Chapter 199 Promise Me You’ll Come Home Safe
Chapter 199 Promise Me You’ll Come Home Safe
Stella rolled her eyes at him helplessly, her fingertip lightly poking his chest as she chided, "Can you not be so childish?"
But Mason wouldn't hear it. He held her hand tightly. "I want every corner of your life filled with traces of me. Even if someday I'm gone, when you see these things, you'll think of me."
Hearing this, Stella's heart plummeted. She panicked instantly, raising her hand to cover his mouth, her eyes reddening as she spoke with frantic urgency, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Mason gently removed her hand and lowered his head to kiss her palm tenderly.
"Some things can't be avoided. Southeast Asia is full of hidden dangers. To reach my position, I've made countless enemies. Accidents can happen at any moment."
His words left Stella's heart heavy with dread.
After selecting a pair of matching rings, she left the mall walking briskly, deliberately avoiding his gaze, her mood plummeting.
Noticing her sudden change in spirits, Mason quickly caught up and gently grasped her wrist from behind, his voice extraordinarily soft. "What's wrong? Why the sudden sadness?"
Before he could finish, warm tears dropped onto the back of his hand without warning.
Stella stopped in her tracks, tears streaming down her face. Aggrieved and frightened, she could no longer suppress the fear in her heart.
Seeing her cry, Mason panicked instantly, his heart aching. He pulled her into his arms, clumsily wiping away her tears as he coaxed her gently, "Why are you crying out of nowhere?"
Stella clung tightly to his lean waist, burying her face in his chest. Through her sobs, she pleaded, "Mason, promise me—no matter how dangerous things get, no matter how many enemies you face, you'll always come home safely."
That simple phrase—come home—struck the softest part of Mason's heart.
Since his mother's death in his youth and his complete break with his father, he'd struggled alone in the darkness, with no one to rely on and nowhere to call home. Never in his life had he truly had a home of his own.
But now, someone was telling him to "come home."
Holding the trembling girl in his arms, he tightened his embrace, his eyes warming as he lowered his head to kiss her soft hair. Word by word, solemn and reverent, he made his promise:
"I promise you."
"No matter what happens, I'll do everything in my power to return to you safely."
...
In the following days, Mason set aside all his reservations and threw himself wholeheartedly into preparing their wedding. He handled every tedious detail himself—from venue setup to the ceremony flow—personally overseeing each element, determined to give her a flawless, grand celebration.
One afternoon, Ophelia accompanied Stella to an upscale bridal boutique for her dress fitting.
Pristine white gowns filled the entire shop. Stella tried on the main wedding dress—its voluminous skirt trailing on the floor, the delicate tulle making her features appear gentle, her eyes brimming with the bright joy of being cherished.
Watching Stella radiate happiness and return to her carefree princess self, Ophelia smiled with genuine relief. She stepped forward to adjust the veil, her voice full of emotion. "This is wonderful. Mason truly treasures you above all else. He's finally brought back the carefree girl you used to be."
"If only you'd met him sooner. Then Richard wouldn't have had the chance to hurt you for so long."
At the mention of Richard, Ophelia bristled with indignation on her friend's behalf. "Just the other day, Richard came looking for me. Still won't give up. He wanted me to convince you to reconsider, to not marry Mason."
"After all those times he didn't cherish you and hurt you repeatedly—what good does his regret do now? It's too late!"
Stella looked down at the white gown she wore, her expression calm, completely unmoved by the past. She said quietly, "It's all behind me. All I want now is to be with Mason."
But just as they finished speaking, the boutique's closed door was violently kicked open.
A group of burly men in black, their faces menacing, barged straight into the shop.
They strode forward and seized the defenseless Stella, forcibly dragging her toward the exit.