Chapter 220: Amelia, Let's Get Engaged
Amelia stared at the ring, momentarily lost in thought
York had somehow appeared behind her.
"Do you like it?" His voice was close to her ear.
.
Amelia looked up at him and saw that his eyes were filled with her reflection.
He picked up the ring and extended his other hand, palm open, silently inviting her to place hers in it.
"Will you let me take care of you?"His voice was carried clearly by the approaching drone.
Then he lowered himself onto one knee and looked up at her.
"Amelia, let's get engaged." His voice was steady and clear..
He had considered proposing marriage directly, but he felt a formal proposal required something grander and more carefully prepared.
Normally, a proposal comes before an engagements.
But their situation was different.
They both understood that an engagement didn't necessarily mean marriage.
That had been their agreement.
Still, this was a step beyond simply being boyfriend and girlfriend.
York looked at Amelia's slightly reddened eyes.
He truly wanted to take care of her.
He didn't want to see her upset . He w anted to protect her.
"Amelia!" William’s shout rang out from a distance.
But she didn’t look at William. She kept her gaze on York.
"Have you really thought this through?" Amelia asked. Her heart was racing, and her eyes felt warm..
"I thought it through many years ago," he replied .
Their eyes met, and Amelia remembered the day in the hot air balloon, the studio, the things he had shown her, the words he had spoken.
That day, before leaving the Jenkins Group, he watched her playing with the cat in her arms and said softly, "Amelia, don't worry about being a burden to me, and don't worry about causing me trouble. With me, you can be yourself ."
Amelia looked at York, her heart skipping a beat. He had truly done it.
He had made it clear that he separated his feelings for her as a lover from any sense of obligation. He loved her because of who she was, not because of any past favor.
Yet he also acknowledged that without the help she had given him back then, he wouldn’t be who he was today—his way of putting her mind at ease.
Everything he had done had, in some way, been for her
Nearby, William was still struggling; the people he had called had arrived, and both sides were pushing back fiercely.
The onlooking crowd snapped photos frantically, whispering and murmuring excitedly.
The sunlight was dazzling, but York, kneeling on one knee, looked only at her. His eyes were full of her. She was the center of everything.
“Amelia.” York noticed her momentarily drifting and gently reminded her, “Give me a chance to take care of you, okay?”
Amelia returned to the moment. She smiled, a glimmer of moisture at the corners of her eyes, and nodded.
“Okay,” she whispered. Then she placed her hand in his.
The drone captured the entire scene, and the crowd erupted into cheers.
And York gripped her hand tightly.
He slipped the ring onto her finger.
It was a blue diamond ring, very dazzling in the sunlight, matching well with the pendant she wore around her neck.
He understood her.
He knew there were countless other important things in her life—Jasper’s death, Briar, the Martinez family.
He wouldn’t always be her first priority
Yet he understood her, and he supported her.
York stood, holding her left hand firmly as the ring gleamed in the sun.
William finally arrived. He saw their joined hands and the ring on her finger. The sunlight shone brightly, but his body felt icy
, as if all warmth had been drained away.
“Amelia.” His voice cracked, his eyes red.
But she didn’t respond. She simply tightened her grip on York’s hand.
He wanted to say more, but she only looked at him.
Everything that needed to be said had already been said.
“Go back,” she said quietly. “William, we both have people we love now.”
“The road moves forward. Life must look ahead.”
“Don’t repeat the past. Don’t make the person you love suffer.”
It was her final piece of advice. Beyond that, there was nothing left between them.
William tried to speak again, but members of the Jenkins Group stepped forward and stopped him.
Amelia smiled faintly, then looked up at York beside her. With their hands tightly clasped, they walked away along another path
William could only stand there, watching their retreating figures—hands intertwined.
The sunlight caught the engagement ring on her finger, and the reflected gleam stung his eyes.
Suddenly, William remembered something.
It seemed he had never proposed to her.
There had been no carefully chosen ring, no formal proposal, no flowers, no kneeling on one knee.
He had never asked if she was willing.
Back then, he had simply purchased a pair of rings from a jewelry store in the mall. He slipped one onto finger, and that was the proposal.
Amelia and York had already left the sunflower field,and the members of the Jenkins Group no longer blocked his way.
William stood there alone,staring at the enormous photo frame nearby. He reached out and touched Amelia’s smiling face in the picture.
In the photograph, she was radiant—smiling with unrestrained joy. He realized he had not seen her smile like that in a very long time.
His gaze drifted downward to another image: blue rain falling along the shore. He recognized it immediately. It was from years ago—back in Novaria.
[So you had your eye on her that early?] William thought.
He let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh.
"York, you really have been planning this for a long time."
Amelia’s words echoed in his mind:
The road moves forward. Life must look ahead. Don’t repeat the past. Don’t make the one you love suffer.
The sunlight was perfect, yet William felt as though a storm were raging in his heart.
The one he had loved had always been her. How was he supposed to… move forward?
“William!” Harold’s voice rang out from beyond the sunflower field.
“I’ve brought people and the cars!” Harold shouted. “Should we chase them?”
William withdrew his gaze and walked to Harold’s car. He opened the door and got in.
“Chase,” he said.
...
Meanwhile, on the Jenkins Group’s side, the central figures of the spectacle had already left, but the discussions they sparked only intensified.
"York's proposal succeeded!"
“Amelia and York are getting engaged!”
The news spread rapidly across every platform.
The earlier rumors claiming that York regretted pursuing Amelia were instantly crushed.
He loved her—truly loved her.
And he proved it with his actions.
Because the experience hall functioned much like a flagship exhibition space, everyone was eager to visit. After touring it, many felt genuinely moved—and made purchases.
Not only were the new product designs impressive, but the Jenkins Group had always been known for its quality. Coupled with the immersive venue and the accompanying storyline, the collection quickly sold out.
Those admitted during the second session were particularly eager to see the two prop certificates Amelia had left on display.
However, when they approached the exhibit, they discovered that the certificates had been replaced with crystal-clear gemstone carvings.
The sculpture depicted a magnificent golden dragon, coiled protectively—its claws, body, and vast wings carefully shielding something within.
Visitors leaned in to examine the treasure cradled at its center.
It was a teardrop.
A lover's tear.
As speculation rippled through the crowd about its meaning, another piece of gossip began circulating.
"I heard that William's subordinate Rhys brought people to force their way into Emerald Haven and cut off Isabella's livestream."
"A lot of people saw it. The entrance was surrounded"
"So Isabella enter to film without permission?"