Chapter 246 Caroline, Marry Me
"You—"
Armando shot up from the couch and slapped Alexander hard across the face.
Alexander's head whipped to the side. He slowly raised his hand to his numb, stinging cheek, then straightened without hurry, his gaze still calm as he looked at Armando.
Armando's lips moved, ready to unleash another tirade, but he found that all his rage felt like punching smoke—completely powerless against Alexander's composure.
Finally, Armando collapsed back onto the couch as if someone had cut his strings.
After a long silence, he seemed to swallow something bitter and forced out a single word through gritted teeth, "...Fine."
Only then did a flicker of satisfaction cross Alexander's face.
He bent down, picked up the envelope, dusted it off, and tucked it away.
"Thank you," he said with polite but distant courtesy, nodding once. "I expect you to go to the Neville mansion tonight and formally discuss my engagement to Caroline with her parents."
With that, he turned and strode out of the living room.
Behind him came the sound of porcelain shattering against the floor. The crash echoed sharply through the quiet house, but Alexander didn't stop. He walked straight through the hallway toward the Nevilles' backyard.
---
Caroline was crouched by the flower bed, carefully watering the roses she'd grown herself.
Hearing those familiar footsteps behind her, her back went rigid.
She didn't turn around. She knew who it was just from the sound, though her hands faltered for a beat.
"Why... why are you here?" She kept her voice deliberately low, trying to sound as cold as possible.
"Once you're healed, you don't need to keep coming over. I won't go looking for you anymore either."
God knows how many times Alexander had called her these past few days.
Morning to night, every single day, he'd pester her over the phone—saying his wound hurt, that he missed her so much he couldn't sleep, then using that pitiful tone to beg her to come keep him company for just a little while.
Each time she'd say she wouldn't go, her words tough, but her feet would always betray her and carry her out the door.
And when she got there, Alexander never actually let her help with his bandages. He'd just shamelessly pull her into his arms, rest his chin on her shoulder, and claim, "Talking like this, close together, helps us bond."
It wasn't that she didn't want to see him. It was just...
Every time she got near him, her heart would race out of control, like it might burst through her chest. That feeling of losing control of her own body actually scared her.
And her rational mind kept warning Caroline that she couldn't afford to lose control.
Alexander acted like he hadn't heard her refusal at all and squeezed down next to her.
The wooden bench wasn't wide to begin with. With two people pressed together, shoulder to shoulder, arm against arm, they could feel each other's warmth with every breath.
Alexander casually picked up the small pruning shears by the flower bed and pretended to trim stems alongside her.
"I haven't been to school these past few days. Did I miss anything?" He turned his head and asked casually.
Caroline wanted to move away but there was simply no room. She could only grit her teeth and respond.
"Nothing major... just Roy asking about you several times, saying you've missed too many classes and if you don't show up soon, you'll be written up."
"Mm."
"And Edith... she came looking for you, said she wanted to visit, but your security stopped her at the gate."
"Mm."
"Is 'mm' all you can say?" Caroline finally snapped, unable to help turning to glare at him.
Alexander was looking down, focused on trimming a rose stem. Sensing her gaze, he looked up and smiled.
"Keep going. I'm listening."
Caroline felt her face heat under his gaze and quickly turned away again.
Silence hung between them, broken only by the soft patter of water on soil.
Alexander suddenly spoke.
"Tonight, my father will come to your house to discuss our engagement with your parents."
The metal watering can slipped right out of Caroline's fingers and hit the ground with a heavy thud.
She froze completely, her mind blanking out as if someone had hit pause.
Alexander didn't dare look up at her expression. The shears in his hand kept mechanically snipping flower stems, making crisp but oddly jarring little sounds.
"I know this is very sudden and probably not the most... proper way to do things." He tried to make his voice sound careful, restrained.
"So I came over early to ask what you think. If you don't want this, I'll go back right now and tell him not to come tonight."
Caroline lowered her head, her hands unconsciously gripping the dirt-smudged apron.
So soon... were they already at this step?
It wasn't that she hadn't imagined where she and Alexander might end up, but when it was laid out so concretely in front of her, she didn't know how to react.
But...
"I think I know what you're worried about."
Alexander suddenly stopped the shears in his hand. Though he still didn't look directly at her, his tone turned unusually serious.
"I also know that my feelings for Edith back then have always made you uneasy. That really is my fault."
Caroline's fingers gripped tighter, her knuckles going white.
"So today, whether or not you accept the engagement, there's something I need to make clear to you."
He took a deep breath, as if organizing words he'd been holding in for a long time.
"I did like Edith. I liked her a lot. Back then I thought she was like the sun—bright, dazzling, the kind of person everyone wants to be around. But after spending time together, I realized..."
He paused, searching for the right words.
When he spoke again, his tone carried unprecedented seriousness.
"I realized she really was sunny, but that kind of sunshine wasn't what I truly needed. I don't know if you can understand what I mean... it's just that when I was with her, I always felt like something was missing. It took me a while to figure out what."
He turned his head, his gaze falling seriously on Caroline's profile.
"I don't know when it started, but my eyes would always find you. Caroline, my feelings for you were never because you look like Edith, and definitely not because I couldn't have her so I settled for you."
"It's because the more time I spent with you, the more I saw how incredible you are. You're quiet, gentle, soft like moonlight. You don't fight for attention, but when it comes to the things you care about, you won't back down an inch. You always say you find me annoying, that you can't stand me, but whenever I truly need you, you show up. Every single time."
His voice gradually took on a layer of raw emotion, even his eyes reddening slightly.
"I also know your flaws. You're stubborn as hell, too proud for your own good. When you're angry you give people the silent treatment, and you keep everything bottled up inside. But Caroline, whether it's your strengths or your flaws, I like all of it. I like it in a way I can't even control."
He paused, as if finally deciding not to hold back anymore, pulling out that heaviest word from the deepest part of his heart.
"To put it plainly... I love you. Seriously, completely—I love you."
Caroline's eyes instantly burned with tears.
"I know you might not believe me right now, and you might not trust promises from someone our age."
"But I can swear to you that I will do everything in my power to love you well for the rest of my life. I genuinely, consciously want to build a future with you. I don't want to waste what we have."
After he finished, the garden fell silent, so quiet that even the wind rustling through the rose leaves became especially clear.
Caroline's face burned like fire, her whole body wrapped in heat, so nervous she didn't even know where to put her hands.