CHAPTER NINETY-ONE: GETTING ENGAGED AGAIN.

MILES:

"Come." I took her hand through the back door to our balcony. As soon as we were outside, I was on my knee again. "Marry me. Again. Meredith Tate, soon to be Meredith Pierce." This time, I had the ring with me.

"Yes. Yes. Yes!" I slipped it on her finger, and we kissed. "Oh, my. It is beautiful. Everything is."

I had roses all over the balcony, a bottle of champagne and two glasses in an ice bucket waiting, and a gigantic picture of Christian. "Sorry, I sent you to the kitchen. I was asking him for permission," I pointed at Christian's picture. "He said he wouldn't have allowed you to be with anyone else but me," I boasted. I wish he were here. I would have loved to have had a younger brother too.

Meredith was already sobbing. I could tell she was grateful for my thoughtfulness. She hugged and kissed the picture of her brother. I held her close to me as we stared out from the balcony, sipping our champagne.

Once more, she glanced at her ring. "Thank you, Miles. Thank you. I'm sure the ring cost a lot."

"No. Thank you. Thank you for coming into my life. And, no. The ring actually cost only ten dollars," I joked.

"I will still treasure it and its owner." She tilted her head to kiss me.

The ring was a symbol of our love and what we had been through. It was a promise that I would never let her go. I had the ring maker in the Netherlands handcraft it. The ring is an oval cut, with over two hundred small diamonds encrusted around the band. It has seven princess-cut diamonds in the center and is covered in smaller round diamonds across the top and bottom. Four other gigantic ones on top of the smaller one with a sapphire in the middle of them. It was a band that fit, symbolizing that she was more precious to me than anything else.

"Tell me something I don't know about you, baby. Your parents. Siblings. I want to hear it all."

I tensed up. Was this really happening? I wasn't ready to open up that part of me, but I had to for her to understand me. "I hope whatever I tell you doesn't give you another perspective of me."

"You are my King. My Thor. I wouldn't look at you any other way, even if you were in the mafia." She paused, as if about to ask something. "Did you really kill Alan?"

"Let's not talk about that," I said without hesitation. It was best to know that he was permanently dead. Did I feel bad? No. Was Alan my first kill? Yes, he was.. Will I have nightmares? No. Did I need therapy? Meredith was all the therapy I needed.

"Okay. Now, tell me."

Against her ear, I began. "My dad was my role model. As many don't know, I was once poor. Living on the streets with my dad, who sold newspapers to make sure that I had a good education. At age six, my mom left us for a rich man, and I didn't see her again until I became rich myself. Believe me, it was a dark moment for me. I faced hunger, rejection, and heartbreak. Even as a teen, no one wanted to be near me. This motivated me. I began working, studying, and pushing. You know what made this easy?"

"No."

"I had my father. He was supportive. Loving. The best. All I could ask for. I made a major break into business, founding my first company, which I named in his honor. That is how the Pierce Empire was founded. Through the years, I grew. Suddenly, my mother reappeared. I took her back because of my father, who loved her so much. Little did we know that she had sunk into drugs, gambling, and alcohol. She was back because of our wealth. Even though my father gave her everything, she still cheated. My father was so heartbroken, and he got ill. He died a few months later. This broke me, and I had to renounce her as my mother, since she hadn't been one after all."

"Is this where your hatred for women grew?"

"Yes. And in fact, so many of them rejected me when I had nothing and didn't look good. When I finally became financially stable, I tried to put all that hurt behind and give some a chance."

"Louis."

"Yes."

"And she turned out to be someone who didn't appreciate what she had."

Laughing, "I think so. Before you, I swore never to have anything to do with women. No marriage. No kids. No marriage, no kids, no family—just business and money. My mentality was to pay for sex and nothing more. I'm glad you came into my life when you did."

She gave me a shoulder rub. "You are a strong man. You grew up so well even after everything you went through."

"Thank you." I kissed the middle of her head. "Tell me your story. What happened to your parents?"

"They died in a car crash. I was left with Christian, who has since passed away."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

"That's sad story enough for the night. Let's enjoy the view." We were watching the city. The view seemed to have grown more beautiful with Meredith wrapped around my arms. I wanted to wake up with her by my side every day and go to bed with her in it every night.

"What are you thinking?"

"About our wedding."

"Haha. That won't happen anytime soon."

"Why say so?"

"I just thought so."

"Well, you're mistaken, Mrs. Pierce." That name sounded perfect. "We're getting married in a week. We'll start planning the wedding tomorrow. I'm eager to commit to you legally, spiritually, and emotionally."

Turning, she stuttered, "that's so soon. I have to...we have to..."

Kissing her, I smiled. "Baby, just choose your gown and show up. I'll have the best wedding planners flown into the country. You don't have to lift a finger. Just make the decision."

She hugged me. "I'm eager to marry you too. Can I invite the household to the wedding? Also, I want Aarhus to walk me down the aisle."

"Sure. Invite whoever you want. Hmm, I'll ask Zara to do the same for me."

We soon fell asleep, and when I woke up, Meredith was gone. Naturally, panic set in.I had to establish a rule to ensure she couldn't leave my side without my knowledge. I donned my sweatpants over my briefs, searching for her.

I found her in the sitting room. "Guys, I'm sorry to gather you all here this early, but I have an announcement. I'm engaged." She flashed her ring, eliciting a squeal from the girls and a round of applause from the guys. "I'm inviting you all to the wedding in a week. You are all my family, and I'm happy to be part of yours. At least, Brandon will grow past calling me Miss Tate. Maybe Mrs. Tate?"

They laughed, running to hug her and offer their congratulations. Now that all eyes were on the engagement ring, I had the feeling I should have bought a ring worth a hundred million dollars instead of twenty million. Anyway, what mattered was the intention, right?

"Okay, guys," I roared, capturing their attention. "We have a wedding to plan," I announced. "Good morning, beautiful," I greeted her, kissing those lips I would never get tired of devouring.

"Good morning, baby. Sleep okay?"

"Definitely." Everyone began to leave, giving us some privacy.

"Howard reached out to you and that Hilton guy too," Meredith informed me.

"No need to bother yourself. I laid them off, terminating any connection they would ever have with the Pierce Empire. They're lucky I didn't hand them over to the police for the fabrication of documents, taking their partners should be enough revenge. "

"You love good revenge. Huh?"

"And a good reward. I increased Richard's shares from the original percentage he was asking for to twenty percent. He worked hard when everyone else messed up."

"That's nice."

"Yeah." Grabbing her waist, "Enough about business. Let's talk about our wedding."

"What would you like to discuss, my love?" Meredith asked, snuggling closer to me.

"Well, first and foremost, I want to make sure this is exactly what you want. I know I sprung this on you quite suddenly, but I want you to be completely comfortable and happy with our wedding plans."

"Miles, I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I want to marry you, and I want it to be soon. I'm so excited to be your wife."

I pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss, relishing in the warmth and love I felt radiating from her. "Then let's get started. What kind of wedding do you envision?"

Meredith's eyes sparkled with joy. "I want it to be romantic and intimate, with only our closest friends and family. Nothing too extravagant, but I do want it to be special."

"Consider it done, my darling." I brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. "I'll make sure every detail is perfect, just for you."

She beamed up at me. "I can't wait to be Mrs. Pierce."

I chuckled and pulled her in for another kiss, my heart swelling with excitement for the journey ahead.