Chapter 29: The rejected proposal

Brielle POV

Despite Jace's mother's attitude towards me, I could not help but fall for all of Jace's charms, and I didn't have a care in the world of what anyone thought. I didn't give a damn if his mother approved of me or not. I was in Jace's bedroom and was curled up in his arm. We had just finished having sex, and I think he got exhausted and slept off.

"I know my mother gives you something to worry about, but don't let her frighten you," Jace's voice came out suddenly and unexpectedly from behind.

"Jeez, Jace, I thought you had fallen asleep."

"No, I was thinking about a couple of things. One is that...."

He pulled himself up on the bed and sat bolt right up.

"One is that?" I said, itching to know what his unfinished sentence would be.

"This might come as a surprise to you, but..."

He pulled out something from underneath the pillow.

"Jace De Leon, could you finish one sentence before jumping on to the next?!"

"Right, I'm sorry. Will you marry me, Brielle? Please."

Jace opened up a little box to reveal a shiny diamond ring with a large rock on top.

I have had thoughts about this day, but I never imagined Jace would make this day come so quickly. Neither did I ever imagine it happening right here in his bedroom in his parent's mansion right after sex. For minutes I was dumbfounded, and I felt his palm rest on my body, but I was too stunned even to know which part of me he was touching.

"I don't know what to say-"

"Come on, just say yes, please."

I got to admit that the domineering Jace repeating the word "please" just gave me joy, and whatever stupid feeling I felt accompanied it, maybe it was pride. I sat up, realizing my position was still lying down.

"And what if I say no?"

Jace's face went pale instantly. "What? Why would you say no?"

I made a pouting face and eyed him.

"Well, for starters, you're proposing to me sitting on the bed when you should be kneeling. And secondly, you need to deal with your mom and whatever girlfriend she has kept in store for you. So, baby, you'll have to postpone the proposal till you're ready."

I could tell that I shattered him, but the truth remained that there were so many unresolved issues going on in our lives, going on in his life, but marriage is the ultimate contract of every contract. For me, I felt it needed to be entered with all seriousness and less fuss. Also, I couldn't deal with a nagging mother-in-law who didn't like me. The shutting sound of the little box could awake dead. I looked to see Jace's face contorted in anger.

"Get dressed; we are leaving!" he said, sounding incredulous.

"But we just got here, and I'm tired," I protested.

"Fine, you can find your way out, I suppose."

I felt his words sting me like a bee. Didn't I have the right to choose what my response would be? Yeah, I knew he was expecting a positive reaction, but I didn't give a negative one either, so why was he acting like a jerk? He was dressing up, and I swear I would have let him walk away if not that I couldn't stay in the De Leon's mansion alone without him.

We were walking, and I was right on his heels. He was about to cross the exit, but his mother materialized in front of him about to enter the house. They bumped into each other.

"Jeez, watch it, mother," he mouthed.

"And where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I'm leaving, mom, and I won't step a foot in this house unless you change your mind about Brielle because I have made my intention to marry her known to her. Come on, Brielle, let's get going."

My initial anger and disapproval of Jace's behavior gave way to clarity. I realized now that Jace wasn't angry about my reply, but he was taking immediate action. I hurried after him because he was already waiting by the car. I felt his mother's gaze plunge into me as I made my way away from her. If only looks could kill, I wouldn't have been in the front passenger seat with Jace as his mother watched incredulously as he sped off.

"Jace," I called out softly.

"Look, I'm sorry, Brielle, but I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure things are sorted out asap so you can accept my proposal."

He was speeding, and though I appreciate fast cars, I felt he wasn't in the proper state of mind to be driving that fast.

"I think you should slow down a bit," I said and realized I wasn't referring to the driving alone. "I think you should slow down a bit about everything, okay, Jace? I take it this is the first time you're walking out on your mother. Look, Jace babe, I don't want to come in between you and your mom. Give her some time and see if she'll accept me naturally rather than forcing her. She is just overprotective. That's the way I see it."

"Yeah, that excuse could've worked if I was still a child running wild and chasing after girls," Jace said, taking his hands off the steering and making a quoting sign. We almost collided with an oncoming car, but Jace took control of the steering wheel and averted the danger in time.

I looked at him with sensitivity filled in my eyes. His handsome features came to mind, and my stomach clenched tighter when his jaw made a ticking movement. He looked at me and smiled softly, but I turned to look out the window. The city was beautiful, much like the famous story of heaven. I wondered if heaven was more attractive and somehow, the thoughts of Jace being an angel crossed my mind.

I still didn't know where we were going, and frankly, I didn't ask because I appreciated the silence between us as it afforded me time to think. Jace's mother had asked me, my father when I mentioned his name. She seemed stunned to hear that he was dead. It occurred to me that she might've known him, and I vowed to find out what connections they might've had. 

"Ahem," Jace drew my attention, and I realized we were stuck behind a police checkpoint. Where the fuck were we going?

"Mister De Leon," an officer said, giving a curt salute as he peered into the vehicle. "You bringing a guest?"

Jace smiled softly.

"No ordinary guest," he responded as he drove off. I couldn't act like I wasn't curious anymore.

"Uh, Jace, where are we?" I said abruptly. We were entering some reserved residential area.

He chuckled gayly.

"I'll explain once we are inside. The drive will still last for about another ten minutes or so."

My face went from curiosity to disbelief. Just how much farther are we going, and how prominent can this place be? I've heard of De Leon's wealth as incomparable to none, but I never knew they had this much wealth and influence. The place was bare for miles, and except for soldiers; oh yes, the deeper we went, the more stern security became. The site looked like a research facility, and anyone would have guessed the government-owned it.

"We are here!" Jace announced, killing the engine. I didn't understand. I looked around in confusion. Where are we? I saw only a bare expanse of land.

"Sorry, where are we exactly?" I asked as I stepped out of the car.

"We are going underground, so relax," he chimed.

"Okay, but I don't see any-"

Jace pulled me to a particular spot and made me stand with him there. The ground beneath us quaked, and there was a low rumbling sound, and before I knew it, we were sinking deeper into the ground like the earth just opened up and swallowed us.

"We are sinking many feet," Jace informed me. "Currently, De Leon's has one of the largest, deepest underground labs where scientists are looking for answers to fundamental questions like why matter exists and how we came to be."

My mouth gaped open. "But why are you guys interested in such things?"

Jace smiled. "We have the money, so we thought why not sponsor such things."

"Why an underground lab?"

He sucked air through his teeth.

"Being underground gives scientists protection from most of the "noise" created by other kinds of particles entering the Earth, such as cosmic rays and other background radiation from the universe."

I was silent. I admired Jace because he knew a lot about different things, and I felt very dumb around him sometimes. I wondered why he had chosen to bring me here, though. Why did he get me hereafter proposing to me?