Chapter 356: Did You Make A Move?

"I will carry you anywhere you wish, Miss April," Samuel stated smoothly from behind her, his crisp white apron—still faintly dusted with the flour Xavier had thrown earlier—doing nothing to diminish his immaculate authority.

He reached down, refilling her water glass with practiced grace. "Though I would strongly advise pacing yourself."

"Oh, let her live a little, Samuel," Alexander interjected, a lazy smirk curving his lips as he rested his elbow on the table. "She spent the last week overseeing a nationwide tournament and managing all of us. She’s earned the right to unravel."

"Unravelling in a controlled environment is statistically proven to reduce psychological fatigue," Oliver added, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses with one finger. He fixed his gaze on April. "Provided... she remains within my sight."

Nat snorted, leaning back in his chair and slinging a heavy, muscular arm over the back of April’s seat, his fingers casually brushing the bare skin of her shoulder above her emerald dress.

"Look at you, Doc. You’re acting so differently now. You were bold before but now you’re extra, extra bold." He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with wicked interest. "Tell us, what were you up to while we were turning this entire household upside down searching for her this morning? Did you make a move?"

The atmosphere at the table shifted instantly, the playful bantering sharpening into a taut, crackling electric charge.

Alexander’s blue eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as he set his glass down. Xavier’s smile remained intact, but his jaw clenched rigidly, his dark eyes flicking between Oliver’s calm face and April’s flushed cheeks.

"Indeed," Xavier said, his voice dripping with lethal elegance. "Dr. Baxter was remarkably quiet this morning while the rest of us were... actively searching for our lady. Perhaps he would care to enlighten us on how he spent his early hours?"

Oliver didn’t flinch. He simply picked up his fork, cutting into his perfectly seared steak with surgical accuracy before lifting his dark gaze to meet Xavier’s head-on.

"I was receiving specialized treatment for severe sleep deprivation," Oliver replied calmly, his voice entirely unbothered by the predatory glares surrounding him. "Administered directly by Miss April. It was remarkably effective."

Nat let out a harsh, low growl in his throat, his hand tightening possessively over April’s shoulder, while Alexander’s knuckles turned white around his wine stem.

April couldn’t help it—a soft, breathless giggle escaped her lips, the alcohol already loosening her usual tight restraint.

She leaned back against Nat’s arm, looking at the five men sitting around her table, all glaring at each other over a home-cooked meal they had bickered endlessly to make.

"You are all completely hopeless," April laughed softly, her eyes sparkling as she reached for her glass once more. "We’re supposed to be celebrating the end of the competition... and here you are, ready to start another war."

"It’s not a war, sweetheart," Nat whispered against her temple, his lips brushing her hot skin as his hand slid down to rest firmly against her waist beneath the table. "It’s just hungry men... fighting over the only prize that matters."

"Mm, it’s no fun," she hummed, lightly lifting herself away from Nat’s arm. "Let’s drink. I can’t be the only one drinking, okay?"

?"You certainly won’t be," Alexander said, his low voice warm as he lifted his own glass.

?For the next hour, the grand dining room transformed into a lively, unfiltered sanctuary. The heavy tension that usually dictated their competitive edge dissolved into a rare, loud, and hearty feast.

Stories about how they spend their days when they weren’t hovering around her flew around. Nat, especially, boasted too much about how there was no one in the underworld who wanted to go against him anymore, making his days boring.

?April ate until her stomach was warm and content, her usual vigilance completely melted away by the vintage liquor. Every joke made her laugh, her brown eyes sparkling like polished gemstones under the chandelier light, her cheeks painted in a deep, enchanting rose.

?In the middle of the laughter, a sharp, discreet vibration buzzed from the pocket of Oliver’s trousers.

?The doctor reached down, pulling out his phone. His dark eyes scanned the screen, the smooth, relaxed lines of his face instantly hardening back into his clinical, unyielding composure. He set his fork down with a quiet, deliberate clink.

?"Is everything alright, Doctor?" Samuel asked softly, pausing mid-pour.

?"Emergency consultation," Oliver rasped out, standing up with effortless grace and adjusting his pristine white apron before unknotting it. "A high-priority surgical case in the capital’s central facility requires my immediate review. I must depart."

?He turned his gaze toward April, stepping closer to her chair. Leaning down until his breath warmed her cheek, his fingers lightly brushed the back of her hand resting on the table.

?"Do not overindulge, Miss April," Oliver murmured softly, his raspy voice laced with an intimate, unyielding possessiveness that made her breath catch. "I expect to find you whole when I return."

?"I’m as whole as they come, Doctor," April giggled softly, waving her slender hand at him with a hazy, drunk smile.

?With a final glance at the remaining men, Oliver turned and walked out of the dining room, his heavy footsteps fading away.

?That left four men in the grand room.

?April set her empty glass down, propping her chin on her hand as she stared at the glass. "Mmm... it’s so warm in here..."

?"That’s the liquor working its magic, sweetheart," Nat chuckled darkly, his eyes fixed on the heave of her chest as the emerald silk of her dress shifted.

?Before Nat could reach for her, Alexander quietly pushed his chair back and stood up.

Slowly, Alexander walked around the long mahogany table until he stopped right beside April’s chair. He didn’t say a word. He simply went down on one knee, reached down, taking her left hand into his broad, warm palm.

?April blinked up at him, her hazy, alcohol-flushed eyes trying to focus on his striking blue gaze. "Alex...?"

?Alexander slid his long fingers through hers, his thumb caressing the delicate skin of her knuckle. From his pocket, he pulled out a velvet box, opening it with a quiet click. Inside sat a pristine, shimmering silver ring with no diamond, intricate and delicate, catching the warm chandelier light.

?He didn’t ask for permission. Alexander smoothly guided the silver ring over her middle finger, sliding it down until it rested snugly against her warm skin. He brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a slow, feverish kiss right over the metal.

?"A token," Alexander whispered, his voice a low, velvet hum that vibrated through the quiet room. "I picked it out myself. I knew it would look exquisite on you."