Chapter 20: A Ring Between Us

Joseph joined Green on the bed, fresh from the shower, his damp hair falling boyishly over his forehead. His skin smelled of mint and something unmistakably him—warm, addictive. He wore only a pair of dark grey pajama pants that clung low to his waist, his upper body bare, toned muscles gleaming slightly under the soft bedroom light.

He leaned on one arm, eyes never leaving her. Then, gently, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I love you," he whispered.

His lips brushed hers in a kiss—slow, reverent—before moving to her nose, then her forehead. Green leaned in, her fingers drifting over the lines of his waist, warm skin under her touch. Joseph mirrored her movements, sliding his hand over her lower back and down to her buttocks, which peeked beneath the sheer, red nightdress she wore. A teasing g-string barely covered her.

She giggled softly as his hands explored her curves, igniting a familiar spark. Her palm cupped his face.

"I've been thinking… about what she said earlier," she murmured, eyes lowering.

Joseph didn't need to ask who. His jaw tightened, but he waited.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For defending me. For not letting her humiliate me."

He lifted a finger to her lips. "Shhh… you're my girl. Joseph Leon's girl. And no one—no one—gets to talk to you like that." His eyes searched hers. "I meant what I said. I'd burn the world before I let anyone make you feel less."

Green smiled, touched beyond words.

"I have something for you," he said, sitting up slightly.

"What is it?" she asked, reaching out to stop him as he made a move to get up. Her hands found his shoulders, then slid around his neck, pulling him in for a tender kiss. It was soft at first, but lingered… a kiss of trust, of belonging.

Joseph chuckled against her lips. "Can I go now, or do you want more?"

She smacked his chest playfully. "What more do you want from me?"

His eyes darkened. "Everything. And more."

He traced her jaw with his thumb, voice husky. "Your taste. Your skin. All of you. I can never get enough."

He leaned down, lifting her nightdress with deliberate slowness and kissing the soft skin of her stomach. Green gasped—he knew that was her weak spot. His lips worked their way up, his hands caressing her thighs, his mouth finding its place at her chest. Green was moaningy, already lost in the sensation.

One kiss from Joseph was enough to unravel her. One touch was all it took to melt every wall she had.

Her fingers tangled in his hair as her other hand drifted to his pants. She found him there—hard, wanting—and his eyes met hers with a sinful grin. Just as he began to ease himself above her, his phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Joseph groaned. "I'll be right back."

She gave him a nod of permission. He kissed her bare shoulder, playfully smacked her backside, making her laugh, and rolled off the bed.

He glanced at the screen: Arianna.

He hesitated. He wanted to ignore it, but… something told him to pick up—maybe to finally close a door.

"Hello?" His voice was distant as he reached into the drawer, retrieving a small black velvet box.

Inside it: a flawless diamond ring. The stone sparkled. Set on a platinum band with tiny pave diamonds, it was unmistakably rare, custom-designed, and unmistakably expensive. A Leon signature.

It was time.

It was time the world knew—Green was his.

Arianna's voice buzzed through the speaker.

"I heard about what happened today. My father told me. I just wanted to say… thank you for standing up for Green. She didn't deserve to be treated like that at the shareholders' meeting. It was so low of her."

Joseph barely listened.. His attention was already drifting back to the woman in his bed. The only woman who mattered.

"I was in the middle of something important when you called," he said flatly.

Arianna laughed lightly. "What, signing billion-dollar cheques? Taking over the oil world?"

Joseph's voice was cool. "Some other time, Arianna." He ended the call.

He placed the phone down and returned to the bed. Green watched him approach but didn't ask. She didn't need to.

Joseph took her hand and opened the velvet box.

A diamond, breathtaking in clarity and size, glittering. It was exquisite—like nothing she'd ever seen. The kind of ring passed down in elite families… or custom-made by a man who wanted to brand his devotion.

Green's eyes widened. "Are you… proposing?"

Joseph smiled, cocking his head. "Let's say it's a promise. Our engagement will come—beautiful, yes, but private. Intimate."

He looked straight at her, not blinking.

"You are the mother of my unborn children. The only one I want. There's no one else in this world who holds what you do inside my heart. And I need you to know that. I need the world to know it."

He slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

Green laughed in disbelief, tears in her eyes. She flung her arms around his neck, pressing her face into his shoulder.

"I love you so much, mi amor," she whispered.

Joseph kissed her hair, breathing her in.

"Now…" his voice dipped low again, "…where were we?"

He cupped the back of her head, pulling her in. Their lips collided, slow and deep, and then she lay back on the bed as he eased himself over her. Their kisses deepened. Clothes slipped away. Their skin met, warmed by emotion and heat alike.

He moved against her, hands everywhere, mouth worshipping every inch. She moaned his name, breathless, vulnerable, and whole. Every movement between them said what words couldn't—this wasn't just passion. It was need. Belonging. Home.

And when Joseph finally entered her, Green's gasp filled the air.

Her arms wrapped around him tightly, their foreheads pressed together.

"I've got you," he whispered, his voice trembling with something deeper than desire. "Forever, I've got you."

—

Joseph hadn't wanted to come.

When the formal invitation arrived—hand-delivered with a gold wax seal and signed in his mother's name—he nearly tossed it into the fire. A private family dinner. Only blood relatives. The thought made him clench his jaw.

But Green had persuaded him. "Family is messy," she'd said gently, fingers trailing down his chest as she straddled his lap. "But you do most things for family. Even when you don't want to."

He had stared at her for a long moment. Then nodded.

He listened to her. Always.

The family estate stood like a palace carved from ivory and gold. Nestled on the far hills outside Mexico City, the multibillion-dollar property sprawled over acres of manicured gardens, statues imported from Rome, and a private vineyard that supplied the wine for tonight's dinner. Every window gleamed. Every hallway smelled of old money.

Inside, the chandelier above the dining room was a cascade of crystal rain. The fifteen-seat mahogany table gleamed under it, long enough to host royalty. Silver cutlery. Plates rimmed in gold. Goblets that had never seen cheap wine.

When Joseph and Green entered, relatives were already hugging and shaking hands—distant cousins, second cousins, and a few strategic friends of the family. His aunts—his late father's sisters—had all refused the invitation. He didn't blame them.

Green, radiant in a black evening dress that hugged her like silk, walked beside Joseph like she belonged to this world. Her diamond earrings shimmered. Her updo exposed the long curve of her neck. The ring on her finger—still a secret to most of the room—caught the chandelier's light as though it was made of stars.

Joseph, in a tailored navy suit and silver cufflinks, was magnetic. Heads turned when they walked in.

They took their seats just in time for the matriarch to rise.

Ms. Marvel—Joseph's mother—wore a pearl-colored gown and enough jewelry to outshine a vault. She sat at the head of the table, Arianna and her father at her left.

Her eyes landed on her son. She hadn't stopped looking since he walked in.

"I'm glad all of you accepted my invitation tonight," she began, her voice measured and regal. "Let's raise a glass—to our continued success."

Everyone lifted their glasses.

"It's also… tragic to hear of Leon's death," she added, voice faltering for only a moment. "My ex-husband may have made many mistakes, but he gave me Joseph. And that… I'll always be grateful for."

There was a murmur around the table.

Marvel took a sip of wine before continuing. "I think I'll stay in Mexico for a few weeks before returning to the Dominican Republic. Life there has been quiet. Slower. But I missed all of you—it's been six years since I left."

She smiled thinly. "After the divorce… I needed distance. Leon and I had history. But after his betrayal and the scandal with his cartel dealings… I needed a fresh start."

Joseph's fork cut slowly through his meat. His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

Green sat beside him, her hand brushing his under the table. She looked ethereal—unshaken by the opulence around her. But even she could feel the weight in the room.

Arianna, seated just a few places away, was staring. Her eyes locked on Green's hand. Specifically, the ring. She froze, her fork suspended midair, the salad forgotten.

Then, with a voice dripping false warmth, she said, "Wow… I see Joseph has proposed." She smiled, sharp. "Are you two getting married in secret or… was that meant to be a surprise for the rest of us?"

The room quieted.

Green's throat tightened. All eyes turned to her.

Joseph didn't hesitate.

"Yes," he said simply. His voice was calm, but firm. "And you'll all be invited very soon."

Some cousins smiled. Others whispered. Arianna's smile didn't reach her eyes.

Then Marvel turned to Green, her voice poised just like a blade wrapped in lace.

"And who are you, my dear?" she asked, tilting her head. "We haven't really spoken. Who are your parents? Are they in the oil business? Shareholders, perhaps? I don't believe I know them."

Green took a breath.

"My mother's in San Francisco," she said softly. "My father passed away when I was two. No… they're not in oil."

Marvel hummed, unimpressed, as she pushed a piece of meat into her mouth. Her diamonds glittered as she chewed.

Green's heart pounded. Around the table, everyone looked at home. They had always known this world. Her mind flashed back to where she met Joseph—her skin burnt from hawking under the sun on the rural streets of Mexico, her clothes worn, her hands cracked.

Arianna leaned toward Marvel and whispered something behind her napkin.

Joseph was too focused on feeding Green from his spoon to notice. Tenderly. Romantically. As if no one else existed.

Marvel's gaze sharpened.

"You've never had this lifestyle, have you?" she said aloud, voice smooth but cutting. "Not born into it. I mean… you know what I'm saying, right?" She took a sip of wine. "I've heard poor girls have a tendency to dig gold. Reaping where they never sowed. You're not like that… are you?"

The entire table froze.

Joseph's knife hit the plate with a sharp clink. His voice came low, dangerous.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk to my fiancée that way," he said. "Unless you want us to leave. Mum."

The word burned in his mouth. He hadn't called her that in years.

Marvel blinked, surprised by the edge in his voice. She waved her hand dismissively. "I apologize, Green," she said, raising her glass. "Truly."

Green smiled politely, but her hands were trembling under the table.

Joseph squeezed her hand. "You belong here," he whispered.

But did she?

She looked around. All of them born with gold spoons, private schools, old-money names.

Her wine burned her throat as she swallowed.

Across the table, Arianna watched her like a hawk. Her gaze locked on Green's hand. Then—abruptly—she stood. "Excuse me. Urgent call," she said.

She left with her phone clutched tightly in one hand, heels tapping against marble.

Green stood a minute later, excusing herself to the restroom.

The powder room down the hall looked like something out of Versailles. Velvet seats. Gold-framed mirrors. A chandelier even here.

But just as she turned the corner, she heard a voice down the hall.

Arianna.

"I hate her," she was saying, her voice cracking with rage. "God, I hate her."

Green froze, heart hammering.

She pressed her back to the cold wall, listening.

Arianna sniffled. "She doesn't deserve him… He was mine before she even showed up with her fake little smile…"

Green couldn't breathe.

She took a shaky step away. The call was still going. Arianna was crying now.

But the worst part?

Green didn't know who she was talking to.

Or how far Arianna would go.