Chapter 299: The Day You're Willing

Arthur gazed deeply at the woman a few steps away. He slowly bent down on one knee, his deep eyes filled with years of accumulated affection and regret.

He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a velvet ring box. As he opened it, a simple yet brilliant diamond ring lay inside.

"Aria, I'm sorry for making this decision without talking to you first. I've been thinking about this for a long time. Ever since we reunited, this scene has been stuck in my head."

"I didn't treat you well during those three years, and that's why you left. I was a jerk back then. I'm so glad you gave me another chance to make things right."

"But I'm greedy and want more. I want to stand by your side again. I want to be there for you as your husband, to make up for everything and love you for the rest of my life. Will you give me another chance?"

"Will you marry me again?"

His voice was low and warm, every word sincere, his gaze both devoted and hopeful.

Aria met Arthur's earnest eyes, her expression pausing slightly. She couldn't quite describe what she was feeling.

Honestly, seeing this scene, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't touched.

After all, what woman doesn't appreciate a romantic gesture? She was no different.

Especially lately, she could feel Arthur's feelings through everything he'd done.

He truly cared about her. She just hadn't expected him to propose on a day like this.

Thinking back on what he and their son had been up to recently, it all seemed to make sense now.

The way Arthur had been spending time with them lately really did feel like a family of three. She'd gradually gotten used to his thoughtfulness, his presence.

But was she ready to enter into marriage again?

Honestly, she didn't know the answer herself.

Aria's silence made Arthur nervous. Didn't she want to?

But Arthur didn't pressure her. He knew what kind of hurt he'd caused her in the past, so it was natural for her to need time to think.

He was willing to wait.

Jasper, standing nearby, wanted to say something, but Arthur seemed to anticipate this and shook his head at him. Jasper had no choice but to wait quietly.

The whole world seemed to fall silent in that moment.

After a long while, Aria finally stepped forward and looked at him. "I don't know how to respond. All of this today is just too sudden."

Hearing this, Arthur's heart sank, but he took a deep breath and still smiled. "It's okay. I was too sudden today. I didn't give you time to prepare. It's fine if you don't say yes. It means I haven't done enough yet. I'll keep treating you well and wait for the day you say yes."

"There's no rule that says you have to accept a proposal. I don't want to pressure you. You can take your time thinking about it. Just know that whenever you're ready to marry me, I'll be here."

Hearing this, Aria quietly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling some of the pressure lift. She nodded gently. "I'm sorry."

"You haven't done anything wrong. You don't need to apologize to me. I was too hasty."

Arthur understood what Aria meant. He calmly stood up from the ground, walked over to Aria, took her hand, and placed the ring in it. "When you're ready, you can put on this ring. Is that okay?"

Hearing this, Aria met his deep eyes and nodded. "Okay, but you should keep this ring for now. When I'm ready, you can put it on my finger yourself. How about that?"

Arthur nodded in agreement. "Okay."

Arthur then took Aria's hand and led her toward the nearby dining area, where he'd arranged a candlelit dinner. The table was also covered with a pile of gift boxes.

Arthur pulled Aria over to the gifts and said softly, "This is this year's gift, and those are the Qixi Festival gifts for each of the past five years."

Aria hadn't expected Arthur to prepare so much. She looked at him with some surprise, and seeing his serious expression, her heart trembled slightly. She said softly, "Thank you, but you don't have to do this next time."

Arthur just smiled gently and said softly, "This is what I want to do, and it belongs to you."

Arthur then pulled Aria to sit down. Jasper sat beside Arthur, obediently eating his food.

The awkward atmosphere from the rejected proposal had quietly dissipated.

Jasper took small bites of his steak, occasionally stealing glances at Aria and Arthur. Seeing their calm expressions, his anxious heart finally settled.

He'd been worried that Uncle Arthur would be upset after the failed proposal, but looking at things now, it wasn't as bad as he'd imagined.

During the meal, no one brought up what had just happened. They kept the conversation on everyday topics, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.

After dinner, they took a walk along the river to digest their food before heading home.

After that day, the relationship between them took on a different kind of intimacy. Arthur came over more frequently, basically staying overnight two or three times a week.

Jasper gradually got used to this, as did Aria.

The days passed peacefully. On Mid-Autumn Festival, when Arthur came over, he had someone with him.

When Aria saw the person following Arthur, she was a bit stunned. "Who's this?"

Arthur stepped aside to reveal the man behind him and introduced him warmly. "This is my personal lawyer, Mr. Lithgow."

"Hello, Ms. Hall."

Attorney Lithgow nodded politely in greeting, then placed a thick stack of neatly bound legal documents on the coffee table in the living room.

"These are some materials Mr. Grant asked me to organize."

Aria was a bit confused. She walked over and glanced at them, finding property contracts, equity transfer agreements, and various other documents...

Aria was puzzled. "What's this?"

"These are some things for you. You can look through them carefully."

Attorney Lithgow didn't answer. Instead, Arthur responded with a smile.

As Arthur finished speaking, Aria flipped through a few pages and discovered that all the assets listed her and Jasper as beneficiaries. She immediately looked up at Arthur. "What are you doing? Why are you suddenly giving us all this?"

Jasper curiously came over and peered over the edge of the table. Not understanding what was written, he sat obediently on the sofa.

Arthur ruffled Jasper's hair and met Aria's eyes, chuckling. "It's not sudden. I've wanted to give these to you for a while now, but Attorney Lithgow needed time to organize all the details, so it took until today."