“Mrs. Ryan, this is a message for Mr. Edward from the Boss,” said a Dark Family member standing respectfully behind them, head lowered.
Echo nodded, maintaining her cool. Edward had once told her that if she lacked certain skills, she should at least have some dignity. If she didn’t have brains or strength, she could at least project some authority as the Boss’s wife, and she was now trying to put that into practice.
Edward, however, took the note with an irritated expression, barely glancing at it.
The man added, “Boss is waiting for your response, Mr. Edward.”
Edward raised an eyebrow, gave the note a quick flip, and muttered, “I’m not going.”
The man looked a bit surprised but kept his head low as he bowed to Echo and gave Edward a small nod before retreating.
Once he was out of sight, Echo reached over, took the note from Edward, and read it. “Head over to Europe to take charge of the Branch of the Dark Family Group? That’s a great opportunity! Why wouldn’t you go?”
Edward gave her a fierce glare, grabbing her face in frustration. “If I go, you’ll just get walked all over here!” Realizing he’d said that out loud, he huffed, glared some more, then turned away in a huff, refusing to speak to her.
Echo blinked in surprise, then a wide smile spread across her face. She grabbed him in a big hug, laughing, “Oh, my dear little brother! My good little brother!”
“Let go, you idiot,” Edward grumbled, looking uncomfortable and squirming in her hold.
But Echo held on, refusing to let him go. He didn’t really try to break free, and they ended up in an awkward standoff.
Watching them, Clement suddenly raised an eyebrow and asked, “Mrs. Ryan? Echo, when did they start calling you that?”
Echo was tugging at Edward when she heard Clement’s question. She’d been about to laugh and explain, but then suddenly remembered how the guy had just addressed her.
She froze and let go of Edward, muttering to herself, “Did he just call me… ‘Mrs. Ryan’?”
She was used to Edward jokingly calling her the “future Boss’s wife,” or “Mrs. Ryan” and she’d heard it so many times it barely registered anymore. But now that Clement brought it up, she realized the title was real this time. Echo looked at Edward, full of confusion.
Since she’d returned, everyone seemed to act just a bit differently around her. It wasn’t that they treated her any differently on the surface, but she noticed a newfound respect that went beyond their usual deference to Ryan.
Occasionally, people from other influential families sent her top-notch healing medicines or supplements. The Dark Family didn’t need those, yet they kept coming. She wouldn’t have known if Bill hadn’t mentioned it offhand a few times.
But “Mrs. Ryan”? No one had ever called her that. Something was definitely up today.
What she didn’t know was that back at the castle, she’d opened the iron gates for everyone, and Ryan had even lifted her up in a victorious display when they struck the final blow.
Everyone watching the security feed saw it all: it was Echo who had paved their path to survival. In the underworld, loyalty ran deep, and debts weren’t easily forgotten. Her return solidified her standing as the future Dark Family leader in people’s minds, and her reputation was soaring, though she remained clueless.
“Your wedding is in ten days,” Edward said, noticing her bewildered look.
He raised an eyebrow, thinking about how Ryan had planned it out, leaving her to take the spotlight. It was, in his opinion, downright foolish.
Echo’s eyes went wide. “Why am I the last to know?”
Edward gave her a side-eye. “Ryan didn’t tell you?”
Echo’s eyes narrowed, practically radiating cold fury as she clenched her fist. “He hasn’t told me a thing. I haven’t even seen him in days!”
Edward gave her a pitying look and leaned back, smirking as he said, “Well, that’s between you two. But the wedding is set for ten days from now, and the news is already all over the place. Ryan didn’t invite anyone personally, but I went ahead and invited everyone on your behalf. No one’s saying no.” He sipped his coffee, not the least bit concerned about clashing with Ryan.
Echo’s teeth ground audibly.
Clement, sensing the tension, slowly backed up and leaned against a nearby tree, giving her a look of sympathy.
“Damn it, no one even asked if I agreed!” Echo slammed her fist on the stone table.
“Are you disagreeing?” A cold voice suddenly came from behind, carrying an unmistakable edge of anger and threat.
Echo whipped around to see Ryan striding over, his face dark with fury. The killing intent radiated off him, almost palpable from a distance. Behind him, Hawk and Bill stood at a safe distance, both wearing entertained expressions as they watched the drama unfold.
As Ryan stormed over, his eyes burning with anger, he glared at Echo like he’d make her disappear if she so much as hinted at not agreeing to this marriage. But she was just as furious! How was it that everyone else knew she was getting married while she, the bride-to-be, was left completely in the dark? Was there no justice?
“You didn’t even propose to me!” she shouted, grabbing the front of his shirt and yelling right in his face, her own frustration blazing back at him.
Ryan’s anger flickered out at her words. He frowned slightly and replied, “Proposal or not, you wouldn’t dare not marry me.”
Echo’s fury surged. “That’s just forcing me into it!”
“So what?” Ryan looked down at her flushed face, eyebrows pinched as he said, “What’s there to be mad about? You’re my wife, Dark Family’s lady, end of story.”
He wrapped his arms around her, picking her up effortlessly as he took a seat, holding her close.
Echo wasn’t sure whether to stay mad or just laugh. She barely had time to think when
Ryan started rubbing her stomach gently. “Why are you out here in the cold wind? Take care of yourself,” he said as he held her firmly.
She looked up at him, seeing those intense eyes filled with-was that gentleness?
The way he handled her now was a far cry from when she’d first been injured. It hit her suddenly that this man was going to be her partner for life.
And maybe it was silly to want a proposal from someone like Ryan. If he were the kind to kneel and ask sweetly, he wouldn’t be Ryan. It was this exact Ryan who made her heart race, so what was the point of fussing over the formalities?
“I’m fine; I’ve been fully recovered for a while now.” The anger dissipated as she flashed him a radiant smile.
A faint smile tugged at Ryan’s lips. He lifted her in his arms, heading for the main house as he called out, “Bill, give her another check-up.”
Bill immediately jogged to keep up.
Clement, watching this unfold from the side, shook his head with a grin. “If Little Ryan ever did propose, I wonder what kind of scene that would be.”
Edward, sipping his coffee, choked at Clement’s comment, spitting it out all over the stone table. His face twisted briefly before he burst into laughter, which grew louder and louder. “Little Ryan! Ha! Little Ryan!”