Chapter 198
Joshua took Ella's hand and led her through the castle gates as servants greeted them respectfully.
The two children ran ahead to explore.
As the family walked inside, the exquisite décor, grand layout, and expensive furniture all showed the owner's care and luxury.
Ella had to admit that the Lewis Family and the Thomas Family were both well-off, ranking among the top wealthy families in all of Emerald City.
But the house before her eyes still amazed her.
She looked at Joshua again, uncertain.
"When did you prepare this? I remember a few years ago, this was just an empty lot. I wanted to buy it to develop an amusement park, but Megan told me the owner wouldn't sell."
She never expected this land would become Joshua's, transformed into a European-style castle surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens and lawns.
This was the most expensive private estate in all of Emerald City, with the largest land area and even a golf course!
Joshua was still holding Ella's hand, smiling as he told her, "I had people start preparing this house years ago. I designed it myself, and I personally arranged for every piece of furniture, all because I wanted Aurora and Dorian to have a spacious place to play."
"Now that we have a new baby on the way, I thought it was time to bring you all here to see it."
He looked at Aurora and Dorian running around and asked them, "Aurora and Dorian, do you like it here?"
Aurora stopped in her tracks and couldn't help praising, "I love it, I absolutely love it! Dad, I want to be a princess here. Wow, this spiral staircase is amazing! Can you imagine me walking down from up there in a princess dress?"
She waved her arms excitedly, her happiness obvious.
Even Dorian was impressed. "How much did this cost?"
Every design detail showed careful thought, and the furniture and decorations all revealed refinement and expense.
He figured it must have taken a lot of effort and money.
Ella looked at Joshua and asked, "So how much did you spend?"
Joshua made a rough estimate. "About two billion or so. Not too bad."
Ella fell silent.
About two billion? Who would spend that much money just to build a house for themselves? He clearly had more money than he knew what to do with.
"So, do you like it?" Seeing Ella's calm expression and unable to read her true thoughts, Joshua just asked directly.
If there was anything she didn't like, he could have it changed immediately. They didn't have to move in today.
Ella walked toward the back garden, looking around and admiring everything.
She saw the courtyard filled with different varieties of roses. Though it wasn't peak blooming season, the flowers were still blooming beautifully under careful maintenance, and the air was filled with a light fragrance that lifted her spirits.
Feeling happy, she couldn't help but smile.
"I like it, Joshua. Since you put so much effort into building this house, I guess I'll reluctantly agree to move in with these two!" Standing among the flowers, Ella turned to look at Joshua.
Somehow, she suddenly felt very secure and happy inside.
The children rushed over to her, standing on either side, and couldn't help sharing their thoughts too.
"I like it too, Mom! Let's live here from now on. I want to be the princess of all these flowers."
Dorian also said, "This place is really nice. I like it a lot too."
Joshua came over but then knelt down on one knee in front of Ella, presenting an elegant velvet box with both hands.
His action made the two children's eyes light up, and they stood beside him, covering their mouths in delighted surprise.
Ella froze, watching Joshua's actions, inexplicably nervous, her breathing becoming irregular.
"What are you doing?"
Joshua looked up at her, his eyes full of affection, his voice gentle, "Ella, I know proposing to you suddenly like this is presumptuous, and I didn't give you any mental preparation, but I can't wait any longer. I want the baby in your belly to be born into a complete family."
"I want Aurora and Dorian to have their own home, and I want you to be a carefree, happy woman."
"Will you marry me? From now on, our family of five will live here, and you'll be the only lady of this house. Will you?"
He took out the ring and held it up, waiting expectantly for Ella to accept it.
The two children were sensible enough to stand quietly beside them, nervously waiting with Joshua for Ella's response.
Ella looked at Joshua. Honestly, this was quite presumptuous of him.
She wasn't wearing makeup, hadn't presented herself at her best, and hadn't changed into a nicer dress.
She thought he was just taking them out to have fun.
But he was proposing?
What would happen if she refused?
Ella hesitated.
She really didn't know what to choose.
Aurora couldn't wait any longer and reminded her, "Mom, if you like Dad, then just say yes."
But Dorian said, "It's okay not to say yes. I'm sure he'll still let us live here."
He didn't want Ella to feel forced.
Besides, this proposal was sudden to begin with. It was natural for Ella to refuse if she wasn't ready.
"Dorian's right. Even if you refuse, this will always be home for you and the children. Whether you agree or not, I won't change my decision to be with you all every day."
The proposal was just to give Ella a proper status so she could keep him in line.
Otherwise, she was always so reserved, not asking about him, not caring what he did.
Ella suddenly remembered what Rhea had told her before.
If she had truly let go of the past, trying to enter marriage again wasn't impossible.
The situation now was completely different from before. Joshua was no longer the only thing in her life.
Getting married might not change anything, and it could actually give the children a more complete environment to grow up in. When she was pregnant and giving birth, she'd have someone to rely on.
That seemed pretty good.
"Ella, please give me an answer?" Seeing Ella lost in thought and not speaking, Joshua was getting anxious.
He wasn't afraid of being rejected.
After all, Ella had rejected him many times before. One more time wouldn't matter.
But what did it mean that Ella wasn't saying anything?
He couldn't quite read her.
Ella came back to her senses, looked at him, and smiled as she extended her hand. "Then I'll give you one more chance. But remember, if you make me unhappy, I can take this off anytime."
Hearing this, Joshua was overjoyed, his hands trembling slightly as he hurried to put the ring on her finger.
As soon as he did, many people suddenly emerged from behind the flower bushes.
Everyone was clapping as they approached, cheering them on. "Kiss! Kiss!"
Even Aurora and Dorian joined in the chanting, "Kiss! Kiss!"
Ella looked at the family members who had suddenly appeared - her parents, Mason and Vida, and Samuel and Megan.
Jasper and Ava had come too.
Everyone was looking at them with blessings, congratulating them.
When did they all get here?
So this was Joshua's long-planned scheme?
He had arranged all this in advance?
If he'd planned it all along, why didn't he remind her to put on makeup and wear a nicer dress?
Ella felt happy but also a bit annoyed, and unconsciously sniffled.
Joshua couldn't hold back. After putting the ring on her finger, he stood up, cupped her face, and under everyone's cheering, bent down to kiss Ella on the lips.
At that moment, fireworks went off, colorful and bright, accompanied by everyone's laughter and blessings. Ella once again felt happiness spreading all around her.
If Joshua would always treat her this well and put this much thought into things for her...
What was wrong with entering marriage again?
Ella closed her eyes gently and responded to Joshua's kiss.
After who knows how long, the two finally separated. Joshua held Ella and looked toward their family, bowing sincerely, "Thank you all for witnessing this beautiful moment between Ella and me. From now on, please continue to witness our happy life together. If you notice me doing anything wrong, please criticize me promptly."
The elders naturally had nothing to say. Seeing these two young people come back together was more important than anything.
The elders took Ella and the children back inside to look at their new home.
This left Samuel and Mason on the side, being sarcastic.
"Well, you got what you wanted. From now on, living in such a big house with your wife and kids - you're a real winner in life."
Joshua looked at Mason. "Isn't this making room for you and Vida?"
"If you were as thoughtful toward them as I am, you two would probably have a second child by now."
Mason felt attacked and stopped talking.
Samuel felt that things were pretty good between him and Megan now.
Although Megan would only be able to use a wheelchair from now on, it didn't affect them spending their lives together at all.
The three of them all seemed to be moving forward on the path to happiness.
Ella didn't know that Joshua had been preparing this house for a long time.
Following the elders around admiring the castle, when they got to the bedrooms, everything was decorated especially warmly.
Aurora and Dorian each had their own large rooms.
The walk-in closets were filled with all kinds of dresses and jewelry, dazzling and eye-catching.
Each child even had their own servant assigned to them, to clean their rooms and take care of their daily needs.
Ella's bedroom closet was the same - full of brand new dresses, gorgeous jewelry, and expensive bags.
Each item was displayed in the walk-in closet's display cases like a work of art. At a glance, it had to be at least a hundred square meters.
Even Rhea had to marvel. "Joshua is really generous now. Just these things alone must be worth quite a bit!"
Vida's eyes were full of envy. "Ella, he's really different from before. To secretly prepare so many surprises for you all shows he really put his heart into it."
Ella had never known Joshua was working on this house.
From construction until now, and all those clothes that fit her and the children perfectly - each piece must have been carefully selected by Joshua!
She was truly touched.
That evening, after seeing all the family members off, in the luxurious castle, there was only their family of four and about ten servants.
Facing Joshua, Ella sincerely said what was in her heart. "Joshua, you must be exhausted from doing all this for me and the children, right?"