"Sir, Olivia and all four kidnappers directly involved in both attacks—hired by her—were apprehended this morning on a private island in the Philippines. Joint operation between local police and Interpol. The evidence we provided is airtight. Extradition proceedings are already underway. Also, the Carter family's last core assets were officially seized by the banks this morning. Key family members are facing multiple investigations for commercial fraud and aiding a fugitive. They're barred from leaving the country."
Which meant Olivia and her family were finished. No coming back from this.
I gripped the phone, my gaze falling on Natalie as she bent to kiss our son's forehead, a tender smile curving her lips. Sunlight danced on her lashes. The scene was almost too beautiful to be real. The news coming through the phone felt like the last dark cloud being ripped away by the wind, revealing endless blue sky behind it.
"Got it," I said curtly. "Stay on top of the legal proceedings. I want maximum sentences. All of them."
I hung up and walked to the car, opening the door for Natalie. She settled in with the baby, then looked up at me. "Who was that? Everything okay?"
"David. Just tying up some loose ends." I wasn't about to mention Olivia. That name had caused enough misunderstandings between us. I slid in beside Natalie and shut the door.
The car pulled smoothly away, heading for Blackwood Manor.
"It's done," I added, taking her hand where it rested on her knee. "We're going home."
Natalie studied me, as if reading something in my too-even tone and the sharpness not quite gone from my eyes. But she didn't press. Just squeezed my hand back, nodded gently, and leaned her head against my uninjured shoulder, closing her eyes. "It's good to be going home, Richard."
The Golden VoiceAwards ceremony crept closer day by day. Natalie's body recovered quickly under careful care. She wasn't quite back to pre-pregnancy form yet, but color had returned toher cheeks, and that familiar bright spark reignited in her eyes. She split her time between the nursery and the home office, cramming parenting knowledge while working remotely with Emma and the music team on her comeback single and... her acceptance speech for the awards.
She really wouldn't let me help write the speech. Even though she'd said I'd be her first audience, Natalie wouldn't even show me her draft. Every time I asked, she'd say, "Richard, turns out I have a gift for writing acceptance speeches. God, you're going to be blown away."
Me, blown away? No. Natalie was going to be blown away.
Because I planned to propose to her that night.
I owed Natalie a proposal. As for the ring, I'd had it ready for a while. Actually, the night I signed the divorce papers, I'd had rare insomnia. On impulse, I'd contacted the head of jewelry at Sotheby's to commission a ring. A twelve-carat D-flawless pear-shaped diamond, set in a minimalist platinum band. Inside the band, our names were engraved. Now Leonardo's birthdate had been added too.
The awards ceremony was undoubtedly the perfect stage for a proposal.
First, I contacted Hamilton, the chairman of the awards organization—an old guy who owed me big.
"Hamilton, I need to add three minutes to one of your ceremony segments... No, not a commercial. I'm proposing... Of course to Natalie, who else? My assistant will coordinate details with your people. Make it flawless. And remember—Natalie cannot know about this."
I even had David run simulations of every possible mishap. Power outage? Backup generators and emergency lighting ready. What if Natalie hesitated too long? Background music had preset gentle melodies to smooth over any silence. But whatif she refused on the spot? I forced that possibility out of my head, though my heart still clenched at the thought.
I revised the proposal speech at least twenty times. Practiced in my study, talking to thin air. Tried adjusting my expression in the bathroom mirror. Once I even murmured it to baby Leonardo asleep in his crib—woke him up. He let out a wail that had me fumbling in panic.
"You'll help me out, right, little man?" I awkwardly patted him with my good hand, whispering, "Put in a good word with your mom."
Leonardo blew a milk bubble, his dark eyes watching me. Then he yawned and fell back asleep.
"Never mind. You can't even talk yet. This is asking too much."
The night before the ceremony, I barely slept. I'd never been this way, not even facing billion-dollar deals. It wasn't nerves—at least, that's what I told myself. I just kept rechecking the plan, confirming everyone's role, imagining every detail that might unfold tomorrow. I pulled out the velvet ring box and opened it. The diamond refracted cold, brilliant light. I stared at it, Natalie's face floating through my mind. Her laugh. Her eyes going wide when she was angry. Her fragility when she cried. How she glowed onstage. And... the expression she might have when she said yes.
Would she be surprised? Or think I was being my usual domineering self, pressuring her in public? Would she like the big spectacle? Or prefer something private, just the two of us?
Damn it. I snapped the box shut and raked my hair in frustration.
Richard, look at you now. Anxious as a kid on his first date.
But deep down, I felt certain. After everything Natalie and I had been through—facing death together—I knew she had feelings for me. So this proposal couldn't fail... right? Shecouldn't possibly say no. If she rejected me... God, that would be the joke of the century.
The next day, the Los Angeles Music Center blazed with lights. At the ceremony, I sat front row in the VIP section, surrounded by entertainment and business titans. But my gaze never left one person.
Natalie looked heart-stoppingly beautiful tonight. A custom flame-red one-shoulder gown made her look like a red rose blooming in the darkness.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this next award represents the highest tribute to an artist's lifelong creativity, enduring influence, and indelible contribution to music. Tonight, we are honored to present the Golden Voice Award Lifetime Achievement Award to a woman who has defined and illuminated this era with her voice, her resilience, her soul—Natalie Green!"
