whatever mess she was in, it wasn't my problem. I didn't involve myself in the chaos of strangers' lives. Still, her determination was admirable. Foolish, but admirable.
As I moved to decline, she pressed the ring closer, desperation almost palpable on her. "Please," she said, breaking her voice.
I stood, pulling my coat tighter around me. "I'm not interested," I said firmly. "Find someone else to be your savior."
Her face fell, but she didn't chase after me. She simply sat there, shoulders slumped, as I walked away.
Yet even as I stepped back into my car, I couldn't shake the image of her face-the determination in her eyes, the quiet plea behind her boldness.
I slung my briefcase onto the desk and collapsed into my chair when I got back to my office. My assistant, Karin, came in a few seconds later with her usual efficiency, slapping a fresh cup of coffee on the table.
"Rough day, sir?" she asked after catching my distracted expression.
"Interesting day," I said, pulling a small business card from my pocket.
Karin's curiosity got the best of her, and she leaned forward as she asked, "What happened?"
A woman proposed to me today," I said, keeping my voice casual.
Karin blinked, her professionalism slipping for a moment. "Proposed? Like, for marriage?"
"Yeah."
"To you?"
I smirked. "Yeah, Karin. To me."
She stared at me a moment before bursting out laughing. "That's. that's insane! Who does that? What did you say?"
"I said no, of course," I replied. "But she wouldn't back down. She was insistent. Almost reckless."
"Why? Did she explain herself?
"Not in detail," I said, tapping the edge of the card against the desk. "But she wasn't after money or power. It was personal. She was desperate."
Karin's laughter faded into curiosity. "And you believed her?"
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know. But people don't act like that without a reason."
Karin crossed her arms. "What are you going to do about it?"
I held up the card. "Find out who she is."
"Do you want me to dig into her background?" Karin asked, ever the efficient assistant.
"Yes," I said. "Everything—her work, family, personal history. Quietly."
She nodded, taking the card from my hand. "I'll get started right away."
As she left the room, I stared at the engagement ring now sitting on my desk. Elizabeth Hastings. Who was she? Why had she chosen me, of all people, for such a ridiculous proposal?
I didn't know the answers yet, but one thing was clear: she had stepped into my carefully ordered life and left chaos in her wake.
And I wasn't going to let that chaos go unexplored.
- Writer
