The sudden commotion caused by Giulia's muffled squeals instantly drew the eyes of nearby diners. A chorus of soft gasps and knowing smiles rippled through the ambient dining room as patrons took in the dramatic scene.
To them, it was the picture-perfect image of a breathtakingly handsome young man pouring his heart out to his overwhelmed, camera-shy lover.
"Oh, come on, don't make the young man beg!" an elderly woman in a floral cardigan called out teasingly from a corner booth, fanning herself with a leather menu.
Giulia's eyes widened behind her hands, and in sheer self-defense, she brought her other hand up, burying her face in a double-handed shield of despair.
"You can tell he's just dying to start his little family!" another old woman sitting beside the first busybody chimed in, leaning forward to yell loudly across the room. "Hey, little girl! You better accept his proposal right now! Don't think I won't come up there and snatch your young man up myself!"
A wave of light laughter rippled through the surrounding tables. The tips of Giulia's ears burned a furious, violent shade of red at the suggestive, affectionate teasing from the patrons.
To her absolute horror, Beau's deep, velvety voice smoothly joined the peanut gallery.
"Grandma," he said, his tone dripping with long-suffering, affectionate resignation as he looked over his shoulder at the cheering elderly women. "What can I do? My future wife loves when I cajole and pet her. She makes me go through hell just to please her, but I would walk through fire without shoes for this woman."
For a brief second, Giulia's defensive composure slipped. A soft, indignant scoff escaped her lips into her palms. She lowered her hands just enough to peek over her fingers, catching the terrifyingly innocent, earnest expression painted across his sharp face.
Then, with agonizing slowness, he popped the brass latch of the black velvet box.
She opened her mouth to snap at him, but her breath caught violently in her throat.
The diamond sitting inside the plush black slot was staggering.
It wasn't merely large, it was ridiculous. An oval-cut monster set on a platinum band paved with tiny diamonds, it caught the soft, amber glow of the restaurant's chandeliers and scattered the light across the white tablecloth in brilliant, blinding prisms, bright enough to make her squint.
Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Nothing in the universe could convince her otherwise: Beau knew she was faking her amnesia. He knew every single piece of her delicate, vengeful lie, and he was using a multi-carat diamond like a crowbar to pry her mask right off her face.
She stared down at the blinding gem.
Then at Beau's unreadable, handsome face.
Then back at the sparkling monstrosity in the box.
"This..." Her voice completely failed her, cracking into a dry whisper.
Beau's expression softened into something dangerously tender, the sharp edges of his corporate persona melting away into the warm candlelight.
"We have been together two years, I wanted this to be perfect," he murmured, ensuring his voice carried only to her.
Giulia froze, her pupils dilating as she stared at him. It dawned on her then just how dangerous this man could be.
"I was going to do this properly," he continued, his thumb gently brushing the soft edge of the velvet box. "Because I knew... from the very first time I saw you sitting in that conference room."
Giulia couldn't breathe. The air in her lungs felt like pure lead.
"I had a whole plan," Beau gave a low, quiet laugh that sounded almost self-deprecating. "I thought I'd take you somewhere completely private. Somewhere by the ocean. I'd ask you properly. I'd give you all the time in the world to think it over."
He paused, the teasing amusement vanishing from his gaze, replaced by an intense, dark sincerity that made her blood run cold. He looked directly into her eyes, stripping away every layer of sarcasm between them.
"But I'm afraid that if I waste any more time..." He swallowed, his jaw tightening slightly. "...I might lose you."
The quiet words struck somewhere raw and deep inside her chest.
Giulia sat frozen, her mind spinning out of control. She honestly didn't know what frightened her more: the sheer value of the ring, the absurdity of the public proposal, or the terrifying, undeniable current of genuine sincerity echoing in his voice despite it being all a big fat lie.
Nothing would have been more satisfying for Giulia at that exact moment than to scream in his face about his lie, throw a small, dramatic tantrum, and march right out of the restaurant.
It almost felt tragically funny. Her cold, untouchable billionaire boss was kneeling on the carpet in front of her, surrounded by cheering strangers, daring her to call his bluff.
Her eyes hardened with sudden, fiery determination.
If Beau Orsini was truly ready to take this game to the extreme, then she would ride it all the way to the bitter end. He wanted to push her into a corner? He wanted to play the ultimate game of chicken? He wanted to fake-marry her to teach her a lesson or protect his brother's mess?
Well then. Say hello to Mrs. Orsini.
Yet, underneath the heat of her anger, a sharp realization of just how far these wealthy, arrogant brothers were willing to go infuriated her.
It made her want to bring them down to a level where their power could not protect them. But despite the reckless rage surging through her veins, A tiny voice in the back of her head kept screaming a desperate warning.
You're veering off course.
She wasn't supposed to draw attention. She wasn't supposed to make waves. Staying invisible, staying quiet, staying unremarkable, that was the precise survival strategy that had kept her alive and hidden from Trevor's dangerous reach for years.
Accidental publicity, grand romantic gestures, marrying into the high tiers of Lumia City society... this wasn't just breaking the mold. It was shattering her protective armor with a sledgehammer.
As if calling her back from a whole other universe, Giulia felt Beau reach out and grasp her trembling hand.
His broad, warm fingers wrapped firmly around her cold ones, sending a sudden jolt of electricity racing straight up her arm.
"Giulia," he whispered, his dark eyes locking onto hers with absolute authority.
"Marry me."
Her heart stopped dead in her chest.
For one terrible, bewildering moment, the entire world fell away. She forgot about Finn. She forgot about his side piece, her bestie Abby.
She forgot about the ridiculous lie she had spun in the hospital room. All she could see was Beau, the dark intensity in his gaze, the steady warmth of his hand, and the magnificent ring he claimed he had bought months ago.
Giulia's mind raced at a breakneck speed, calculating the branching pathways of her trap.
If she said yes, the lie would instantly warp into something terrifyingly real. She would be bound to a powerful, dangerous man who saw right through her defenses.
If she said no, she would have to construct a sudden, logical explanation for why a "deeply in love, amnesiac girlfriend" would reject the proposal of her dreams in public.
And if she hesitated for even a second too long... Beau would finally step in, call her bluff, and pull the rug out from under her feet once and for all.
Her fingers trembled uncontrollably inside his warm palm.
Beau noticed. Of course he noticed. He noticed everything she tried so desperately to hide.
His dark eyes narrowed slightly, a subtle shift of suspicion creeping into his features. "Why are you shaking?" he asked softly, his voice cutting through the noise of the applauding restaurant.
Giulia forced a brilliant, sweet, completely fake smile onto her face, tilting her head with practiced innocence. "I'm... I'm just surprised."
Beau searched her face, completely unfazed by her dazzling performance. "Is that really all?"
She looked down at the blinding diamond one last time. Then she looked back into his sharp, piercing eyes.
"Beau..." she breathed softly.
His expression remained unnaturally calm, completely impassive to the onlookers waiting for her answer. But beneath the table, out of sight of the cheering patrons, his warm grip tightened around her trembling hand, not enough to hurt, but just enough to signal that he wasn't letting her go.
"Think very carefully, Giulia," he warned in a quiet, dangerous murmur.
Giulia's heart pounded violently against her ribs. Because in the deep, quiet corners of her mind, she had a horrible, inescapable feeling that whatever word spilled out of her mouth next would alter the course of her life forever.