Chapter 30: The Question

Damian had spent the entire morning telling himself not to overthink it.

He failed.

Completely.

He checked his phone while walking to class.

Nothing from Emily.

He put it away.

Five minutes later, he checked again.

Still nothing.

Get a grip.

It was just a question.

A simple question.

One he’d already decided to ask.

Yet somehow, knowing he was actually going to do it made everything feel different.

"Why do you keep checking your phone?"

Damian looked up.

Ethan was staring at him.

"I’m not checking my phone."

"You just did."

"Habit."

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"You’re acting weird."

"I’m fine."

"That’s exactly what weird people say."

Damian shook his head.

"Focus on class."

"I am."

"You’re watching football highlights."

"Multitasking."

Damian laughed.

The conversation moved on.

But the thought remained.

Today.

He was asking Emily today.

No backing out.

By the afternoon, Damian had finally found a quiet place away from the busiest parts of campus.

It wasn’t anything fancy.

Just a small garden area behind one of the university buildings, with a few benches beneath the trees.

Emily liked the place.

She’d mentioned it once before.

Apparently, it was one of the few places on campus where people didn’t constantly walk past asking for something.

She arrived a few minutes later.

"You picked this place?"

"Yeah."

Emily looked around.

"I like it."

"Good."

They sat.

For a while, they talked about nothing important.

The showcase.

Their classes.

The entrepreneurship club.

Ethan’s questionable academic strategies.

Emily laughed several times.

Damian barely noticed the nervousness anymore.

Being around her had a way of making everything feel normal.

Eventually, the conversation slowed.

Emily looked at him.

"You’ve been quiet again."

"Have I?"

"Yes."

She smiled.

"You’re doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Thinking too much."

Damian laughed softly.

"I guess it’s just hard to think straight around you these days."

Emily tilted her head.

"What’s going on?"

Damian looked at her.

There it was.

The moment he’d been waiting for.

He could’ve delayed it.

Made some excuse.

Waited another day.

But he’d already spent enough time thinking.

He took a breath.

"Emily."

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to ask you something."

She looked at him expectantly.

"What?"

Damian hesitated for half a second.

Then he said it.

"Would you like to go out with me?"

Silence.

Emily froze.

Her eyes widened slightly.

For a moment, she simply stared at him.

Damian’s confidence disappeared almost immediately.

Okay.

Maybe that was too direct.

He opened his mouth.

"I mean—"

Emily suddenly smiled.

"Are you serious?"

Damian stopped.

"Yeah."

She looked down, smiling to herself.

Then back at him.

"You’re actually asking me out."

"I think that’s what I just did."

She laughed.

"I know."

Damian smiled.

"So?"

Emily didn’t answer immediately.

She looked at him for another moment.

There was something different in her expression now.

Not shock anymore.

Something warmer.

"I..."

She was interrupted by a voice.

"Excuse me?"

Both of them turned.

A man wearing a delivery uniform stood a few feet away, holding a large black gift box wrapped neatly with a silver ribbon.

He looked between them.

"Is Emily Bennett here?"

Emily’s smile disappeared.

"That’s me."

The delivery man walked over.

"I have a delivery for you."

Emily looked confused.

"For me?"

"Yes."

He checked his phone.

"Emily Bennett?"

"Yes."

He handed her the package.

She accepted it carefully.

"Who sent this?"

The delivery man smiled politely.

"There’s a card."

Emily looked at Damian.

He was just as confused.

She slowly untied the ribbon.

The box opened.

Inside was an expensive-looking designer handbag, carefully packaged with a smaller box beside it.

Emily’s eyes widened.

"What..."

Damian glanced at the items.

He didn’t need to be an expert to know they weren’t cheap.

Emily picked up the card.

Her eyes moved across the message.

Then stopped.

Her expression changed.

Damian noticed immediately.

"What is it?"

Emily didn’t answer.

She simply stared at the card.

"Emily?"

She finally looked at him.

"It’s from Adrian."

Damian blinked.

"Adrian?"

She nodded slowly.

"I don’t understand."

She looked back at the gift.

The shock on her face was genuine.

She hadn’t expected this.

Not now.

The delivery man cleared his throat.

"There’s also a message."

Emily looked at him.

"What does it say?"

He checked his phone.

"He said, and I quote, ’I hope you like it.’"

Emily stared at the gift again.

Damian leaned back slightly.

He couldn’t help being surprised.

Adrian had already made his interest clear.

But this?

This was different.

The wealthy-guy card.

No expensive dinner.

No casual coffee.

No asking her to pick a restaurant.

Just a gift expensive enough to make its own statement.

Emily slowly closed the box.

"I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this."

Damian looked at her.

"You don’t have to do anything."

She glanced at him.

"I know."

The delivery man handed her a small receipt.

"Just sign here."

Emily signed it mechanically.

The man nodded.

"Have a good day."

He left.

Neither Damian nor Emily spoke for several seconds.

The box sat between them.

A strange interruption to a moment that had been going somewhere completely different.

Emily finally looked at Damian.

"I’m sorry."

"For what?"

"This."

Damian shook his head.

"You didn’t do anything."

"I know, but..."

She looked down.

"I really didn’t expect him to do something like this."

Damian nodded.

"Neither did I."

She looked at him again.

There was uncertainty in her eyes.

Not because she suddenly wanted Adrian.

Because she didn’t know what his gesture meant.

Or what he expected from it.

Damian understood that.

He also understood something else.

Adrian had just reminded everyone—including Damian—that money could change the way people approached things.

Damian had the system.

He could buy almost anything now.

But he didn’t want to compete with Adrian by throwing money at Emily.

That wasn’t what he wanted.

He wanted her to choose him.

Not his money.

Not some expensive gift.

Him.

Emily seemed to read something in his expression.

"You’re quiet."

"Just thinking."

"About the gift?"

"Partly."

She waited.

Damian smiled.

"And about what I was asking you before we got interrupted."

Emily’s cheeks warmed slightly.

"Right."

She looked down.

Then smiled.

"I haven’t forgotten."

Damian’s heart beat a little faster.

Emily looked at him.

"I just need a minute."

He nodded.

"Take your time."

She smiled.

"Thanks."

They sat there quietly.

The gift remained unopened beside them.

But neither of them looked at it anymore.

The question Damian had asked was still hanging between them.

Somewhere across the city, Adrian had no idea what his gift had interrupted.

But Damian did.

He had finally made his move.

And now there was no going back.