I quickly stepped aside and said with a smile, “Come on in, Mrs. Coleman.”
Chandler’s mother was nearing fifty years old. I heard from Hannah that Mrs. Coleman was well-known for her profession of embroidery. She had a pleasing, submissive, gentle air about her.
She placed the food on the table and reminded us to fill our tummies before she left the room.
Hannah, who was starving, wolfed down a few bites of the food after changing into her cocktail gown. Before she could finish her food, a red-faced Chandler came to the room and tugged her away for the toasting session.
When I got out of the room, I saw Ashton leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He must have been waiting for me. When he saw that I had changed into a different set of clothes, he raised a brow and asked, “Why have you changed your clothes?”
“It’s not easy to walk in that dress.” I didn’t want to get stepped on all night.
I was confused as he stared at me. “Were you expecting me to keep wearing that?”
He chuckled softly and didn’t say anything further. Chandler, who had gotten himself a little drunk after a few glasses of wine, blurted out, “Mr. Fuller wanted you to look beautiful…”
“That’s enough. Let’s go. You haven’t eaten, so let’s go get something to eat.” Ashton took my hand and made our way out. Chandler looked stunned at being cut off in mid-sentence.
Chandler and Hannah proceeded to the first floor for toasting. Louis, together with Kiki, had their stomach filled, and he seemed to be in a good mood today. It was obvious he had a little to drink.
He looked at me and asked, “What was it like when you got married to Mr. Fuller?”
I was taken aback for a moment before answering with a smile, “It was Grandpa who arranged it, and it was a beautiful wedding.”
Louis stared at Ashton and said, “I’ll say, Mr. Fuller, should you give her a wedding? Or maybe a wedding anniversary celebration? Isn’t that what all girls want?”
Ashton chuckled and answered, “Do you have any suggestions, Uncle Louis?”
I watched them banter back and forth like children before saying with a laugh, “We’ve been married for many years. There’s no need for another wedding.”
“You can’t say that.” Louis continued, “As husband and wife, other than caring for and loving each other, you have to spice things up a little.”
Ashton nodded with a smile and said, “You’re right, Uncle Louis.” Then, he looked at me with his dark eyes and said with a smirk, “Let’s get acquainted all over again, Ms. Stovall. I’m Ashton Fuller.”
I frowned and let out a smile involuntarily. “What are you up to?”
“He’s proposing to you. Can’t you tell?” Louis said loudly, waving his glass of wine about for emphasis.
I was dumbfounded. Suddenly, I saw Ashton moved the chair away from him, and with a ring in his hand, he got down on one knee.
This was completely unexpected and a little too sudden. Initially, there was a picture of Hannah and Chandler on the stage’s big screen. But it was replaced with a photo of a young woman.
Isn’t that picture taken when I first entered J University? I was only eighteen years old at that time. That picture was taken at the entrance of J University’s library, and I was holding a book that I just borrowed from the library.
“Some people are destined to be together at first sight.” Ashton’s voice resonated. “That year, you were eighteen years old, and I had just taken over Fuller Corporation at the age of twenty-three. You were a fresh-faced and gentle girl. You weren’t my type at all, but that first sight of you was etched deep in my mind. Joe took that photo of you unintentionally, and I’ve grown attached to it for many years.”
I looked back at the man who was kneeling in front of me. At that moment, my heart began to flutter.
The hall grew quiet as the guests listened to Ashton. “When I saw you for the second time, it was in the Fullers’ living room. You begged my grandfather to treat your grandmother’s illness. He then asked you if you would marry me. At that time, you nodded and agreed. I knew you didn’t want to marry someone you didn’t know, but I felt relieved knowing that you were going to marry me. Marriage was useless to me, so it didn’t matter who I was going to marry. But I was kind of excited when I got to know that I was going to marry you. It was not my original intention to force you to marry me. That was unfair to you. So after getting married, I was hardly home. It’s not that I didn’t want to see you, but I was worried that you would be uncomfortable being around someone like me who doesn’t show affection. I told you before that you can divorce me when you meet someone else that you love. The Fullers will not mistreat you. But I never thought that you would stay in the Fullers for three years. The funny thing was, the longer you stayed in the Fullers, the harder it became for me to keep my feelings to myself. You have no idea how happy I was the night when I found out that you were pregnant. I knew then, with a child, our bond would be unbreakable. That’s why I thought of many ways to keep you by my side.”
