From You to Another

Felix walked over and handed me a paper bag.

“I was passing by, so I got you something to eat,” he said.

I opened the bag. Inside was a pizza and a cup of coffee. I looked up at him.

“Felix, did you install a surveillance camera on me or something?”

He paused to think about it before replying, “That is illegal.”

“Then how did you know I hadn’t eaten?”

He simply smiled and didn’t answer.

After that, I lowered my head and started eating the pizza, which filled me up. Meanwhile, he stood beside me quietly, not saying a word.

Suddenly, I let out a small laugh.

He glanced at me. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” I said. “I just haven’t laughed like this in a long time.”

He looked into my eyes, his gaze gentle, as if he were afraid of disturbing something fragile, but I didn’t press on.

That night, after I got home, I revised the proposal again for the ninth time. At two in the morning, I submitted it, and by eight the next morning, I received a reply stating its approval.

The project milestone celebration was held in the ballroom of a five-star hotel in the city center. The moment I stepped inside, I heard people whispering nearby.

“Isn’t that Erin? Wasn’t she engaged to Gabriel of the Black family? Why are the Blacks making things difficult for her?”

“I heard the engagement was called off, but no one knows the details.”

“Gabriel’s been bringing Whitney around lately. She looks pretty favored… I bet it won’t be long now.”

The comments drifted into my ears one after another, but my face remained completely expressionless.

At exactly eight o’clock, Whitney entered the ballroom with her arm linked through Gabriel’s. She was wearing a red evening gown that complemented her fair skin and delicate features. She was glowing. Gabriel, on the other hand, stood beside her in a sharp suit, a polite smile resting on his face.

Someone finally worked up the courage to ask, “Gabriel, we heard that the engagement between you and the Stone family has been canceled. Is that true?”

Every gaze immediately turned toward Gabriel and then toward me. Gabriel was just about to speak when I set down my wine glass.

“It’s true,” I said. “The engagement between the Black and Stone families has been canceled.”

The entire room erupted. Gabriel’s expression sank as he stared at me, but I met his gaze without a hint of emotion.

Suddenly, he laughed and wrapped an arm around Whitney’s waist. Then, right in front of everyone, he lowered his head and kissed her. Whitney froze at first, but the delight eventually spread across her face, and she wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him back.

Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd. When the kiss ended, Gabriel lifted his head and looked straight at me.

“Miss Stone is right,” he said. “The engagement between the Black and Stone families has been canceled. The person I’m going to marry now is her.”

The room erupted into chaos.

Whitney’s eyes reddened with excitement as she clung tightly to his arm, practically leaning into him. However, Gabriel didn’t look at her as his eyes stayed fixed on me. He was waiting to see my reaction, waiting for me to crack, but my expression never changed.

I was just about to speak when a voice suddenly sounded from behind me.

“What a coincidence.”

I turned around to see that Felix had stepped out from the crowd, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, and was walking toward me. His gaze passed through everyone in the room and settled on my face. Then, he stopped in front of me, reached out, and took my hand.

Lifting his head, he looked at Gabriel and then at everyone in the room.

“I’m going to marry her.”