Chapter 378 Willing to Be His Wife
Why would he give it to Juniper?
Up close, the cross carried a faint, distinctive scent. The surface was smooth and warm to the touch, polished to a soft luster. Every line of scripture carved into it looked fresh, as if the blade had only just left the wood.
Catherine felt a flicker of unease. "Did Brad see something he can't say out loud? Is Juniper in danger?"
Alexander's voice was calm, reassuring. "Juniper has a dedicated special forces team assigned to her. She'll be fine. As for Brad... maybe it means something else."
"What do you mean?"
Alexander gave a quiet, knowing laugh, his fingers idly playing with hers. "Men understand men. There are things you wouldn't notice, Catherine, and that's normal."
Even someone as detached from the world as Brad still carried the same human emotions as anyone else. The difference was, he kept them locked down, never allowing himself to cross a line.
"Sometimes you should consider this — Brad gave Juniper something. Not just anything, but something deeply precious to him. That says something."
Catherine's eyes narrowed slightly as the thought took shape. "After the earthquake, when he sat in silence for days… he looked much the same as he did just now. So maybe he's made up his mind."
Still uneasy, she picked up her phone and called him.
Brad was silent for a moment, then gave a faint, almost amused sigh. "Catherine, everything that happens is just another chapter in the story I'm meant to live."
She had been about to press him, but the words stalled on her tongue. A man like Brad… nothing could truly deter him.
"Then… just be careful. If anything happens, contact me. The Galactic Aurora Collective will send help immediately."
"Thank you. One or two true friends in life—like you—that's enough for me. Everything else is just scenery along the way. If it comes my way, I'll take it. If not, it was never meant to be."
"You asked me to give the cross to Juniper. Is there something you want her to know? Or is she in danger?"
Brad's voice was steady, without the slightest change in tone. "As long as she has my cross, she'll be safe."
The cross held a piece of his own spirit, enough to shield Juniper from disaster—once.
Catherine hesitated, then asked quietly, "Are you sure you can let it go?"
It wasn't clear if she meant the cross—or someone else.
"There is nothing in this world I can't give away. And nothing I can truly let go of. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Some things… there's no need for Juniper to know. No reason for her to carry that weight."
"Understood."
Catherine wasn't one to pry. She was only asking now because this involved both Juniper and Brad.
When the call ended, Brad powered off his phone, turned his back on Imperia City, and walked away without looking back. The wind caught at his robes, snapping the fabric in sharp, restless bursts.
Catherine lowered her phone, frowning at Alexander. "I've known Brad for years, but this is the first time I've seen him take off that cross."
"Brad probably wants to close that chapter," Alexander said softly. "You should let him."
He was right. Men understood men. In this, Alexander read Brad more clearly than she could.
Catherine nodded, glancing at the cross lying quietly in its box. She closed the lid. If Brad wanted Juniper to have it, she would see it delivered safely.
Alexander's voice was low, almost playful. "Don't worry, Catherine. Some things are just meant to be. Instead of dwelling on this, maybe you should think about… when you want to get engaged to me."
She shot him a sidelong look. "Didn't Brad already choose the dates?"
"He gave me three. I'm still waiting for you to pick."
The Windsor family and the Howard family had both agreed to let Catherine and Alexander decide.
"I'd marry you tomorrow if I could," Alexander admitted with a smile. "But the best date is next spring. The winter one is too cold. You'd freeze in a gown."
Brad's earliest date had been in winter, but Alexander couldn't bring himself to choose it. Catherine was here with him now, and he wanted her to feel nothing less than absolute happiness.
He dropped to one knee before her, producing a ring he had clearly been keeping for some time. His eyes were filled with warmth, a softness that seemed to catch the light.
"It's a little late," he said, "but this is something I've wanted to do for a long time."
Knowing she disliked crowds, he had cleared the restaurant in advance. The only sound was the waltz drifting through the air, violins weaving with the piano in a slow, romantic cadence.
Alexander's expression was solemn, reverent, as if kneeling before a goddess he had worshipped for years, offering her his devotion.
"Catherine, will you marry me? Out of all the people in your life, I want to be the one by your side until the very end.
"My life isn't perfect, but meeting you has made it whole. I love you—will you let me spend forever loving you?"
His voice was low and warm, like the mellow notes of a clarinet in the hush of night, and for some reason it left her faintly dizzy—though she was perfectly sober.
Perhaps it was her silence that made his tension so plain. The man who always seemed in control now had hands that trembled.
Catherine found herself smiling. In moments like this, Alexander was unexpectedly endearing.
"I will. But you didn't need to keep hiding the ring box."
She had noticed it the moment he picked her up for dinner, the way he kept brushing his pocket. When he hugged her earlier, she had guessed exactly what he was hiding. She just hadn't expected a proposal — one so carefully planned.
When she said yes, Alexander's eyes lit up as if the world had just tilted toward him.
He took her hand, kissing the center of her palm with a near-reverent tenderness, pressing his face against it as if he could hold her there forever.
Catherine felt the warmth of his breath, the faint dampness of his joy, as if he had been given something that redeemed him entirely.
A flush of warmth rose in her chest. She traced her fingers along his cheek, the touch tender, intimate. With every moment she spent by his side, his fierce, unyielding warmth seemed to wrap around her more tightly.
Both Alexander and the Windsor family had given her nothing but unwavering devotion.
A spark of mischief lit her eyes. She pulled him to his feet, looping her arms around his neck. "Anything you want to say to me?"
"Thank you… for agreeing to be my wife," he murmured.
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