A few minutes later...
Lady Glowen sat on the sofa hugging Lyvana tightly.
"I nearly led you to the wrong man." She pulled back slightly and lifted Lyvana’s chin so their eyes t. "Look at . I want you to know that you were right. You were right to defy and follow your heart."
Lyvana wiped a stray tear from her cheek with the back of her hand.
"I was so focused on my wishes that I forgot what it feels like to truly love soone." She squeezed Lyvana’s hand. "From now on, I won’t stand in your way. You have my word. If Julian makes you happy, then he has my blessing."
Lyvana nodded happily. "Thank you Grandma."
A servant entered with a silver tray. She moved quietly around the room, carefully placing delicate china cups on the table. The sll of fresh light coffee filled the air.
"Does that an..." Lyvana looked excited. "Does that an I get my trust fund?"
"Every coin," Lady Glowen promised. "Use it to build the life you want, not the one I tried to build for you. Consider it my way of making ands for the ti I spent trying to control your future."
"What about the pregnancy?" Damon asked. "I an, we will have to inform Mark at so point, you know."
"The pregnancy is mine," Julian said firmly.
Isabel was so shocked that her hand went limp. Her coffee cup tipped over, splashing hot liquid all over her lap.
"Oh!" Isabel cried out, jumping up as the coffee soaked into her expensive cream skirt. Even though Damon was shocked too, he quickly grabbed a napkin to help her clean the ss.
Lady Glowen’s arms, which had been wrapped around Lyvana so warmly just a mont ago, went stiff. Her eyes moved back and forth between Lyvana and Julian.
She cleared her throat. "What?" she asked.
"It’s mine," Julian repeated calmly. "I’m responsible for her pregnancy."
Lyvana stared at him. She couldn’t believe he said it so easily.
Damon slowly straightened. His eyes narrowing.
"Wait... so when exactly did you two start sleeping together?" Isabel asked.
"That’s the important part to you?" Damon asked eyeing her.
Lyvana felt a rush of heat in her cheeks.
Her grandmother pressed a hand to her chest and sat back down on the sofa.
"Well... thank heavens," she breathed.
Lyvana blinked, confused. "What?"
"At least we don’t have to worry about Mark anymore," Lady Glowen said imdiately.
"It also ans," Isabel said firmly, "that you must marry her as soon as possible. We cannot have a baby born out of wedlock."
"My wife is right," Damon agreed. He looked at Julian with a serious expression. "It has to be handled imdiately."
"You really love him, don’t you?" Lady Glowen asked.
Lyvana looked towards Julian, who gave her a wink. She blushed softly.
"Yes."
Lady Glowen nodded decisively.
"Well, we don’t intend to raise a child in the middle of a scandal." She looked at Julian and Lyvana. "Congratulations, you two. Now, handle this properly."
Julian nodded.
"We can have the official engagent ceremony a week from today," Julian said.
"That sounds like a plan," Damon responded.
"It is customary to accompany a proposal with a ring and a gift."
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, velvet box.
He opened it to show a huge, sparkling diamond ring.
"Lyvana," he said. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Marry , and make the happiest man alive."
Lyvana smiled brightly. "Yes, Julian! Yes!"
The room erupted with cheers. Even Lady Glowen clapped, with a satisfied look on her face.
A few servants unable to contain their curiosity, peeked through the door, whispering in excitent.
Julian reached into his jacket again. This ti, he pulled out a long, slim box.
Everyone gasped when they saw what was inside. It was a custom gold bracelet, sparkling with a stunning display of rare diamonds.
Lyvana gasped, picked it up slowly. The gold felt heavy and warm in her hand.
Isabel, driven by her endless curiosity, snapped a photo of the jewelry and searched for it online.
Her face went pale as she read the results.
"This is the Heart of the Sands," she whispered. "It was a gift from King Solomon to Queen Sheba. It was just auctioned off last month for eighty-one million dollars."
At the door, a servant gasped a little too loudly and scrambled away in fear. The others scattered as well to avoid being caught eavesdropping.
Lady Glowen was a woman who was very hard to surprise. She had spent her entire life surrounded by wealth and had seen the finest jewels in the world.
But this was different. The bracelet was a masterpiece, and she knew it.
Julian carefully slid the heavy gold bracelet onto her arm and pressed a lingering kiss to her knuckles.
"A rare gift, for a rare woman," he said softly.
A faint blush crept across Lyvana’s face.
He had outbid a lot of people just to see it on her hand. She looked perfect.
"Well," Lady Glowen said. "It seems my granddaughter is getting married after all. Isabel, stop staring at the jewelry and go change your skirt. We have a royal engagent to plan."
Isabel looked down at her lap, suddenly rembering the large, brown coffee stain spreading across her expensive cream-colored skirt.
"Right! Yes, of course." She was already up heading towards the hallway.
Damon got up with a smile.
"This calls for a celebration." He walked towards Julian and shook his hand firmly.
"Welco to the family son." Then he leaned in closer. "If you break her heart, I will bury you myself."
....
Back in the city hospital, the mood was very different. Jasmine was having a difficult ti with a patient.
"Take your pants off and spread your legs so I can see," she said calmly.
The man sitting on the hospital bed froze.
He looked at her like he wasn’t sure she was serious.
Wait, what? Was she even a real doctor? Sure, she had the scrubs and gloves. But... how could he take his pants off in front of a woman.
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