Chapter 380 The Ring She Chose
Perhaps it was the intensity of Ryan’s gaze, but Rose felt strangely provoked by it.
She frowned slightly, unable to understand what he was trying to do.
Before she could think about it any further, the people around them had already turned the situation into a spectacle.
The excitement spread quickly through the yacht.
Everyone seemed determined to see the proposal happen tonight.
Trevor looked slightly stunned.
He turned toward his uncle. “I haven’t prepared anything. This isn’t exactly the right time.”
Shaun Ellis waved him off.
“Big moments aren’t always planned down to the last detail. Sometimes the unexpected ones are the most memorable. Some things can’t always wait for the perfect moment. You’ll understand when you’re older.”
The moment he finished speaking, several waiters appeared carrying confetti cannons.
They quickly cleared an open space in the middle of the deck.
Rose and Trevor were left standing at the centre of it all.
Rose had never experienced anything like this.
For a moment, she felt as though she had been pushed onto a stage without warning.
Still, she understood what everyone was thinking.
The older generation genuinely believed that she and Trevor were deeply in love. They were simply trying to give them their blessing and bring the two families closer together.
So she couldn’t exactly object without making things even more awkward.
“Mr. Robinson, we’re incredibly lucky to witness such a beautiful moment tonight.”
“Are you nervous, Mr. Robinson?”
“Don’t tell us you’re worried she’ll say no!”
Laughter and teasing came from all around them.
Trevor remained quiet.
After a long moment, he looked directly at Rose.
“I didn’t tell you this last time,” he said softly, “but I actually wanted to give you a proper proposal.”
Rose froze.
“I didn’t want to rush it or make you feel as though you were settling for something less than you deserved.”
He reached into the inside pocket of his suit, close to his heart.
When his hand emerged, he was holding a diamond ring.
Rose’s eyes widened.
“I wanted to give you this before,” Trevor continued. “But things didn’t go according to plan.”
He glanced briefly at her hand.
“You mentioned losing the ring you were given at the hotel in Hong Kong. Don’t worry about that one. It was something arranged for the occasion. I didn’t choose it myself.”
His eyes softened.
“This one is different.”
Rose stared at the ring.
She didn’t know what to say.
Trevor took a slow breath.
“Rose, I want to marry you. I want us to build a happy home together—a family where you never have to wonder whether you’re loved or whether you’re wanted.”
He extended one hand toward her.
His other hand held the ring.
“Will you marry me?”
The surrounding crowd immediately fell silent.
Then came the whispers.
“Say yes!”
“Come on, Rose!”
“Mr. Robinson is quite a catch!”
“Don’t keep him waiting!”
Several women nearby looked almost envious.
But Ryan remained completely still.
He sat several yards away, watching Rose.
His eyes moved over her face, studying every tiny change in her expression.
Rose didn’t know what to do.
For a moment, everything seemed to disappear.
The voices.
The music.
The crowd.
All she had to do was place her hand in Trevor’s.
Then—
“Ah!”
A startled cry suddenly came from the side.
Someone had accidentally bumped into Ryan’s wheelchair.
A glass of red wine tipped forward.
The contents spilled across Ryan’s shirt and trousers.
The sudden commotion immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Rose instinctively looked over.
A young woman was standing beside Ryan, clearly mortified.
She had stumbled against the wheelchair and was now awkwardly bracing herself against the armrest.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Knight!” she blurted out. “I was replying to a message and didn’t see the footrest.”
She immediately pulled a handkerchief from her handbag and began trying to clean the wine from his shirt.
Her cheeks had turned bright red.
Rose recognized her.
Alicia.
The interruption instantly changed the atmosphere.
The attention that had been focused entirely on Rose and Trevor began shifting toward Ryan and Alicia.
Some of the guests recognized Ryan.
Others knew about his history with Rose.
Whispers began spreading through the crowd.
“Wait... isn’t Mr. Knight Rose’s ex-husband?”
“I heard they were married.”
“So she’s accepting a proposal from Mr. Robinson while her ex-husband is sitting right there?”
“This is getting awkward.”
“Would she really say yes in front of him?”
The comments were quiet, but there were enough of them that Rose couldn’t ignore them.
She felt a familiar irritation rising inside her.
Apparently, because she’d once been married to Ryan, people believed she was supposed to remain tied to him forever.
As though her past marriage gave strangers the right to judge every decision she made afterward.
As though she couldn’t simply choose a different future.
Across the deck, Ryan looked down at Alicia.
She was still nervously trying to wipe the wine from his clothes.
“Mr. Knight,” she said carefully, “would you like to go somewhere and change?”
Ryan raised his hand and gently moved hers away.
“I can handle it.”
Alicia immediately nodded.
“Okay.”
She straightened, only then realizing how many people were watching them.
Her eyes widened.
She looked toward Rose and Trevor.
“Professor Bennett...”
She scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
“Did I ruin your proposal?”
Several people exchanged exasperated looks.
Under the circumstances, the interruption had certainly killed the romantic atmosphere.
Even Shaun Ellis looked displeased.
A proposal was supposed to be perfect.
And after an interruption like this, surely Rose would want to wait for another occasion.
Everyone expected the moment to end there.
But Rose simply looked away from Ryan.
Then she turned back toward Trevor.
She slowly raised her left hand.
“Okay.”
Her voice was calm.
“I accept.”
The entire deck went silent.
Trevor stared at her.
Ryan’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
Even Alicia looked stunned.
Rose glanced around at everyone.
“Other people are other people. We’re us.”
She didn’t care whether the proposal had gone perfectly.
They were getting married anyway.
As long as she and Trevor could build a stable life for Ariel, the rest was secondary.
Besides, Trevor had already given up the West Road bid for her.
Then he’d been pushed into making a proposal in front of everyone.
If she rejected him now, she would be humiliating him.
And with Ryan sitting right there, the gossip would be unbearable.
People would inevitably assume she’d refused because of her ex-husband.
Rose didn’t want to give anyone that satisfaction.
Trevor’s surprise slowly faded.
A smile appeared on his face.
He took her hand.
Then, with everyone watching, he carefully slipped the diamond ring onto her left middle finger.
A wave of gasps and applause swept across the deck.
“Congratulations!”
“Finally!”
“What a beautiful couple!”