Taming The Wild CEO novel Chapter 103

C H A P T E R 3 2 - A F L A S H O F M E M O R Y

E L L A S T A N F O R D

At first, Javier seemed to be surprised at her odd request however his shock turned to curiosity shortly after. Yet his self restraint held him from asking her the reason behind her adjuration.

“I think it was in your luggage from the hospital. They had to remove all of your pieces of jewelry while you were under intensive care and put them in a sealed plastic bag.” He pushed his chair back and stood. “Let me get it for you.”

Ella nodded and offered him a smile. “Thank you.”

It did not take him longer than five minutes to get the luggage and grabbed the engagement ring in his palm. But most of the time, at least one full minute was spent staring at the ring. The ring had once belonged to his mother however she had promised him, a long time ago, that she would forgo the ring and give it to him once he found love once more. The ring had meant so much for her mother and it meant so much for him and Ella too. He knew he should not have any hopeful thinking to avoid being let down once again but he could not help himself. He hoped that this token of love would somehow bring a piece of their memories together back to her mind. With a sigh, he closed his eyes for a moment before turning back and walking towards the kitchen where Ella was waiting.

When Javier returned a few moments later with the black velvet box in his hand, Ella had the distinct impression that Javier was ill at ease. She was about to ask what was bothering him when he opened his palm up and placed the ring carefully on the table in front of her. And the question went right out of her head. “Oh, wow,” she murmured, awestruck by the sight of the cushion cut diamond set in a thin band of silver gold. The stone measured at least three carats and looked absolutely stunning as it reflected the light from the lamp above them.

“Does it look familiar?” Javier asked, trying his best not to sound hopeful.

“No,” she confessed truthfully and wondered how any sane woman could forget something so gorgeous. “It is so beautiful.” She picked it up carefully and held it with both of her hands.

“So are you.”

Ella flushed at his declaration. She certainly did not feel beautiful in her loose fitting, XL T-shirt and pajama pants with her messy brown hair and no makeup. But this ring was another story. It was beautiful and elegant.

“I am not just saying about how you look,” he added as if he realized her feeling uncomfortable, “You have a beautiful, kind soul, Miss Stanford.”

She dropped her gaze back at the ring in her hand, studying it with so much focus and attention. Then something clicked in her mind. She was not sure how she knew, but she was certain that Javier had not chosen these rings himself. Somehow she had a feeling that there was a story behind this ring. “Does this ring has any history?” she blurted before she could stop herself. “I am sorry,” she quickly added. “You must have picked this or have this specially made.”

He stared at her for a moment then bobbed his head. “Actually, there was a story behind it. It has once belonged to my mother.”

“Oh.”

She ran her fingertip over the diamond. Turning the ring around, she read the inscription inside the band, “This time, we are truly engaged. Jiev.” She blinked and read it once again then looked up to meet his eyes. “What does it mean?”

The corners of his mouth quirked up, forming a small grin. “It was what I said when I proposed to you. Before we were truly engaged, we had a fake engagement so that you could avoid your stalker ex boyfriend and I could avoid my nagging family who wanted me to settle down.”

Somehow something made her grin too. She did not know whether it was her body reacting to something that was familiarly funny, like their own private joke, or because of watching him grinning. “What happened then? Did you get down on your knees and do it the old style way?”

“Yeah, I did. Everyone at the office and my family was there. It was the tenth anniversary of my company.” Suddenly remembering what had actually happened that day, Javier let out a small chuckle which piqued Ella’s curiosity.

She leaned forward in her chair and squeezed his hand as she asked, “What is it? Did something funny happen? Tell me.”

He shook his head, smiling. “I recall telling you that the floor was hard and I started to lose the feeling on my legs. I also admitted that it took my brat sister to realize how much you really meant to me. I must admit, being a private person, I have never shared anything with the public except for occasional photos of my night outs just for publicity so that was the only moment I let myself be seen as a man who was madly in love with a woman, which is you.” He returned her gesture and squeezed her hand back. “You have changed me. You have changed my life, Miss Stanford. For the better. I feel more alive whenever I am with you. If there is one thing that will never change, it is my love for you,” Javier whispered when she lifted her gaze to his.

Ella swallowed past the lump in her throat, but there was nothing she could do for the ache in her chest. She so wanted to remember him, to remember this special love that they had shared. Holding the ring in one hand, she started to put it on her finger.

“Wait. Let me.” Taking her left hand, Javier slid the engagement ring onto her finger before she had the chance to. Still holding her hand, his expression was solemn as he looked into her eyes. “I love you too much to have you risking your name and reputation for me. I had my heart broken years ago and since then, I have worked for most of my life to just get to this one moment. Now that I am here, I have discovered it is not enough. I want more.” His baby blues stared deeply into her eyes. “I want you in my life and you should know that I am doing this not because of Maria and the threats she has given us. I am doing this because for the first time in my life, I want someone to share my life with and I want you to be that person. So, the floor is quite hard and I start to lose the feeling on my legs.”

Both of them smiled as their eyes held one another.

“I know that I have not been a huge believer of love but things changed when I met you. My feelings have grown and it took me to get a little scolding from my brat sister to realize it. Ella Stanford,” Javier paused for a moment, his eyes were still holding hers as he planted a soft kiss on her knuckles, “would you do me the honor of letting me be your husband?”

A shiver went through her at his words, at the weight of the ring on her finger, at the feel of him holding her hand. Instinctively she knew that he had held her hand like this before, that he had said these same words to her before. But when? On their engagement day when he had first put this ring on her finger? She was sure of it. For a second the haze clouding her mind shifted cleared. She could feel that door to her past inch open another crack, and she tried to see beyond the fog, to catch the memory lurking behind it. But suddenly the overwhelming urge to run washed over her again. Her breath coming fast, she pushed to her feet, ready to flee.