The press conference finally ended almost an hour later, though the chaos outside the building still hadn't calmed down. Reporters continued shouting questions while security struggled to control the crowd near the entrance. Headlines were already spreading across every screen in the country.
ETHAN DEVEREAUX CONFIRMS MARRIAGE INTENTIONS.
YUNA BLACKWOOD RETURNS TO INDUSTRY UNDER DEVEREAUX COMPANY.
POWER COUPLE SHOCKS MEDIA.
The flashes followed them all the way back to the private underground parking area.
Only when the doors of the black rolls royce finally closed behind them did silence return again.
A deep silence.
The kind that comes after too much noise.
Yuna sat beside Ethan quietly while the driver pulled away from the company building. City lights blurred past the windows while the atmosphere inside the car remained strangely tense.
Not uncomfortable.
Just heavy.
Because Ethan had said something irreversible today.
And Yuna still couldn't fully process it.
For several minutes neither of them spoke.
Ethan looked calm beside her as usual, one hand resting near his watch while his eyes stayed fixed ahead.
Meanwhile Yuna kept replaying the moment in her head.
"Yes."
I intend to marry her.
Finally she turned toward him slowly.
"Ethan."
"Hm?"
"What was that?"
He glanced at her briefly. "What was what?"
Yuna stared at him in disbelief. "Don't act innocent."
"I rarely do."
"At the press conference!" she whispered loudly. "You told the entire world we're getting married!"
"Yes."
"You said it so casually!"
Ethan looked genuinely confused now. "Should I have screamed?"
Yuna stared at him speechlessly for two seconds before covering her face dramatically.
"You're unbelievable."
A faint almost invisible smile appeared at the corner of his lips briefly.
Yuna lowered her hands again before looking at him seriously now.
"Ethan…"
This time her voice softened.
"…why did you say that?"
The atmosphere inside the car changed quietly.
Ethan looked out the window for a moment before answering calmly.
"Because it's true."
Yuna blinked.
"But…" she hesitated softly, "…you told me before that you didn't love me."
His jaw tightened faintly at the reminder.
The memory of that painful night still lingered between them both.
Yuna lowered her gaze slightly. "You said you only wanted me."
Silence.
Then Ethan finally looked toward her fully again.
His grey eyes remained steady on hers.
"Would you leave me if I said I didn't love you?"
The question caught her off guard completely.
Yuna blinked softly.
"What?"
"If I told you right now," Ethan continued quietly, "that I still don't understand love properly… would you leave?"
Yuna stared at him silently for a second.
Then immediately shook her head.
"No."
Ethan's gaze didn't leave hers.
"Why not?"
Yuna's expression softened slowly now.
"Because…" she whispered quietly, "…I will never leave you."
The honesty in her voice filled the car with silence afterward.
Ethan looked at her for a long moment.
Then slowly he exhaled through his nose and leaned back slightly against the seat.
"I thought so."
Yuna frowned faintly. "That's not fair."
"What isn't?"
"You ask dangerous questions calmly."
Ethan ignored that part completely.
Instead his voice lowered slightly.
"I really don't know what love is supposed to feel like."
Yuna's heart slowed hearing the honesty there.
No coldness.
No manipulation.
Just truth.
Ethan looked down briefly at his own hands before continuing.
"I grew up seeing terrible versions of it."
His voice stayed calm, but Yuna could hear the quiet darkness beneath it.
"My father controlled people and called it love." His jaw tightened faintly. "People lied, betrayed each other, hurt each other… and still called it love."
Yuna listened silently.
"So I honestly don't know if what I feel is correct."
The vulnerability in his voice felt unfamiliar.
Rare.
Ethan almost never admitted uncertainty.
Yet here he was.
Confessing something he probably never told anyone before.
Then his eyes lifted back toward her again.
"But what I feel toward you…" he murmured quietly, "…feels different from everything else."
Yuna's chest tightened instantly.
Ethan continued slowly, carefully choosing each word.
"When you disappear, I can't think properly."
Her breathing softened.
"When you cry, I feel angry at the entire world."
His gaze remained fixed entirely on her now.
"When you're hurt, I want to destroy whoever caused it."
Yuna's eyes slowly became watery again.
"And when you smile…" Ethan's voice lowered quieter, "…everything feels calmer."
The car remained silent except for the faint sound of the city outside.
Yuna could barely breathe properly now.
Because Ethan wasn't speaking beautifully.
He wasn't romantic naturally.
But every word sounded terrifyingly real.
"So maybe," he said softly, "this is love."
A tear slipped quietly down Yuna's cheek.
Ethan immediately noticed.
"You're crying again."
"You make me emotional against my will."
"That sounds inconvenient."
Yuna laughed weakly through tears before wiping her eyes.
Then softly—
"You really mean it?"
Ethan stared at her like the answer should've been obvious.
"I don't say things I don't mean."
That was true.
Painfully true.
When Ethan spoke seriously—
He meant every word.
The car slowly stopped near a quiet overlook above the city unexpectedly.
Yuna blinked softly. "Why did we stop?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Instead he opened the door calmly and stepped outside.
Confused, Yuna followed him.
Cool evening air wrapped around them instantly while the massive city stretched below beautifully, glowing beneath endless lights.
The place was quiet.
Private.
Only distant sounds of traffic existed far below.
Yuna watched Ethan carefully now while he stood near the railing silently for a moment.
Then unexpectedly—
He reached inside his coat pocket.
Yuna's heartbeat instantly changed.
Because suddenly his expression looked different.
Serious.
Not business serious.
Something deeper.
Ethan turned toward her fully again.
And before Yuna could even process what was happening—
He stepped closer.
Then slowly lowered himself onto one knee.
Her breath caught completely.
"Ethan…"
The city lights reflected around them beautifully while cold wind moved softly through Yuna's hair.
Meanwhile Ethan looked up at her with an expression she had never fully seen before.
Not cold.
Not guarded.
Just real.
Slowly he pulled out a small black box from his pocket.
Then opened it.
Inside rested a breathtaking diamond ring, the stone reflecting the city lights brilliantly.
Yuna's hands immediately moved to cover her mouth in shock.
Her eyes widened completely.
"Ethan…"
His gaze never left hers.
"I'm not good at this," he admitted quietly.
Yuna's heart ached hearing the honesty in his voice.
"I don't know how normal people propose."
A tiny emotional laugh escaped her immediately through tears.
Ethan continued quietly.
"But I know one thing."
The wind moved softly around them while the entire city glowed below like stars beneath their feet.
"I want you beside me."
Yuna's eyes filled completely now.
"For the rest of my life."
Ethan's voice stayed low, steady, terrifyingly sincere.
"I want to wake up beside you."
Her tears slipped faster now.
"I want to fight with you."
That made her laugh weakly again.
"I want to protect you." His gaze softened slightly. "And I want every version of your future connected to mine."
Yuna could barely breathe.
Because Ethan wasn't promising perfection.
He wasn't promising fairy tales.
He was promising himself.
Completely.
And somehow that meant more.
Then finally—
Holding the ring carefully, Ethan looked directly into her tear-filled eyes and asked softly—
"Will you marry me, Yuna?"
The world seemed to stop completely.
All the pain.
The fighting.
The years together.
The memories.
Everything led here somehow.
Yuna looked at him through tears while smiling helplessly.
And suddenly she remembered—
The little boy in the rain.
The college student silently paying her tuition.
The cold man who never stopped protecting her even when he didn't understand his own feelings.
The person who stayed beside her through every broken moment.
Yuna laughed softly through tears before nodding quickly.
"Yes."
Ethan's expression changed instantly.
Not dramatically.
Not visibly to others maybe.
But Yuna saw it.
Relief.
Real relief.
Then slowly he slipped the ring onto her finger.
It fit perfectly.
Yuna stared at it tearfully before Ethan stood again.
The moment he did, she immediately threw her arms around him tightly.
Ethan caught her instantly against him.
Yuna buried her face into his chest while laughing and crying at the same time.
"You scared me," she whispered emotionally.
"You said yes."
"Obviously I said yes."
A faint quiet laugh escaped him near her hair.
Then Ethan gently lifted her chin upward.
His grey eyes looked warmer than she had ever seen them before.
And softly—
Carefully—
He kissed her beneath the city lights while the engagement ring glittered beautifully between their intertwined hands.