Chapter 75 Chapter Seventy-five

Chapter 75 Chapter Seventy-five
CHAPTER 75

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Aria woke up without that familiar, heavy knot of dread twisting in her chest. Instead of a suffocating weight, there was only peace. Warm, golden streaks of sunlight cut through the floor-to-ceiling bedroom windows, painting the plush carpet in bright geometric patterns. Aria shifted slightly against the pillows, turning her head to find Damian already awake. He was sitting propped up beside her, a half-empty cup of coffee resting on the nightstand and his laptop balanced casually on his knee.

"Good morning," he said, his voice deep and slightly raspy from sleep.

She offered a sleepy, unhurried smile, stretching her arms above her head. "You've been awake for a while, haven't you?"

"A little while," he admitted, setting the laptop aside on the mattress. "I had an early meeting."

Aria frowned slightly, looking at the rumpled sheets and then back at him. "A meeting? In bed?"

"I canceled my trip to the corporate office today," he explained, a subtle, almost mischievous glint in his eye.

That caught her entirely off guard. She sat up, pulling the duvet tightly around her chest. "You did? But what about the board members? Don't you have that quarterly review today?"

Damian let out a soft chuckle, leaning back against the headboard. "The board will survive a single day without me. I promise you, the company isn't going to collapse becausethe CEO took a Tuesday off."

Aria laughed, the sound bright and clear in the quiet room. "I never thought I'd live to hear the great Damian Cross say those words."

His expression turned serious, though his eyes remained incredibly tender. He reached across the small distance between them, his fingers brushing against her cheek before gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm trying out a new philosophy."

"And what's that?" she whispered, leaning into his touch.

"Putting my family first," he said simply.

The words were quiet, but they carried an immense weight that made Aria's heart swell. For months, she had felt like an obstacle or an obligation in his high-stakes world. Hearing him speak with such effortless certainty made the last lingering doubts melt away.

Later that afternoon, the sun began to dip, casting long shadows across the estate as Damian drove her into the city.

Aria noticed the change immediately when they walked out to the driveway. They weren't traveling in their usual high-security convoy. There were no armored black sedans bracketing them, no stern-faced bodyguards talking urgently into their lapels. It was just Damian behind the wheel of his personal SUV, with a single security vehicle trailing at a highly discreet distance behind them. It felt remarkably normal, almost like a regular couple going out for a drive.

Aria gazed out the passenger window, watching the sprawling suburbs fade into the bustling, concrete landscape of downtown Los Angeles. "Are you finally going to tell me where we're going?"

"You'll see when we get there," Damian replied, keeping his eyes on the road, though a small smirk played at the corner of his lips.

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Every time you say 'you'll see,' it usually means I'm about to be thrown into some kind of high-society chaos or an awkward family dinner."

He laughed out loud, reaching over to map his fingers through hers on the center console. "Not today, sweetheart. I promise. No chaos."

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to a quiet, understated café tucked away on a wooden pier overlooking the marina. The café itself wasn't crowded at all, just a few patrons reading newspapers or enjoying the sea breeze.

The elderly owner greeted Damian with a warm, familiar nod, clearly used to the billionaire's occasional visits, and immediately led them to a secluded corner table on the outdoor patio, far away from the entrance.

Aria waited patiently until the owner left them with two menus. "So..." she prompted, resting her chin on her hand.

Damian smiled, leaning his elbows on the table. "So."

"You've been acting incredibly mysterious since we left the house. What's going on?"

"I have a question for you," he said, his tone shifting into something slightly more formal, though his eyes were warm.

Her eyebrows lifted in amusement. "Damian, we're already married. We share a house, a last name, and we have a baby on the way. So why do I suddenly feel like I'm about to be interrogated?"

Damian leaned forward, his demeanor softening. "When we got married initially..."

Aria nodded slowly, remembering the blur of that afternoon. "It was incredibly rushed."

"It had to be," Damian said, a flash of old regret crossing his face. "It was a tactical move. It was about legal protections, keeping you safe from Voss, and securing your place in my world before anyone could stop us. But you deserved something far better than a cold, five-minute ceremony in a sterile courthouse."

Aria reached across the table, her hand finding his. "Damian, I married the man I love. I didn't care about the venue or the dress."

"I know you didn't," he said gently. "But I care. I never gave you the wedding you actually deserved."

She blinked, her heart skipping a beat. "What exactly are you saying?"

Instead of answering verbally, he reached into the inner pocket of his tailored jacket and pulled out a small, leather-bound notebook, sliding it across the wooden table toward her. Aria looked at him, then down at the book. With trembling fingers, she flipped open the cover.

Spanned across the very first page, written in Damian’s distinct, sharp handwriting, were two words: Our Wedding.

She looked up, completely stunned, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Damian..."

He smiled, a bit sheepishly. "I want us to do it properly this time. I want a real ceremony."

"But we're already legally husband and wife," she reasoned slowly, though her chest was tightening with excitement.

"I know. But I want a real celebration," he insisted, his voice growing more passionate. "I want the whole thing, Aria. I want the flowers you love. I want the music you actually like. I want to stand up in front of the people who actually care about us and say the words out loud, without a team of lawyers waiting outside the door."

She stared at him for several seconds, overwhelmed by the sheer thoughtfulness of it. "Have you been planning this for a long time?"

"Only since yesterday afternoon," he confessed with a quiet laugh.

Aria burst into laughter, shaking her head. "I actually believe you. Your handwriting looks incredibly frantic."

"I didn't sleep much last night," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "My mind was racing with ideas."

"Did you actually draw these yourself?" she asked, looking at a particularly crooked rendering of a gazebo.

He coughed slightly, looking away with a faint blush creeping up his neck. "They're terrible, I know. I'm a businessman, not an artist."

Aria laughed harder, her eyes crinkling. "They're absolutely adorable."

"I definitely wasn't aiming for adorable."

"Well, you failed miserably," she teased, her eyes shining with happiness.