Chapter 1683:
Still stunned, a warmth stirred inside her—the feeling of being deeply cherished. Now she truly understood what it felt like to be caught off guard by love.
“I was sure my surprise would leave you speechless,” Nate murmured, slipping his fingers between hers. “But after what you did, I started second-guessing myself. Roses speak in more than just colors. Each one says something I’ve been wanting to tell you. So I brought them all home.”
Corrine turned to him, her eyes bright with delight. “No wonder I couldn’t find any roses today. You bought the whole city’s supply.” She had planned to buy him a bouquet, but the florist had told her they were sold out early that morning.
“Now, every single one of them is yours,” Nate said.
Corrine arched an eyebrow, playfully. “Just the roses?”
“I’m yours too.”
“Roses bloom for a season. Do you come with an expiration date?”
“How about a lifetime?”
That night, there was no passionate whirlwind—just the quiet comfort of two hearts resting close, wrapped in each other’s presence. Nate pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, his voice low and tender.
“Goodnight, my love.”
“Goodnight.”
The next morning, sunlight sifted through the thick canopy outside, slipping between the curtains and painting shifting patches of light across the plush carpet.
Corrine stirred awake, blinking against the glow as she stretched with a yawn—only to bump into warm skin behind her. Normally, Nate would have been long out of bed by now.
But seeing him still fast asleep, brow faintly creased, she gently slid his arm off her and reached toward the nightstand for her phone.
galnoνℯls.com is your update source
The grand gestures of love declarations from the night before still dominated online chatter. Now that people had some idea of who Nate was, speculation swirled around the identity of the person who orchestrated these gestures.
As luck would have it, someone had snapped a grainy photo of Corrine and Nate sharing a kiss beneath the tower. The image was unfocused, but the filter over it bathed everything in a soft, cinematic haze.
In the comments, wild guesses flew about Corrine’s identity—and all that buzz dragged a spotlight her way. So, by the time morning rolled around, her phone was already brimming with messages. WhatsApp notifications piled up, most of them digging into her relationship status.
Her engagement to Nate had been quiet, almost deliberately low-key. It hadn’t been for lack of effort on Nate’s part—Corrine simply didn’t like the fuss.
But now, with curious eyes everywhere, Karina jumped at the chance to needle her.
“Sun’s high and you’re still in bed? Must have been a long, long night.”
Corrine clicked on the first voice message, only to have the rest autoplay.
“So, how many rounds did you and Nate go? What was the time per round?”
Her brow twitched hard enough to ache.
Karina was definitely asking to be blocked.
What kind of nonsense was this to wake up to?
In a scramble, Corrine jabbed at the pause button—only for her finger to misfire and trigger repeat instead. The teasing echoed again, a light static hum trailing Karina’s words.
Mortified, Corrine curled her toes under the blanket, her lips pressed into a firm line as she shoved her phone beneath the pillow and went still, straining to hear sounds behind her.
That breathing…
She turned, stiff and slow, meeting Nate’s dark eyes.
He was propped up on one arm, lying on his side, watching her with that smirking glint in his eyes.
Corrine’s throat bobbed. Her smile came out tight, uneven. “M-Morning.”
She tried to leave, flipping the blanket back in one swift move. But before she could swing her legs over, Nate’s arm hooked around her waist and pulled her back into the warmth of the bed.
“What was the time per round?” Nate’s eyes dropped to her, one brow arched, a teasing curve tugging at his lips. His voice dropped to a rich, deliberate drawl, laced with playful seduction. “Any plans on how you’re going to answer that?”
Of course, nothing had happened last night—but no one would believe her if she said so. Especially after all those grand gestures.
Corrine lowered her face, only for Nate to tilt her chin up, gently forcing eye contact. “Why so quiet?”
How was she supposed to answer that? Could someone, anyone, help her out?
With a quick, awkward cough, Corrine used it as cover to push him back. “I’m going to be late for work.”
Nate watched her retreat with amused eyes, and then slowly tossed off the blanket and climbed out of bed, moving with the easy pace of a man entirely unbothered.
At the sink, Corrine was brushing her teeth when Nate stepped in. Instinctively, she moved aside, but he slipped an arm around her, his tall frame crowding close.
As he grabbed his toothbrush, he leaned down and murmured, “Next time, let’s time it.”
She was too stunned to respond.
Time it? Seriously?
This guy didn’t know when to quit. If they ever did time it, he’d run her into the ground.
In a flash, Friday arrived.
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