Chapter 96 - 95: White Snow Mountain Rose
It was fireworks.
For the instant they blossomed in the air, it felt as if the entire world was enveloped by them.
The dazzling light, set against the countless stars in the night sky, not only illuminated the darkness but also streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a glow on Yvonne Lowell’s face.
A flicker of surprise crossed Yvonne Lowell’s eyes as she got up and walked to the window.
She didn’t forget to call Leo Grant over. "Come look! It’s not a holiday or anything, but someone’s setting off fireworks. I just hope they got a permit, or the cops will be knocking on their door tomorrow."
Hearing this, Leo Grant’s eyes held a trace of resignation. ’She really knows how to kill the mood.’
He came to her side, his expression calm. "Do you like fireworks?"
But behind his back, his hands were clenched into tight fists.
"They’re beautiful, but I rarely used to watch them," Yvonne Lowell said, turning her head to smile at him.
When she was younger, she used to play with them all the time back in Apeiron.
Later on, she got busier and busier, so she never had time for things like this.
Sometimes, if she happened to come across a display and had time to spare, she might stop to watch for a bit.
’Then again, I’ve seen plenty of light from exploding bombs.’
’They’re just as bright and spectacular, just a bit more monotonous in color.’
If Leo Grant knew what she was thinking, he would probably go ballistic.
"I’ll watch them with you more often from now on," Leo Grant said, ruffling the top of her hair.
"Okay, I’ll hold you to that."
Yvonne Lowell leaned against him, full from dinner and slipping into a food coma.
The two stood silently by the window, admiring the fireworks outside, the atmosphere inexplicably harmonious.
After watching for a while, seeing no sign of it ending, Yvonne Lowell was just about to complain.
Then she saw the fireworks outside change shape. No longer were they simple bursts of light; they now spelled out the two words "Yvonne Lowell" in the sky, encircled by a heart.
As the fireworks faded, the window reflected their two figures. Only then did Yvonne Lowell realize that Leo Grant hadn’t been looking outside at all. He was turned to the side, watching her. She froze.
She opened her mouth but found she didn’t know what to say.
Through the window’s reflection, she saw a huge, moving bouquet of flowers approaching from behind. She turned to look.
’Why does the figure of this ’faceless woman’ look so familiar?’
The "faceless woman" walked up to them, placed the bouquet on the table, and revealed a face that Yvonne wanted to smack even in her dreams.
’Fuck! Nina Jennings?!’
’The same Nina Jennings who left early this morning, saying she had something to do?!’
Nina Jennings gave her a silent smile, then turned and left.
Leo Grant stepped forward, picked up the flowers from the table, and held them out to her.
Yvonne Lowell still hadn’t processed what was happening and even forgot to reach out and take them.
"Do you not like this kind? I... I just thought their meaning was very significant, so I ordered these."
Leo Grant pursed his lips, looking a little flustered. He started to put the flowers back on the table. "If you don’t like them, then..."
Yvonne Lowell snapped back to reality and took the flowers from his hands. "No, I love them. They’re beautiful."
Yvonne Lowell lowered her gaze, looking at the bouquet in her arms.
It was a bit heavy. If she wasn’t mistaken, there must be ninety-nine of them.
She recognized the flowers: White O’Hara roses.
Their meaning: The day I met you, even the air was sweet.
They symbolize a love that is pure, natural, and without ulterior motives, as well as a resolve to give everything for that love.
She looked up at the man across from her, her eyes holding a hint of barely concealed nervousness and anticipation. "Is this..."
"Don’t say anything yet. Let me finish," Leo Grant interrupted.
"For the longest time, I’ve had no interest in love, or rather, in any woman outside of my family. I was even deeply afraid of it."
"Until you showed up, you became the one and only exception in my life. Not only do I not dislike you, but I find myself desperately wanting to be closer to you."
"Do you remember when you asked me what kind of person you were in my eyes? I couldn’t answer then, but now I have an answer."
"Your appearance made the part of my heart called ’love,’ which had been dormant for twenty-five years, start to beat again. And it beats only for you."
"I don’t know the specifics of what you went through during those fifteen years you were away, but I know it wasn’t easy. I think I’m pretty strong, and I’ll only get stronger. So, from now on, can you let me be the one to protect you?"
"I’d even gladly be the blade in your hand. I’m a little nervous right now, and I don’t know what else I should say. But we have a long future ahead of us, and I can tell you everything slowly over time. Will you... give me that chance?"
After he finished, Leo Grant stared at her without blinking, unwilling to miss a single change in her expression.
The sides of his normally smooth, neat suit trousers were now visibly creased where he had been gripping them.
Yvonne Lowell didn’t speak. Instead, she turned and placed the flowers on the table.
Thinking she was unhappy with his presumptuousness and this was her way of rejecting him, the light in Leo Grant’s eyes gradually dimmed.
But in the very next moment, Yvonne Lowell turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Okay."
It was true she was first drawn to his looks, and it was also true that her feelings for him had grown over time.
It was true that Leo Grant was a special existence for her, and it was also true that she had won this game of push and pull between them.
And that was enough.
When Leo Grant heard that one word, his mood visibly brightened, and the excitement on his face was impossible to hide.
He looked down at the smiling girl in his arms. His reflection, and his alone, filled her pupils.
Leo Grant hugged her back tightly, burying his head in the crook of her neck and nuzzling her affectionately.
"Baby."
Yvonne Lowell leaned against his chest, listening to his heart pound like a drum.
She didn’t find it noisy at all. In fact, it was strangely reassuring.
Outside, the fireworks burst on cue once more, as if celebrating the couple embracing within.
...
Hiding around the corner, Nina Jennings saw the two of them hugging and excitedly gripped Silas Lynch’s arm.
Silas Lynch winced in pain but didn’t pull away. Instead, he glanced sideways at her, his eyes full of tenderness.
Nolan Crawford, the lone single man squeezed between them, looked at one couple, then the other, and cringed.
’If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve been better off helping Ian and the others with the fireworks.’
On the other side of things, Ian Lynch, Warren Lynch, and William Lynch all sneezed at the same time, instinctively pulling their jackets tighter.
"Ian, when can we get out of here?" William Lynch asked, blowing his nose.
The boss had finally let them come back to Kingsland, but they hadn’t even gotten to see their future mistress.
This damn place wasn’t just cold, it was full of mosquitoes.
If they didn’t leave soon, he was going to blow his nose so much there’d be nothing left of it.
Ian Lynch glanced at the fireworks launch site, then up at the sky. "Soon. Once these last few are done, we can pack up and bolt."
...
A moment later, Yvonne Lowell pushed him away slightly. Her gaze locked onto his lips, a sly glint in her eyes.
"So, does this mean I can kiss you now, fair and square?"