More than a hundred days had passed since Winifred Dawson’s incident. During this time, Leland Burns kept her by his side every day, regardless of where he went. Whether it was to work, social events, or meetings, Winifred Dawson accompanied him, ignoring the curious glances of others.
Winifred Dawson remained quiet and unobtrusive, often falling asleep in the middle of serious meetings, which brought a smile to people’s faces.
Whenever this happened, Leland Burns would pause the important meeting and have his assistant bring a blanket, which he personally draped over Winifred Dawson.
At first, everyone was shocked to see Leland Burns bringing a woman to the company. When he brought her into the meeting room, their shock intensified. But over time, they got used to it. Now, nothing surprised them anymore.
Leland Burns was in his prime, and it would have been strange if there were no women around him. In the past, people at social gatherings would even send women his way. When he didn’t respond well to that, they tried sending men instead, which backfired spectacularly.
Rumors began circulating that Leland Burns had no interest in intimacy.
So seeing a woman constantly by his side now was indeed surprising.
Leland Burns had always given off an aloof and cold impression. It was hard to imagine him being gentle. But with Winifred Dawson, he was always gentle, no matter the situation. He could be ruthless one moment and tenderly holding Winifred Dawson the next. Seeing this side of him left people both surprised and envious.
As Winifred Dawson’s hand gradually recovered, Leland Burns took her to get a custom-made ring and necklace. Winifred Dawson didn’t like overly extravagant jewelry.
The pieces Leland Burns ordered were simple and elegant for everyday wear, adorned with diamonds totaling 21 carats.
For other wealthy people, 21 carats might seem insignificant. Coming from Leland Burns, it might even be seen as insufficiently valuing someone.
But it wasn’t about that. They say a soul weighs 21 grams; by giving Winifred Dawson a 21-carat diamond, it was as if he was giving her his soul. She meant more to him than his own soul.
When the ring and necklace were ready, Leland Burns personally put them on Winifred Dawson and kissed her hand gently. Step by step, he proceeded.
Winifred Dawson might not fully understand the significance of marriage yet, but that was fine; he could teach her slowly.
He wanted everything to be perfect-from proposal to engagement, wedding photos to marriage certificate-and eventually marriage itself. The matter of children could wait; he had already decided that if Winifred Dawson’s health couldn’t handle pregnancy, they would opt for surrogacy later on.
When Leland Burns presented the ring to Winifred Dawson, her heart tightened for a moment. But she had gotten used to acting over these days; no matter how surprised she was, she remained calm and didn’t give herself away.
The ring couldn’t possibly have a tracking device; it was small and simple. Winifred Dawson examined it closely; neither the ring nor the necklace resembled the watch Leland Burns had given her before-something she couldn’t take off once worn.
She would wear the ring for now and discard it after the act was over.
Both the ring and necklace fit perfectly. Leland Burns noticed that Winifred Dawson seemed to like them quite a bit.
After getting the ring made, Leland Burns took some time off to accompany her to a bridal shop for custom wedding dresses and photoshoots.
“Why are we here?” Winifred Dawson curiously looked around.
“For wedding photos.”
“Wedding photos? Do you want to marry me?” Winifred Dawson asked with curiosity on her face but found it amusing inside. Honestly, she never thought Leland Burns would still want to marry her despite everything. She couldn’t figure out what his love meant anymore.
“I want to marry you. Will you marry me?”
Winifred Dawson fell silent and quickly looked down at her shoes to hide her expression from Leland Burns.
For once, Leland Burns felt a pang of anxiety. He didn’t rush her for an answer but waited quietly by her side.
There was a moment when Leland Burns thought maybe Winifred Dawson had recovered from her illness. If she had recovered, she probably wouldn’t want to marry him.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Winifred Dawson looked up with cautious eyes and clenched the hem of her dress in her hands.
“If we get married, do we have to have children? I’m afraid of pain; can we not have kids?”
“We don’t have to have kids.”
As soon as he said that, the fear on Winifred Dawson’s face vanished. She smiled happily and contentedly before tiptoeing up to hook her arms around Leland Burns’ neck and pressing her face against his cheek. “Alright then, I will marry you.”
Leland Burns himself felt insatiable at times; he always wanted more and acted on his desires without restraint. He rarely felt satisfied. The night he first had Winifred Dawson’s body brought immense satisfaction physically but not emotionally.
His heart always felt empty; it wasn’t enough. But today, hearing Winifred Dawson agree to marry him brought immense satisfaction both physically and emotionally. He couldn’t resist holding her tightly as if wanting to merge their beings into one-body, blood, and soul-never to be separated again.