Chapter 295 - 294: Thank You, and I Love You

Yvonne Lowell only lingered on his lips for a few seconds before straightening up.

But Leo Grant remained frozen in place, not moving an inch.

His eyes were fixed on her, unblinking, their rims tinged with red.

’What’s going on? Is he dumbstruck with joy, or have his legs gone numb from kneeling?’

Yvonne Lowell had no choice but to wave her left hand in front of his face.

"Gigi, don’t you think my hand is missing something? It feels so light."

Only then did Leo Grant finally snap out of it. With trembling hands, he slid the diamond ring onto Yvonne Lowell’s left middle finger.

The size was a perfect fit, clearly custom-made for its owner.

"You may rise. Hurry and get up."

Yvonne Lowell twisted her wrist, grabbed his hand, and pulled with a bit more force.

Leo Grant used her pull to rise to his feet, sweeping her into a tight embrace as if trying to merge her into his very being.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his voice trembling and muffled.

"My treasure, thank you. I’m so happy! I’m so, so happy!"

The moment he finished speaking, Yvonne Lowell felt a dampness on her shoulder.

Yvonne Lowell stiffened. She darted a glance around them before raising a hand to press his head closer against her.

’I figured he was secretly recording this, but I had no idea where the sly dog had hidden all the cameras.’

’So this was the only thing to do. Otherwise, when the final video came out, everyone would see him looking miserable, and I’d be the one stuck consoling him.’

’If he’s like this over a simple proposal, how is he going to handle other big events in the future?’

’First, he went from a cold, domineering CEO to a cringey try-hard. Now he’s gone from a cringey try-hard to a total crybaby. What am I, some kind of master makeover artist?’

Leo Grant: ...My legs were numb! It hurt! Besides, a certain someone looked like she was about to cry her own "little pearls" just a moment ago!

Yvonne Lowell stroked his hair and murmured, "I’m the one who should be thanking you. I’m so happy today. Thank you... and I love you."

’Thank you for showing me what love is. And thank you for being willing to love me when I was a complete wreck.’

A few more tears landed on Yvonne Lowell’s shoulder. Leo Grant’s body trembled as he murmured over and over,

"You don’t have to thank me. Loving you is my choice. I love you, I love you, I love you..."

’It didn’t matter whether she loved him back; he loved her simply because she was herself.’

...

The sound of sobbing reached his ears. Confused, Zachary Jacobs turned to see Harrison Lowell bawling his eyes out.

Zachary was speechless. "What are you crying about? He’s not proposing to you. Look, even my sister, the one this is all about, isn’t crying."

"You don’t know jack! Can’t I be sad? I just got my little sister back, and now she’s being snatched away just like that!"

Harrison Lowell wiped his face with his hand, then smeared the resulting mess of tears and snot all over Zachary’s shirt.

"And we even have to play along with that kidnapper! I’m a goddamn award-winning actor! Isn’t this a gross misuse of my talents?!"

Zachary Jacobs glanced at the new handprint on his shoulder. His lips twitched, but he didn’t retort.

"Well, try looking at it this way: the guy you’ve called ’big bro’ for over twenty years will now have to call *you* ’big bro’. Doesn’t that make you feel a little better?"

’Such a grown man, and still so gross. I guess he’s just a fragile little pretty boy on the inside, huh?’

’Look at the other guys. They’re all keeping their cool—at most, their fists are clenched a little too tightly.’

"Any other time, I’d be thrilled. But right now, it wouldn’t work even if he called me ’Dad’!" Harrison Lowell pouted. "Besides, are you telling me you’re not sad to see her go?"

’He shouldn’t think I didn’t see it just because my own eyes are swollen. The kid’s eyes were red, too.’

"I can let her go. All I want right now is for both of my sisters to be happy," Zachary Jacobs said softly, watching the tightly embracing couple on the monitor.

"Brother Harrison, we can’t deny it. Sis... Brother Grant really is the best choice. And since coming back to Kingsland, Lowell has been so much happier than before. That’s thanks to the Lowell Family, but it’s also thanks to him."

Harrison Lowell froze for a second, then grabbed Zachary’s sleeve and wiped his face on it.

"Hmph. You’re right. I want my sister to be happy, too. But I’m still not going to give him an easy time, even if he has to call me ’big bro’!"

"Alright, alright. We won’t give him an easy time. Whatever makes you happy."

Old Master Grant nudged Old Mr. Lowell beside him with an elbow, a teasing grin spreading across his face.

"Old Man Lowell, didn’t I tell you we should have arranged their marriage when they were kids? Your foul temper sent me packing, but look at us now. After all these twists and turns, Nana is still going to be my granddaughter-in-law."

Old Mr. Lowell shot him a glare and ignored him.

’That whole family is a pack of scheming, calculating old foxes.’

’And what was it that wolf cub said when he visited a few days ago? Hmph, not even worth thinking about!’

"I never realized my son could be so eloquent," Mrs. Grant said with a smile, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "It was only after Yvonne came into his life that he started to seem like a real, living person."

"When he told us he was going to propose, we had the betrothal gifts all planned out. We wanted to pay a formal visit to propose marriage first, to do things properly.

But he insisted he’d already been to your home and that the formal proposal could wait. I was looking at the calendar, and the day after tomorrow is an auspicious day. Why don’t we pay a visit then and set a date for the wedding?"

"We’ve all seen Leo’s sincerity. Otherwise, do you think this bunch of old men would have been willing to play along?" Wendy Sutton said, patting Mrs. Grant’s hand reassuringly.

"And given the relationship between our families, what’s there for me to worry about? I’d love to keep my girl at home for a few more years, but we can certainly pick out a few potential dates and get the preparations started. The final decision should be up to the children, though."

"Deal. We’ll let the children decide."

Mr. Grant’s eyes scanned the various camera feeds, but he couldn’t find a single angle that showed his dear son’s face.

He pouted inwardly. ’That little brat has gotten smarter.’

Seeing his son’s back to all the cameras, Mr. Grant’s heart itched with curiosity. ’Did he cry or not?’

Mr. Grant’s eyes darted about as a plan formed in his mind. He announced to the others,

"It’s about time. We should make our entrance."

Hearing footsteps, Yvonne Lowell looked up to see a large crowd of people emerging from a corner, pushing a cake.

All of their family and friends who could make it were there, along with the Leogryph, who wore a bow tie around its neck that was mostly hidden by its thick mane.

Yvonne Lowell was taken aback. She whispered to the crybaby in her arms, "You invited all of them?"

Leo Grant gave a muffled "Mm-hmm." "I wanted to surprise you. I even made a trip to the mainland, but Uncle Quincy was too busy. He said he probably can’t make it until our wedding."

A smile touched Yvonne Lowell’s lips. She gently pushed him away, only to see a "little pearl" still clinging to his eyelashes.

She reached up to wipe the tear from his face, her voice warm. "This is more than enough."