Chapter 452
No.1
He raised his hand. The butterfly settled on his fingertip, its wings bursting into radiant light that coalesced into a velvet jewelry box.
Silence held the room.
Evelyn's breath caught.
She'd never imagined...
Dared not guess what lay inside.
Dared not anticipate what came next.
She'd once envisioned countless proposal scenes—always in solitude, him quietly sliding a ring onto her finger.
No.2
Later, she stopped dreaming, content just to remain by his side.
In her lowest moments, she'd only begged him not to cast her aside...
Alexander cradled the box in his left palm, his right hand lifting slowly.
Evelyn recognized the motion.
He stepped forward.
Next would come the kneel, the opened box—
"Madeline Kingsley! Call an ambulance!"
No.3
A scream shattered the silence.
Eleanor Kingsley's frantic voice followed: "Stay calm! Fetch the doctor first!"
Simultaneously, Sophie collapsed heavily against Evelyn's arm...
"Sophie!" Evelyn Sinclair caught her collapsing sister.
The lively young girl who had been bouncing around moments ago now lay limp in her arms like a broken marionette.
Alexander Kingsley strode forward, gathering Sophie securely in his strong arms. "Call the doctor."
"But your grandmother—"
No.4
News of Madeline Kingsley's sudden illness had just arrived. As the heir, Alexander should rush to her side immediately.
"Grandmother has enough attendants." Alexander carried Sophie swiftly toward the elevator. "She needs medical attention first. Call an ambulance if necessary."
Evelyn hesitated only a moment before following.
Sophie's eyes fluttered open before the doctor arrived.
She blinked in confusion like a lost fawn. "Sister? What happened?"
Alexander settled her on the lounge sofa. Evelyn checked her forehead—no fever.
"Probably exhaustion." After years of hospitalization, the bustling banquet had drained Sophie's energy.
No.5
The arriving doctor confirmed this. All vitals indicated a brief fainting spell with no serious concerns.
"Go check on your grandmother. I'll stay with Sophie." Evelyn couldn't leave, but she wouldn't keep Alexander either.
His dark eyes held hers for several silent seconds before nodding. "Call me immediately if anything changes."
The unopened ring box still weighed heavily in his suit pocket.
"Sister...did I cause trouble?" Sophie asked timidly after Alexander left.
"Of course not." Evelyn smoothed her hair.
Sophie had unwittingly done her a favor. Had Alexander actually proposed, how would she have responded?
No.6
Yet Madeline Kingsley's "sudden illness" proved equally timely. That exaggerated shriek had unmistakably belonged to Isabella Winslow.
Naturally, she wouldn't sit idle while Alexander proposed.
Or was it even a proposal?
Evelyn leaned back beside Sophie, closing her eyes. An unopened box could contain anything—perhaps her missing butterfly brooch?
Had he found it? Was this his way of returning it? Why else use a holographic butterfly as delivery?
"The butterflies tonight were beautiful," Sophie murmured. "Lord Alex treats you so well."
Evelyn chuckled. "This counts as 'treating me well'?"
No.7
Children saw the world simply. Alexander's past neglect was easily erased by one grand gesture. How cheaply men could atone.
Her phone buzzed—Eleanor Kingsley calling.
"Evelyn, I heard about Sophie? Is she alright?"
"She's fine now. How's Grandmother?"
"Grandmother..." Eleanor hesitated strangely. "Could you come to the banquet hall?"
"Now?"
"Yes. If inconvenient, take Sophie to the hospital first—" Her tone turned odd.