CHAPTER 223: THE SYMPHONY OF US [III]

The world was still golden around us when the first sound broke through—two pairs of hands clapping in sync.

Startled, I turned toward the sound.

"Bravo," Aria’s voice rang out, delighted and proud all at once. "Absolutely nailed it."

My head whipped toward the shadows. Out from behind the hedges came Aria, her curls bouncing, grin wide as she strode forward like she owned the moment. Cameron followed at a slower pace, hands shoved in his pockets, pretending he wasn’t deeply invested but failing miserably.

I blinked, wide-eyed, tears still streaking down my cheeks. "A—Aria? I thought you said you had that family meeting tonight?"

Aria swept in and hugged me tight, laughing into my shoulder. "That’s no way to talk to the person who basically co-directed your proposal, sweet cheeks." She pulled back just enough to see my shocked face and smirked. "What, you thought Mr. Tall, Dark, and Repressed here planned all this by himself? Please. He needed me."

"What—you’ve known about this all along?!" my voice cracked, fresh tears spilling down my cheeks.

"Since day one," she said proudly, giving Adrien a wink. "Some of us are excellent secret-keepers. Unlike certain spreadsheets-in-human-form over there."

Cam bristled at her jab but looked mostly amused. Adrien turned to him, his arm wrapping possessively around my waist. "You captured everything?"

Cameron held up a medium size camera like a badge of honor. "From the petals to the yes. All angles secured. She’s going to cry all over again when she sees it."

I turned back to Adrien, my heart lurching all over again. "You..." I breathed, staring at him like he’d hung the constellations himself. "This man."

"Okay!" Aria clapped her hands together, bouncing on her toes. "Enough swooning. Picture time!"

She darted toward Cam, snatching the camera out of his hand with practiced ease. "Step aside, spreadsheet boy. I’m sure you couldn’t frame romance if your life depended on it."

Cameron grumbled, reluctantly relinquishing the expensive piece of equipment. "Just try to keep your thumb off the lens this time, Chaos Coordinator."

"Oh, hush, you," Aria chirped, already squinting through the viewfinder. "Art requires a delicate touch, something you wouldn’t understand." She waved a dismissive hand. "Okay, lovebirds! Let’s get the shot. Adrien, hand on her waist. Bella, left hand on his chest. Yes, like that! Let the rock get its moment in the spotlight!"

I was laughing through my tears, a dizzying, joyful sound that felt foreign and wonderful in my own ears. I did as I was told, my hand trembling as I placed it over Adrien’s heart. His own hand settled on the small of my back, a warm, solid pressure that anchored me to the spinning world. He wasn’t looking at the camera. He was only looking at me, his eyes full of a fierce, possessive adoration that made my knees weak all over again.

"Okay, now look at each other like you’re about to devour one another," Aria commanded.

"That," Adrien murmured, his voice a low rumble just for me, "requires no acting whatsoever." He dipped his head, his lips brushing my temple, and I shuddered with the pure, unadulterated bliss of it all.

"Perfect! Hold it!" Aria clicked away, the shutter a rapid-fire punctuation to the orchestra’s soft melody. Cameron, for his part, leaned against a marble statue, arms crossed, a small, genuine smile playing on his lips.

We moved through a series of poses under Aria’s enthusiastic direction—foreheads together, a soft kiss, Adrien lifting me in a triumphant spin that sent the scattered peony petals swirling around our feet. With every click of the camera, the reality of it sank deeper. This was real. This man, this ring, this impossible, perfect night—it was all mine.

For a moment, as Adrien set me back on my feet, his hands lingering at my waist, a wave of dizziness washed over me. I swayed, my hand flying to my stomach instinctively before I caught myself and pressed it to my head instead.

"Whoa, you okay?" Adrien’s smile vanished, replaced by instant concern. He steadied me, his grip gentle but firm.

"Just..." I took a shaky breath, forcing a laugh. "Just overwhelmed. In the best possible way. I think my heart is trying to beat its way out of my chest."

He relaxed, his thumb stroking my cheek. "I know the feeling."

"Alright, that’s a wrap on the sappy stuff," Aria announced, lowering the camera. "I have enough material to make Cameron cry for a week."

"I don’t cry," Cameron stated flatly. "I have seasonal allergies. Which includes your rudeness and attack towards me."

Aria sniffed disdainfully, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "My presence is a gift, Cameron. You should be so lucky to have such a refined allergy."

Adrien chuckled, pulling me closer into his side. "Thank you. Both of you. For everything."

"Of course," Aria beamed. "Now, I believe phase two of the operation is about to commence?"

Dinner followed — a candlelit spread on the terrace overlooking the garden. Conversation wove between teasing and heartfelt, Aria occasionally dabbing her eyes when she thought no one noticed, Cam grumbling good-naturedly about being sidelined in the planning. Adrien said little, but his hand never left mine, his thumb tracing circles over my skin as though grounding me there, reminding me this was real.

When the night wound down, Aria kissed my cheek with damp lashes and a sniffled, "You deserve all this, Bella," before dragging Cameron out with her.

The silence that settled was profound, a stark contrast to the whirlwind of the last hour. It wasn’t empty, but full—humming with the unspoken promises that now hung in the air between us. The fairy lights cast long, dancing shadows across the manicured lawns, making the world feel both vast and impossibly small, shrinking until it contained only the two of us.

Adrien led me by the hand, away from the terrace and back toward the heart of the garden, to the very spot where he had knelt. The peony petals were still scattered on the flagstones like blush-colored confetti. He stopped under an alcove of weeping willows, their silver-green leaves brushing the ground like a curtain, and turned to face me.

"Is it too much?" he asked quietly, his voice laced with a vulnerability I’d rarely heard. He gestured vaguely at the lights, the lingering scent of champagne, and the sheer, breathtaking scale of it all. "I worried it would be."

I reached up, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw. The diamond on my finger caught the light, sending a splinter of brilliance across his skin. "It was... everything," I whispered. "It was a fairy tale. But Adrien, you didn’t have to do all this."

A slow, serious smile touched his lips. He captured my hand, bringing my knuckles to his mouth for a soft kiss. "Yes, I did," he said, his gaze intense, unwavering. "Because for a man who has everything, the only thing that ever mattered was you. I needed the setting to be worthy of the question."

My throat tightened, a fresh wave of emotion threatening to overwhelm me again. This man, with his carefully constructed walls and his fiercely private heart, had torn it all open for me. He hadn’t just proposed; he had offered me every piece of himself.

He pulled me flush against him, his other hand splaying across the small of my back before sliding lower, resting for a moment just above my hip.