Chapter 191 I really thought I had a chance with you
Instead of reaching for the ring, she leaned forward and took the bouquet from Leon’s hands, holding it carefully as if that had been the intention all along. “They’re really beautiful,” she said softly, giving him a small, controlled smile before gently helping him back to his feet.
Leon blinked, clearly thrown off, confusion flashing across his face as he tried to process her response.
“Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!”
The noise pressed in on her from every side, making it harder to breathe, harder to think straight.
And Corvine… just stood there. Not because he didn’t care, but because even he didn’t seem to know how to step in without making things worse.
Voren.
“Uh… sorry, I know this is a bad time,” he started, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, “but this is urgent, and we kind of need the most important thing you haven’t given us yet.”
Seraphine blinked, then let out a quiet breath as she pressed her fingers against her temple, frustration mixing with relief. “Right… I’m sorry. I’ll need a laptop for that.”
Seraphine turned back to Leon, her expression softening with genuine apology. “I’m really sorry… we’ll talk about this, okay?” she said, her tone gentle but firm enough to create distance. Then she lifted the bouquet slightly with a faint smile. “And thank you for the flowers. I really do love them.”
The excitement drained from the crowd, replaced with visible disappointment as cameras slowly lowered and murmurs spread. The moment they had all been waiting for slipped right through their fingers.
“Honestly… so did I,” Stanley admitted, glancing sideways at Voren with a knowing look. “He reminded me just in time.”
Because if he hadn’t, she might have said yes just to avoid humiliating Leon.
Seraphine parted her lips to respond, but before she could get a word out, Voren grabbed Stanley by the arm and pulled him away without a single explanation.
It was so rare, so quick, that it made her pause, her brows pulling together slightly as she tried to make sense of it.
Seraphine frowned as she slipped into the seat, her grip tightening slightly on the bouquet. “You know me better than that,” she said, her voice colder than before, carrying a finality that left no room for misunderstanding. “There’s no space in my life for that kind of love anymore.”
But another part of him wasn’t so sure what that meant for him.
Leon.
“Sera… can we talk?”
She stepped out, closing it behind her as she followed him a short distance toward his car, giving them just enough privacy without completely disappearing from view.
Seraphine forced a small smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m sorry, Leon, and please don’t do something like that again,” she said gently but firmly. “We were fake dating, and I don’t think I ever gave you a reason to believe I wanted something like marriage.”
For someone like him, rejection wasn’t something he was used to, especially not from the one person he had taken seriously above everyone else.
Leon nodded slowly, taking that in, even if it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “I appreciate you being honest,” he said after a moment, then his gaze sharpened slightly. “But tell me something, what exactly is going on between you and Mr. Ashkael?” He asked, like he knew something she didn’t.