I watched Isabelle's expression carefully after my declaration. For a moment that stretched like eternity, she said nothing, her gaze evaluating me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
"You've asked a very bold question, Liam," she finally said, her voice soft but clear. "Just days ago, you were sleeping in a servant's quarters. Now you're asking to be with a woman whose family controls half the businesses in Veridia City."
I swallowed hard but didn't back down. "I know how it sounds. But everything has changed—I've changed."
A slight smile curved her lips. "Yes, you have. The man who stood before my grandfather yesterday isn't the same one the Sterling family discarded."
She moved closer, close enough that I could smell her perfume—something delicate yet commanding, like the woman herself.
