Chapter 163: KISS! KISS!! KISS!!!

The drive home was quiet, the hum of the SUV's engine a soothing contrast to the chaotic roar of the Gala. I leaned my head against the cool glass, watching the London rain start to smear the streetlights into streaks of gold.

"You're very quiet," Mateo murmured, his hand finding mine in the dark.

"Just processing," I whispered. "Isabella Cortez... business owner... mother of twins. It's a lot to happen in one night."

"It's only the beginning," he promised.

When the car pulled up to the estate, the house was ablaze with light. I expected the quiet stillness of a late night, but as the front doors opened, music and laughter spilled out onto the gravel.

I stepped into the foyer and froze.

"SURPRISE!"

The room was filled with the people who had kept me sane when my life was a wreckage in Berlin. My heart skipped a beat as a blur of energy slammed into me.

"GIRLLLL!" Olga shrieked, tapping my backside with a playful grin before pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. "Look at you! A whole icon!"

"Olga? What-how?" I stammered, pulling back to look at her. She looked different. Her purple hair was gone, replaced by a sharp, chic strawberry blonde bob that framed her face perfectly. "Your hair... it's real. It's beautiful."

"Joshua is a good haircut-man," she laughed, winking at her fiancé.

Joshua was standing near the drinks table, tall and stiff as a wooden post, looking slightly overwhelmed by the Rossi grandeur or just his usual stoic ready-to-protect self. A few seconds later, I saw him drift toward Jake. The two of them stood there, stone-faced and silent, nodding at each other in a way that only two awkward men could. I couldn't help but shake my head, laughing.

"Bella!" A familiar, melodic voice drifted over.

Ben stepped forward, draped in a sheer, lavender silk shirt tucked into high-waisted cream trousers, looking like he'd just stepped off a runway in Paris. He took my face in his hands, his eyes shimmering. "I missed your nose. It's the most regal thing in this room, darling."

"I missed you all so much," I choked out, the tears finally starting to blur my vision.

Mateo stepped up behind me, his presence a warm weight. He didn't say a word; he just took my hand and led me toward the center of the room, where a professional camera set was positioned. The whole room went silent.

He dropped to one knee.

My breath hitched. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. When it snapped open, the light caught the massive, pear-cut sapphire surrounded by diamonds.

The click happened in my brain instantly. My eyes darted to the corner of the room where Mateo's mom was standing next to his father and Lucian. Her hand was bare.

She gave it to him? Her husband had to make it specifically for her!

"Isabella," Mateo said, his voice thick with an emotion I'd never heard from the stoic billionaire. "I spent my life thinking I had everything because I had power. Then I found you, and I realized I was just a man living in a hollow castle. You are my home. Will you be mine forever?"

"Yes," I sobbed. "Yes, a thousand times."

He slid the ring onto my finger-it fit perfectly, cold and heavy with history. As he stood up, I didn't even wait. I bolted toward Mateo's mom, who was currently in the middle of a hilarious, petty argument with Lucian and Olga about who got to hold the baby first when the twins arrived.

I threw my arms around her, hugging her so tight I thought we'd both fall over. "Your ring," I whispered into her ear, my voice trembling.

She pulled back just enough to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, her expression soft and maternal. "It's yours now, Isabella. It was always waiting for the woman who could handle my son."

Mateo's father stepped forward, clapping a hand on my shoulder. He gave me a sly, conspiratorial wink. "Congratulations, Isabella. You know, it was my idea to propose on your birthday. Very romantic of me, don't you think?"

I saw Mateo roll his eyes from across the room, and I laughed through my tears. The wink told me everything-he was lying through his teeth to take credit, and I loved him for it.

"Speech! Speech!" Ben shouted, waving a glass of sparkling juice.

But the crowd had a different idea. Olga started it, then Lucian joined in, jumping up and down.

"KISS! KISS! KISS!"

Mateo didn't need to be told twice. He stepped into my space, his hands framing my face as he pulled me in. As his lips met mine, the room dissolved. The cameras flashed, our friends cheered, and for the first time in twenty-five years, I knew exactly who I was and exactly where I belonged.

I wasn't a ghost. I was loved.