Chapter 13

"Good," his voice boomed once more, and he walked away. Leo was left looking like a ghost. His dad was scary to everyone, even his wife is scared of him. She's very sweet most of the time, but she can be mean when she needs to be.

Leo stood back up straight, and walked to his room. He placed his bag on his bed and layed down. He took out his phone and wanted to text his friend, Sienna. But put it back away when he remembered she was busy.

He went over to his desk and opened the second drawer down. He pulled out a small jet black velvet box and opened it. He looked at the diamond ring placed in the middle of it. He remembered how his brother proposed as he stared at the beautiful jewel.

****

As he got down on one knee, he pulled out a little black box. Causing the woman in front of him to tear up. "Philia..You have made me very happy these past few months. I want to make you happy for the rest of our lives. So, will you please make me the happiest man here, and become my wife?"

As the woman on stage started to cry, she nodded yes and went to hug Leo's brother. He smiled and cried as well as he hugged her back. They stayed in their embrace for a moment. Then he placed the majestic ring on her dainty fingers.

****

He scoffed at how perfect it was. He knows he has to do better than what his brother did. They have always tried to out-do each other. He thought about different ways he wanted to do it. So, to keep all of his ideas together, he wrote them down in an empty page of one of his fancier notebooks.

On stage

Coffee shop

Fancy restaurant

On a beach

On a picnic/in a field

His handwriting is really curvy and fancy. Not exactly what a guy's handwriting normally looks like. The top 'on stage' option is crossed off. Because he already did that recently.

He takes a deep breath as he tries to come up with an idea on how he's gonna present this news to Sienna.

He's brought out of his thoughts by a knock on his door.

"Your majesty, dinner will be ready shortly. Please come down stairs," the family butler, Liam said as he peeked through the door.

"Ok, Liam. I'll be down shortly." Leo closed his notebook and put it in the same drawer as the small black box.

He walks out of his room and closes the door behind him. Then he follows Liam through the maze of his house until he reaches the massive dining hall.

"Mother, father," Leo greeted his parents who were already sitting in their seats.

"Leonard. Please have a seat, we need to talk." His mother sounded sweet as he sat down in a seat across from them.

"Yes?"

Leo's father opened his mouth to speak, but his mother beat him to it. "Sweetie. You know your birthday is coming up right? And that means we need to plan a party. I was thinking we could do it in the main hall, and Liam can regulate the food and drinks," she explained as Liam brought out their dinner for that night.

"Here's your dinner for tonight. An extra crispy chicken breaded with the finest parmesan cheese. With a side of oven roasted asparagus seasoned with salt and pepper, and some mashed potatoes fresh from the garden." Liam explained the dinner for tonight, in his distinctive british voice.

He bowed and left the family to eat their dinner. "So, Leonard, do you know who you plan on asking? You know this is very important," his father starts, keeping the conversation on track.

Leo nodded his head, "Yes, I do. I've spent some time with her and, even though it hasn't been long, I really can't imagine not being with her. I plan on asking her again before my birthday," Leo responded.

***

Meanwhile, at Sienna's house, she comes home to an apartment smelling of heaven. "Mmmm, mom that smells so good! Whatcha makin'?" Sienna asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"She's making a sweet potato casserole, apparently your favorite," an unfamiliar voice said as an answer. When Sienna turned in curiosity, she saw a man who was a few inches taller than her mom. He had ruffled black hair and hazel eyes. He was wearing a simple button-down shirt with dark jeans.

She contorted her face with a mixture of fear and disgust along with a hint of curiosity. "Wh-who are you? And where's my mom?!" She took a step back, and called for the only person who would have answers. "MOOOOOM?!?!"

A faint 'yes' could be heard from somewhere in the apartment. Followed by a slightly less faint 'give me a moment'. After Sienna's mother came into the kitchen, and saw the scene before her, she explained everything.

"Sienna, this is Richard. I was hoping you two can get along, especially since, recently, he became my boyfriend."

Sienna's eyes widened in surprise. "How could you be dating again? Dad died only a few years ago!" She exclaimed mostly with fear and sadness in her voice. She ran to her room and sat on her bed, trying to console herself. She pulled her phone out and texted Leo. 'Hey...I need to talk.'

A knock came at her door as she put her phone down quickly. "Hey, sweetie. I know you're scared of forgetting your dad. But you have to try to move on," her mother said through the door. Sienna remained quiet, as her mother left from the door.

She came back a few minutes later and knocked again. "Hey, I have dinner for you."

Sienna opened the door and took the plate, glaring at the woman handing it to her. Muttering a "Thanks" as she closed the door again, locking it this time.