Chapter 165 Confession

Chapter 165 Confession

Under the starlight, Sophia's delicate features seemed touched with a soft glow, her long lashes fluttering gently as she made her wish with an earnest expression that held both touching innocence and beauty.

In Henry's deep eyes, gentle tenderness rippled outward.

When Sophia finished making her wish, lowered her hands, and opened her eyes, she found Henry gazing intently at her.

Her cheeks warmed, and just as she was about to say something, the surroundings suddenly lit up!

The previously pitch-black mountaintop was instantly illuminated by warm yellow string lights that had been wrapped around trees and railings, their soft glow dispelling the darkness.

At the same time, over a dozen people emerged from the nearby trees and rocks with smiles—among them were several familiar faces, including Henry's executive assistant and some of his core security team.

There were also what appeared to be event staff, all holding small electronic candles and smiling as they watched them.

Sophia was completely stunned. Under her astonished gaze, Henry stepped forward and somehow produced a bouquet of exquisite red roses.

Unlike Gerald's tacky nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine roses from earlier that day, this bouquet was refined and elegant, emanating a subtle fragrance under the warm yellow lighting.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, Henry slowly got down on one knee and presented the roses to Sophia.

Sophia instinctively covered her mouth, her heart pounding so hard it nearly burst from her chest.

Henry looked up at her, his gaze more serious and tender than she'd ever seen, his low, melodious voice particularly clear in the quiet mountaintop air, "Sophia, perhaps our beginning was somewhat absurd, like a game born from misunderstanding. You drunkenly mistook me for a kept man, and maybe from that moment, I was drawn to you—someone who remained proud and vibrant despite being trapped in difficult circumstances."

His deep voice carried the texture of memory, and everyone around held their breath as they listened.

"Over these two years, I've watched how you broke free from a shattered marriage, how you faced your family's favoritism and schemes, how you step by step established yourself at Miller Group. I've seen your vulnerability, but more than that, I've admired your resilience, your intelligence, your backbone."

"Between us, we've had moments of testing each other, but also moments of understanding. We've weathered external storms together and shared many quiet times... All these experiences, good and bad, have only made me more certain that I want to stand by your side."

His gaze burned intensely, as if it held all the stars in the sky, "Sophia, I love you. Not as some kept arrangement, not as a passing fancy, but seriously, with marriage as my ultimate intention. Will you officially be my girlfriend?"

A burst of suppressed cheers and encouraging calls erupted around them, as those usually serious assistants and bodyguards now watched with broad smiles.

More people gathered around, all looking at them with blessing in their eyes.

Sophia looked at the man kneeling before her, her eyes misting slightly.

Henry's carefully prepared confession under the witness of starlight and string lights struck straight to her heart.

She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she leaned down, accepted the bouquet of roses, and then, under his deep, smiling gaze, firmly nodded her head, her voice slightly choked but exceptionally clear.

"Yes, I will."

Instantly, the cheers and applause around them grew even more enthusiastic.

Henry stood up and pulled her tightly into his arms, leaning down to kiss her lips.

The fragrance of roses lingered at their noses, the mountaintop lights flickered gently, and the meteor shower continued overhead, as if showering them with silver blessings.

On this night, everything was as beautiful as a dream they never wanted to wake from.

Henry's romantic confession under the meteor shower was captured in videos and photos that were uploaded online.

Although shot from a distance with less than perfect clarity, Henry's highly recognizable build and presence, along with the scene of him on one knee, Sophia accepting the roses, and their embrace and kiss, were enough to ignite public opinion.

Hashtags like "Emerald City Elite Heir Henry's Mountaintop Romantic Proposal" and "Henry's Girlfriend" quickly shot to the top of trending lists.

The video's dreamlike lighting, magnificent meteor shower backdrop, and palpable romantic atmosphere despite the blurry footage had countless netizens exclaiming in amazement.

[This is premium romance—like fiction come to life!]

[I believe in love again!]

...

In a VIP room at a bar.

Oliver already had several empty bottles in front of him, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at that viral video playing on his phone screen.

Watching Sophia's moved and delighted smile as she accepted the roses, seeing her spontaneously reach up to respond to Henry's kiss, seeing the two of them tightly embraced under the starlight.

He had always thought Sophia would forever be that woman who revolved around him, who submitted to him. Even after their divorce, even though he had hurt her, deep down, he still harbored an inexplicable confidence that she might still be waiting somewhere for him to turn back.

Not until this moment, seeing her with Henry, who outclassed him in every way—so publicly, so happily together, did Oliver truly understand what soul-crushing regret felt like.

He tilted his head back and downed another glass of liquor, the burning liquid scorching his throat, but it couldn't match even one ten-thousandth of the pain in his chest.

He regretted it. He truly regretted it.

Regretted that for the sake of that ridiculous freedom and Clara's manipulation, he had given up the happiness that had once been within his reach.

If he hadn't fled from the wedding, if he had treated Sophia well, would the outcome have been different?

Clara had followed him to the bar. Watching him drown his sorrows over Sophia, a flash of jealous resentment darkened her eyes.

But her expression showed only concerned tenderness as she stepped forward to gently take the glass from Oliver's hand, "Oliver, stop drinking."

"Get lost!"

Oliver irritably pushed her away, looking at her through bleary, drunken eyes. Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist with enough force to make her wince. "Why... why did you tell me those things back then? What freedom, what rebellion. If it wasn't for you... if it wasn't for you..."

His words were incoherent, but Clara understood what he meant.

He was blaming her! He was attributing his regret and failure to her!

Clara's heart blazed with fury, though her face looked even more pitifully wounded, "Oliver, how can you say that? Back then, you felt trapped, too. I was only... only feeling sorry for you..."

But Oliver seemed unable to hear her, only muttering to himself, "I regret it, I really regret it, Sophia..."

Hearing him openly express regret while intimately calling Sophia's name, Clara's nails dug deep into her palms.

She knew that with Oliver, she probably couldn't get much more and might even be abandoned as he redirected his anger toward her.

She needed to create more leverage for herself. Watching Oliver finally collapse drunk on the sofa, unconscious, Clara's eyes flickered with calculation as she made a decision.

She struggled to help Oliver up and, with assistance from bar staff, brought him to a nearby hotel.