Chapter 293: Not a Word of Love, But Every Word Is Love

When he saw the two of them emerge, Ian Lynch reacted quickly, pulling out his phone to send a message before getting out to open their car door.

Meanwhile, back at the manor, everyone’s phone buzzed at the same time. The moment they saw the message, all hell broke loose.

“Quick, quick, quick! They’ve finished up and are on their way! They’ll be here in about half an hour, so everyone get to your stations and be ready!”

“Hey, that balloon over there is crooked! Get someone tall to fix it!”

“Someone keep an eye on the security feed! The moment they come through the gate, you have to let us know!”

“Careful not to step on the flowers! We need to clean up the flower path a bit so it doesn’t look out of place!”

“The light strips! Check the light strips on the photos and the balloons to make sure they’re working properly!”

“Check the fireworks, too! Make sure the equipment is ready for a live feed! We have to launch them at the perfect moment!”

“ROAR!” ‘Sheesh, don’t be so nervous. It’s not your birthday or your wedding day~ Why can’t you all learn from your Lord Lionus? Look at me—his son—and I’m not nervous at all. Steady as a… lion, of course~’

By the time the two of them arrived at Falling Valley Mountain Villa, dusk was already settling in.

All the lights in the villa were on, bathing the entire estate in a warm, yellow glow.

Viewed from above, Falling Valley Mountain Villa, nestled halfway up the mountain, had an ethereal, otherworldly quality, as if it existed in a world of its own.

When Yvonne Lowell saw the name of the villa through the car window, she froze for a moment. “Where are we?”

“Our future home. I wanted to bring you to see it ahead of time, in case there’s anything you’d like to change.”

Leo Grant’s expression gave nothing away, but the palm of the hand resting against the window was already slick with sweat.

Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow. “I’m not one to criticize, President Grant, but aren’t you moving a little too fast?”

‘He just dangled a little carrot yesterday, and today he’s already showing me our future home?’

‘At this rate, is he going to drag me off to get a marriage license—under the guise of just ‘checking out the Civil Affairs Bureau’—the moment my birthday comes around on my ID?’

‘Will we be having the wedding the very next day? Will I be knocked up on day three? And giving birth on day four?’

‘Even a rocket scientist couldn’t keep up with this pace!’

Leo Grant: ‘Actually… I wouldn’t be opposed to that. In fact, I’d be thrilled (⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎)’

“This was prepared a long time ago. It’s just a coincidence we came today. And, well, there’s no time like the present.”

“But ‘Falling Valley Mountain Villa’… what’s the meaning behind the name? Was that also decided a long time ago?”

Although she already had a good idea, Yvonne Lowell still wanted to hear the confirmation from the man himself.

“It means exactly what you think it does. I only changed the name six months ago. Before that, it was called Rainwood Manor.”

As they were talking, the car entered the manor grounds and came to a stop.

Ian Lynch had just killed the engine and opened the car door for Yvonne Lowell when he suddenly bolted, disappearing in a flash.

Yvonne Lowell’s lip twitched. “Is he scared of me? Or is there a ghost chasing him?”

“He’s probably just having one of his fits. Pay him no mind.”

Leo Grant was speechless as well. ‘All he’s doing is making a mess of things. Was this part of the rehearsal?!’

Ian Lynch: ‘…You just keep running your mouth!!!’

‘I’ve got other things to do, for crying out loud! You think I’m just some run-of-the-mill driver?! Besides, I have to make room for you two lovebirds, don’t I?! ARGH!!’

Leo Grant stepped forward and took her hand, leading her toward the back of the estate. “Come on, let’s go see the backyard first.”

Yvonne Lowell was about to ask why they weren’t going inside the villa first when she sensed that something wasn’t quite right.

Before they even reached the entrance to the backyard, she saw that the trees were full of transparent, heart-shaped balloons, each glowing with a warm yellow light. They also seemed to have small paper notes attached to them.

Both sides of the path were decorated with roses, and the ground itself was blanketed in rose petals.

It was clear the petals had been plucked and laid out by hand; otherwise, they could never have looked so perfectly neat and smooth.

They were all the same type of flower he had given her the very first time—Snowy Mountain roses.

Yvonne Lowell faltered, turning her head to look quizzically at the man beside her. “What is all this?”

“It’s the backyard. Come on, let’s go inside and take a look,” Leo Grant said, leading her farther in.

‘Well, that was as clear as mud,’ she thought.

As Yvonne Lowell passed the balloons, she intentionally stopped to read the notes attached to them.

She found that each note had a handwritten wish on it. The handwriting was consistent, clearly from the same person, and it was obvious who that person was.

‘May Yvonne Lowell find fortune in spring, peace in summer, tranquility in autumn, and joy in winter.’

‘May Yvonne Lowell’s path be lit by eternal stars, and may all her endeavors exceed her hopes.’

‘May Yvonne Lowell be blessed with timely grace, and may every moment be filled with joy.’

‘May Yvonne Lowell know no worries, year after year, and live in everlasting peace and happiness.’

‘May Yvonne Lowell’s wishes come brightly to fruition, and may her years be serene.’

‘May Yvonne Lowell’s days be filled with tender affection, and may her life flourish with fragrant beauty.’

…

Every single wish began with ‘May Yvonne Lowell,’ and not a single one mentioned him.

And yet… though the word ‘love’ was never mentioned, every single line was an embodiment of his love for her.

Moreover, the path of flowers seemed to have no end, stretching all the way to the very center of the backyard and culminating in a sea of Snowy Mountain roses.

‘Tsk, how much must all this have cost? Even if you’re rich, you can’t just burn money for fun! What a profligate!’

On either side of the sea of flowers stood a gigantic photo wall, seemingly covered in pictures.

However, due to the angle, Yvonne Lowell couldn’t make out the details of the photos.

Yvonne Lowell subconsciously let go of his hand and walked forward to examine the photos more closely.

Ever since they’d gotten together, Leo Grant had developed a love for photography. He was always pestering her to take selfies with him or sneaking candid shots of her from time to time.

So the walls were covered with photos he had taken of her, candid shots of the two of them taken by others, or pictures of them that he had taken himself.

There was even a photo of them together as children, printed in the largest possible size and placed right in the center, the prime spot.

Some she had seen before, and some she hadn’t.

A ridiculously absurd thought suddenly popped into her head. ‘It can’t be what I’m thinking, can it?’

‘That’s impossible, isn’t it?’

‘It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since I said what I said. Does he know how to fly or something?!’

‘Or… has this guy been planning this for a long time? Waiting for today, regardless of what I said…?’

Regardless of the answer, seeing everything he had prepared so meticulously made a warm feeling spread through Yvonne Lowell’s heart.

But in the next second, that warmth vanished. In fact, it fled her body entirely and plunged straight into the center of the earth.

Because she saw a photo of herself asleep, with that guy pushing her nose up with his index finger.

The worst part was that he’d taken it from a low angle, making it the perfect embodiment of “all nostrils”!

Yvonne Lowell pointed at the photo, spun around, and demanded,

“When did you take this one? It’s so ugly, and you still put it up…?”

Yvonne Lowell’s voice trailed off. Her finger slowly lowered as she stared, stunned, at what was now behind her.