AJ smiled as she asked him to walk the gardens.
"I would be honoured."
It was a simple reply, one spoken with ease, but it carried weight beyond mere politeness. The moment felt suspended in time, wrapped in the kind of poised grace that accompanied all things Evelyn. He offered his arm, which she accepted without hesitation, her hand settling into the crook of his elbow. Together, they stepped out through the grand front doors, turning left into the soft hush of the gardens, the house behind them falling away like a backdrop dimmed between acts.
Daniel hadn't been exaggerating when he'd mentioned how much the gardens had changed. There was a quiet transformation in every corner. The once-dormant rose beds had erupted into full bloom - lush and fragrant, the colours bold yet delicate, demanding attention without being brash. AJ let his gaze trail over the neat hedgerows and winding paths, noting the fresh gravel laid beneath their feet. Further down the path, a pond shimmered in the late afternoon light, its surface occasionally disturbed by the graceful ripple of a koi or the idle drift of a lily pad. It had clearly been a labour of love - something carefully designed, curated, and allowed to flourish in a way that mirrored the estate itself.
As they walked in unspoken rhythm, AJ found himself glancing at her from the corner of his eye, taking in the way the light seemed to frame her like a portrait. There was no denying the magnetic pull he felt in her presence, one that had existed since they were much younger, though neither had dared to give it shape back then. Now, though, the unspoken tension between them had begun to hum with new energy - matured, tempered, and sharpened by the passage of time. He let the silence stretch for a moment longer before breaking it with an amused, deliberately provocative question.
"So tell me, Evelyn, how many suitors did you have to endure before I came back?"
The words were laced with levity, wrapped in a veneer of playful jealousy, but beneath them stirred something more complex. He knew she would understand that - it wasn't so much an inquiry as it was a statement, a subtle nod to the truth they both understood. The attraction between them wasn't a flicker; it was a slow-burning certainty that had refused to extinguish, despite years apart and the obstacles set before them. The question, cheeky as it sounded, was a quiet stake in the ground. A way of acknowledging the reality of her world and its expectations, while also daring to place himself within it.
They both knew, of course, that desire alone was never enough - not here, not in the society they belonged to. Attraction, even when mutual, had little currency unless it came with the right signatures, the right alliances. Love, in their world, was often the final consideration, not the first. And that knowledge had always haunted AJ, even when he was younger. It was part of why he had left. He had wanted to build something that was his own, on his own terms. Something that would allow him to return not as a hopeful dreamer, but as a man worthy of a seat at the table.
His own family, once tarnished and fragmented by scandal and decline, no longer existed in any meaningful form. He was all that remained. But instead of letting that be a weight, he had turned it into freedom. He had rebuilt the family business from the ground up - not through deceit or exploitation, but with patience, honour, and a kind of quiet ambition that didn't scream for attention. The trading company now stood on a foundation of integrity and mutual respect, both domestically and overseas. It reflected the man he had become, and the values he wanted to live by - not just in business, but in life.
Daniel had made his approval clear. His support was vocal and enthusiastic, and AJ appreciated it more than he could say. Daniel understood what this was, understood what AJ's intentions were. But Evelyn's mother - now that was a different matter entirely. The confrontation with her the night before had been tense, though not without its moments of civility. She was a formidable woman, sharp-eyed and unflinching in her role as gatekeeper to her daughter's future. And rightly so. Evelyn wasn't just any heiress - she was the product of generations of precision, legacy, and power. Her life had been charted with purpose. The sudden reappearance of a man like AJ - an outlier who had once disappeared from this world entirely - was bound to raise suspicion.
But he didn't flinch from her scrutiny. He welcomed it, in truth. Because he had nothing to hide. He wanted Evelyn's mother to see what he had built. To know that he didn't come crawling back in hopes of being saved by marriage or connection, but rather, that he returned because Evelyn mattered. Because she had always mattered. And because whatever came next - whether an engagement or another long wait - he was willing to face it all.
As they walked the garden paths, he hoped Evelyn's mother would come to see what her daughter already sensed: that AJ wasn't just some ghost from the past. He was a man shaped by hardship, rebuilt by resolve, and perhaps, just perhaps, worthy of a future with the woman walking beside him.
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