Page 145 of Claimed By The Other Brother

"Just point me in the right direction."

She hesitates, then gestures down a corridor.

"Her office is that way. Third door on the left."

I don't wait for permission. I walk. Heads turn as Ipass. People staring. Whispering. I hear my name murmured in cubicles. I don't care. I reach Scarlett's office. The door is open, but she's not inside. I turn, scanning the floor. Then I see her; she's walking down a long corridor, a coffee cup in her hand, looking down at her phone. She hasn't seen me yet.

I wait.

Within a second, she looks up and her eyes find mine. She stops abruptly, freezing mid-step. The coffee cup wobbles in her hand.

"Dax?" Her voice carries across the distance.

"How are you—what are you doing here in my office? What happened?"

People are watching now. The entire floor seems to have gone quiet. I walk toward her, my heart pounding so hard I can barely hear anything else. My ears are numb. My hands are shaking. When I'm a few feet away, I stop. Then I get down on one knee.

Scarlett's eyes go wide. Her coffee cup slips from her hand, hitting the floor. Coffee spills across the carpet, but neither of us moves.

"Dax, what are you—"

"Let me talk," I say. "Please."

She nods, tears already forming in her eyes.

I take a breath. "Scarlett, from the moment I saw you standing in that hotel, heartbroken and alone, I knew something had shifted in my world. You were supposed to be my brother's bride. But I couldn't stop thinking about you. Couldn't stop wanting you. Couldn't stopseeing you as the most extraordinary woman I'd ever met."

Her hand covers her mouth.

"I told myself it was just attraction. Just chemistry. But it was more than that. It was the way you challenged me. The way you didn't let me intimidate you. The way you looked at me like I was more than just a name or a company. You saw me, Scarlett. Really saw me. And I fell in love with you."

Someone gasps behind us. I don't look. I keep my eyes on Scarlett.

"I know the timing is terrible. I know everything is complicated. I know you're scared. But I also know that I can't live without you. I don't want to live without you. And this baby—our baby—is proof that we were meant to find each other."

I reach into my pocket and pull out the velvet box. Open it. The diamond catches the light. Massive. Brilliant. The kind of ring that makes a statement. Gasps echo around us. I hear someone whisper,

"Oh my God, look at the size of that thing."

Scarlett's mouth falls open.

"I bought this ring a month ago," I tell her.

"I knew you were the one already. I was just too resistant to admit what was obvious. Too scared to let myself feel something this powerful. But I'm not scared anymore."

Tears stream down her face.

"Scarlett Bradford, will you marry me? Will you build a life with me? Will you let me spend the rest of my daysproving that you're the best thing that ever happened to me?"

The office is completely silent. Everyone watching. Waiting. Scarlett looks at me, then at the ring, then back at me.

"Yes," she whispers.

"What?"

"Yes!" She says it louder now, laughing through her tears.

"Yes, I'll marry you."