Inside a black velvet box was a unique ring, gleaming with a red gemstone as precious as any treasure and circled by 520 tiny diamonds glittering in the light. Each diamond was meticulously chosen to ensure a perfect fit within the setting. This red gem stood alone in its splendor, unmatched anywhere else in the world. Its worth was astronomical—over $3 billion in Venturian currency.
Madelyn finally drifted off to sleep. But suddenly, she felt the bed dipped beside her, and her hand was grasped; something cold slid onto her ring finger. Her eyes snapped open to find Zach sitting next to her, a ring with a sparkling red gemstone now on her finger. She quickly withdrew her hand and bolted upright.
"What's going on?" she asked, struggling to remove the ring from her finger.
Zach observed her attempt for a brief moment, then with a weary yet resonant voice, he said, "I'm proposing to you." Surprise washed over Madelyn, and her fingers froze.
Zach's voice was gentle as he confided, "I've broken off my engagement with Yvonne. It'll be in the news tomorrow." Madelyn tried over and over, but the ring remained stuck. Reeling from his proclamation, she grabbed a pillow and tossed it at him, "Zach, are you out of your mind? Do you realize what you're saying? You've stripped the Young family of everything, and now Yvonne's dead. What's left for you to take from me? You possess all | own. With Hayson dead and Azure Corporation in your hands, what more do you want? Why can't you just let me go?" Zach reached out and steadied her, aware of her rising distress. His voice was a deep and soothing murmur meant for her ears alone, "l wasn't behind Hayson's death, and | haven't interfered with Azure Corporation. It's in your name, and I've been managing it for you. If you want it, it's still yours." "I don't want this. | don't want any of it, and | certainly don't need your proposal. Zach, you're supposed to dislike me or send me away. What you're doing, it's wrong--it's just wrong!" Zach's hand was gentle on her back, offering silent comfort as he felt the wetness of her tears on his shirt, "You've got it all wrong, Madelyn. There's nothing wrong about love." Zach's proposal was unexpected, catching Madelyn completely off guard. In her previous life, she had fantasized about him proposing in many ways, yet it was she who had to force him to marry her. Their wedding had been put together hastily, with no true proposal involved. "Why is Zach proposing now when everything is so different?’ she wondered silently. Her voice quivered as she pleaded, "Please, find Cecilia, okay? She's the one you should be with. She can support you and be the partner you need, both in your personal life and at work. | bring nothing to the table; I'm just a complication. Please, go to her." Madelyn struggled to remove the ring, pulling at it desperately, but it stubbornly refused to come off.
Zach gently grasped her hand to cease her attempts, noting the reddening of her finger. "You can't take this ring off, not in this lifetime," he said.