Chapter 49 - Accepting His Ring

Ava's POV

Nothing prepared me for this scene.

Orion was already on one knee, a sparkling ring between his fingers that caught the light and seemed to mock me with its brilliance.

The cold, calculated smirk on his face told me everything I needed to know: this was not a proposal—it was another performance, orchestrated to perfection.

The entire room, filled with the board members and, to my disgust, his mother, Mrs. Priscilla Miller, watched with rapt attention.

“Surprise,” he said smoothly, his voice oozing false sincerity. “I thought you might appreciate something a little more… impressive this time.”

The last time he’d asked me to marry him, the ring had been simple, understated—perhaps the only honest gesture I had ever seen from him. I’d refused, believing it was the end of this charade. But here he was, armed with a massive diamond and an audience ready to applaud my defeat.