Chapter 101 Back to Work So Soon?
Bella and Edward's vacation finally came to an end. After one marvelous week spent in sunny Hawaii and enjoying each other's company, they boarded the flight to Los Angeles. Bella wore a colorful halter dress with a wide hemline and a pair of lace-up medium-heeled espadrilles, which she bought for a mere $25 from a local stall. She thought it was worth it and purchased it along with a small straw bag embellished with a tiny woven red flower. Her naturally thick wavy curls fell over her shoulders like a cascade, and a strand of hair was pinned behind her ear, secured with a red flower hairpin of exaggerated size.
Her natural fair skin had turned a beautiful light wheat color from a constant amount of sun exposure, exuding a healthy sun-kissed hue, enhancing her natural beauty. Her now tanned skin paired extremely well with her light brown pupils, making them deeper and mysterious. The slightly slanting eyes also gave her the appearance of a cat from Ancient Egypt.
Bella was fiddling with the big engagement ring, and she could not stop smiling. Not too long ago, she was gifted that ring by her dear husband.
On the morning of the return trip, Edward rushed Bella out of bed early under the pretext that they would miss the flight because of traffic. And so, they arrived at the airport an hour earlier than they were supposed to be. As soon as Bella stepped onto the plane, she was genuinely surprised to find that there were still no other passengers besides them. But the sight awaiting her made her jaw drop; every single seat of the entire plane was filled with roses. She stood staring in amazement at the hundreds before her eyes and for a few good minutes, she was rendered utterly speechless.
"Edward, what is-what is th-this???" she took a deep breath to regain her composure and did a pivotal flip to face Edward, who was standing behind her. But little did she know what was awaiting her. Edward was holding a single dark red rose, kneeling on one knee, and looking at her with loving eyes. She gasped and clasped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening with genuine surprise.
"Will you marry me, Bella?" Edward asked, his tone was extremely tender.
Bella felt her knees going weak. With happy tears in her eyes, she flashed Edward a huge smile and did her best to restrain herself from looking too excited. "Yes, I will," she cried. She bent her knees and took the rose with both hands. A crystal tear streamed down Bella's face and landed on the petal of the flower.
Edward, still in a kneeling position, smiled and took out a ring box from his pocket. He opened the box and inside was placed an exquisite emerald ring. The stone was clear and bright, a world away from the usual goods circulating in the market. Even a jewelry amateur could tell at a single glance that it was high quality and luxurious piece of jewelry.
"This is a family heirloom from my mother's family, handed down from generation to generation since the 18th century. My great-grandmother, grandmother and my mother all wore it at their weddings, and now I solemnly give this ring to you, Bella, my mate, my Luna," Edward gently slid the ring onto Bella's ring finger and kissed her on the back of her hand.
Bella, long moved to tears, pulled him up gently and put her hands around his waist, hugging him tightly. Her head was pressed against his chest, and she could hear his rapid heartbeat, which showed how excited he was at the moment.
"Oh, I thought you had forgotten about this. Every day for the past week, I was expecting you to propose to me, but you didn't, and I gradually lost all hope. I swear I didn't expect you to give me such a big surprise. I'm touched beyond words. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Edward!" Bella said, she managed to squeeze the words out of her mouth despite feeling a lump in her throat.
"Ha-ha. Darling, I will never let you down. You can count on me, always and forever," Edward gently stroked her hair and said with a loving smile.
Throughout the entire journey, Bella had a big smile on her face as she basked in the joy of being proposed to. Edward's face also shone with the same happiness. If he could, he would have liked time to stand still in that precious, one-of-a-lifetime moment.
A few hours later, they reached Los Angeles and neither of them had slept a wink. Bella was on cloud nine and Edward was just happy to see his beloved wife that excited. They took a cab back home.
"Wow! I can't believe it. One whole week has gone by so quickly and we're already back home!" Bella exclaimed excitedly as she walked to the door of the house.
She walked into the house and carefully examined every corner and every item. Ah, how she had missed them so much. Several days ago, she had been experiencing countless nightmares in this house, but now, she felt differently, as if equipped with newfound courage. The cool Hawaiian sea breeze and the radiant sun had brightened her spirits, soothed her, and she was herself again. All the anxieties, fears and insecurities had been swept away, and all that was left was peace and love.
After dinner, Bella told Edward about her intention to go back to work the next day.
"Why? The president has granted you a month's leave, and less than ten days have passed. You don't need to rush back. Enjoy the rest of your vacation. If you have anything you want to do or places you want to go, just let me know and I shall accompany you," Edward said sincerely.
"Oh, thank you so much, my dear. I'm touched that you've done all this for me. But this vacation cost more than we originally planned; you chartered a whole plane, you booked a fancy hotel room, and all this money needs to be earned back from work," Bella took Edward's hand and said seriously, "I know your friend gave you an advance on your salary, enough to pay for our trip. But we have a wedding to prepare for, and I want to get back to work to earn the funds for it. What do you say?"
"Aw, honey! I understand, and I fully support you. But the vacation you enjoyed is paid for, and you don't need to rush back to work just yet. There's still time..." Edward said with a smile.
"I know. The president is overly generous. For this kind of benefit, I can't enjoy it at ease. I want to be able to earn money with my own labor, not rely on the mercy of others," Bell said with a little laugh.
Knowing that Bella was a very strong-willed and strong-minded person, Edward eventually stopped persuading her. "You are right. Then I shall also go to work tomorrow. By the way, my friend's company is only two blocks away from Skytel, let's leave together, shall we?" he asked, a wide grin spread across his face.