The car finally came to a complete stop at their destination.
The arrangement was finished and the setup was completely done; it was finally time to go there.
Leo checked his pocket to ensure the velvet box was safely inside, nodded to himself, and said,
"Okay, it's time now."
Lili felt the subtle change in motion as the engine idled down and went silent.
A moment later, Leo got down from the car, walked around to her side, and opened the door for her.
Taking her hand securely in his, he guided her out of the vehicle and onto the solid ground.
Behind them, the sound of the car faded away as the driver pulled away, leaving them completely alone.
Leo stepped close behind her, his breath warm against her hair. He reached up, his fingers deftly untying the knot, and softly removed Lili's blindfold.
Lili opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the sudden rush of cool evening air.
Her vision was quite bleary at first because the blindfold had been covering her eyes for such a long time, but as the shadows began to resolve into shapes, she braced herself for what lay ahead.
They were standing at the edge of the seaside. The sun was completely gone now, replaced by the deep indigo of the coastal twilight.
Just ahead of them was a breathtaking setup where rows of fresh flowers, dreamy fairy lights, and hundreds of flickering candles had been beautifully arranged on the sand.
The entire spot looked incredibly dreamy and mesmerizing, radiating a soft, romantic glow.
The rhythmic sound of the crashing sea waves was beautiful in the quiet evening, and the pale moonlight fell perfectly over both of them.
Leo stood right behind Lili, remaining there for a moment just to look at her silhouette against the lights. He leaned in close to her ear and softly told her to go forward.
Lili walked forward, her gown trailing softly behind her on the sand, and stopped directly in the center of the beautiful arrangement.
Suddenly, a gentle shower of flower petals fell from above, cascading down all around her.
She looked up, her face lighting up with absolute joy, completely happy as she watched the colorful petals drift down in the dim moonlight.
Leo's POV
"I was completely stunned when I saw her in that dress. She looked damn beautiful, and I couldn't take my eyes off her.
"Her lips are the perfect shade of cherry red and all I can think about is ruining them, smudging that colour, begging her to let me do it."
"I had been thinking about proposing to her for a few days, but I didn't know how to make it truly special.
It took me a long time to think of something perfect, but finally, a plan came together in my mind.
I reached out to Luca for help with the arrangements because, after all, Luca is my brother but Lili's best friend—and it was because of him that I managed to find her in the first place. "
As we drove, my mind was consumed by a thousand thoughts, wondering how she would react once she saw the venue I had prepared for her.
Would she like it, or would it not be enough?
I kept playing out how she would react the moment I pulled out the ring.
I had spent two grueling hours trying to find the perfect one, and it had been incredibly difficult to choose.
But then, I finally found a ring that immediately made me think,
'This is the one.'"
-----------------------+++-----------------------
Six hours earlier
-------------------------------------++----------
Leo and Luca entered a high-end jewelry boutique.
The shopkeeper bowed politely, recognizing the powerful billionaire instantly.
"Welcome, Sir. How can we help you today?"
Leo looked around the quiet, secure room and said, "Show me some of your rarest collections of rings."
The shopkeeper quickly brought out several velvet trays, displaying an array of exquisite rings, but Leo didn't like a single one of them.
They felt corporate, transactional, and entirely too ordinary for the woman who had rewritten his world.
After spending hours carefully inspecting dozens of different custom designs,
Luca was with Leo, and he was completely bored.
He groaned and said, "Hey, can't you just choose a ring?
How are you going to propose to her if you don't even know Lili's taste?
It would be better if you just brought Lili here to choose her own ring; she would definitely take less time than you are taking!"
After saying that,
Luca made a funny, utterly exhausted face, slouched against the glass display counter, and let out a dramatic sigh.(￣(ｴ)￣)ﾉ
Leo angrily snapped back at Luca,
"It would have been better if I hadn't brought you along at all.
I brought you here to help me, not to listen to your stupid talking."(=｀ェ´=)
Leo's eyes finally landed on one.
He picked it up, knowing instantly that his search was over.
Back to the reality
Leo's end's his thoughts,and
walked forward to Lili and stood right next to her.
He looked deeply into her eyes, and she softly returned his gaze, her heart racing as a profound silence settled over the entire beach.
Suddenly, Leo went down on one knee on the soft sand.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box.
Lili was totally shocked, her hand flying to her mouth as her breath caught in her throat.
Opening the box to reveal a brilliant, shimmering diamond ring, Leo looked up at her with complete devotion and said,
"Will you marry me, Lili? Will you let me be your husband?"
Lili stood frozen, her entire body trembling in absolute shock.
The world around her—the crashing of the waves, the soft glow of the candles, the rustle of the wind—seemed to fade into a distant hum.
She couldn't utter a single word.
Her chest heaved as her heart pounded violently, overwhelmed by a sudden, rushing wave of love, joy, and a lifetime of hidden fears finally melting away.
Slowly, her vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears.
A single, warm drop spilled over her lashes, catching the moonlight as it traced a path down her cheek.
Looking down at Leo, the powerful man who had conquered mountains just to pull her out of the dark, now kneeling humbly on the sand before her, she felt a profound emotion choke back her breath.
It was a beautiful, overwhelming storm of feelings she had never thought she would be allowed to experience—the pure, undisputed joy of being completely chosen, fiercely protected, and deeply loved.