Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 459: Marry Me, Will You?

Lucy stepped forward. “I think that’s enough crying for one day.”

Everyone laughed.

Lucy smiled warmly. “You both must be exhausted after that long flight.”

Stefan nodded. “A little.”

“We prepared dinner. We thought we’d have your welcome dinner together on the patio,” she said, winking at Stefan.

He grinned and nodded.

Lucy led everyone towards the back of the house.

Dawn and Mari pulled Genevieve along with them while Stefan followed from behind with Jamal, who was carrying Josh, and the other men.

The moment they stepped onto the patio,

Genevieve froze.

Although she’d never been in that part of the house, she could see that the entire space had been transformed.

Flowers covered almost every surface and soft lights glowed overhead.

Candles flickered everywhere.

And directly in front of her stood enormous illuminated letters.

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

Genevieve stared.

Confused.

Was Jamal proposing to Dawn?

This couldn’t be Stefan’s doing, right? She wondered as she slowly turned around to look at the others.

The moment she did, her breath caught.

Stefan was kneeling behind her with a wide grin on his face and a ring box rested in his hand.

Behind him, Mari, Dawn, and Jamal already had their phones out.

Mari was on a video call with Jax so he could witness the proposal, while Jamal was on a group video call with Callan and Emily so they could witness it too.

Dawn, on the other hand, was hosting a Zoom video call with the rest of the family who couldn’t attend but wanted to witness Stefan’s engagement.

Tears filled her eyes again, and her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my God.”

Her chest hurt. Not from sadness. But happiness. So much happiness that it almost felt overwhelming.

Stefan smiled. The soft smile that always weakened her knees.

“I know we’re getting married next week, so the answer is definitely yes already.”

Laughter echoed around the patio.

Genevieve laughed through her tears.

“But I never got the chance to do this properly. The proposal at the resort doesn’t count. Let’s not forget that I forced the ring on you after you rejected my proposal. Maybe that’s the reason you lost it,” Stefan said, making everyone laugh again.

“What I’m trying to say to you, Genevieve, is that I am insanely in love with you,” Stefan said softly. “When you ridiculously mistook me for Jamal, and Jamal asked me to play along, I didn’t realise I was signing up for the most important and exciting experience of my life.”

A tear slipped down her cheek.

And Genevieve suddenly remembered the first time she’d met him and mistook him for Jamal.

The first time she’d poured wine on herself as she tried to seduce him and how he turned her down.

She remembered the first time he’d kissed her at the airport and how she’d felt so sad watching him leave.

Every memory crashed into her all at once.

“You changed my life, Genevieve. You’ve taught me to risk opening my heart. With you, I learned what it means to love truly and be vulnerable. You’ve become my safe place.”

He was wrong.

He was the one who had changed her life, Genevieve thought. He’d changed the entire course of her life with his love. She could stand in the midst of the Hanks and everyone this way because he’d made it possible. He’d given her the courage to defy her father and choose a different path from the one he’d set for her.

More tears followed as Stefan opened the ring box, and the diamond sparkled beneath the lights.

His eyes never left hers. “I particularly love how hopeful you are about life despite all you’ve been through. You make me so happy, Genevieve. And you are the only person I want beside me every morning for the rest of my life.”

Genevieve broke.

A sob escaped her lips as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

She simply stared at him. At the man kneeling in front of her. The man who had stood beside her when she was at her worst, when she herself didn’t believe she deserved love.

The man who knew all the dirty details of her past yet fiercely loved her.

The crowd around them had gone completely silent.

Nobody laughed now. But the ladies sniffled and wiped their eyes.

“I love you. And if you’ll have me, as I know you will…” His smile softened. “Marry me, will you?”

Genevieve laughed shakily through her tears as she nodded. “Yes. I will. Definitely!”

The entire patio erupted.

Cheers exploded around them.

But Genevieve barely heard any of it as Stefan slid the ring down her finger and kissed her hand.

Stefan held her hand as he rose, and immediately she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Before he could react, she buried her face against his shoulder. “I can’t believe you pulled this!” she cried and laughed, still feeling overwhelmed.

Stefan laughed as he held her. “You’ve been crying so much lately,” he whispered to her.

“That’s because you keep giving me reasons to cry. Nobody has ever loved me like this before,” she said roughly. “I love you,” she whispered.

His chest tightened painfully, and he closed his eyes briefly. “I love you too.”

Then she pulled back slightly and kissed him again. Stefan kissed her back, and she melted into the kiss immediately.

Because nothing else existed.

Cheers echoed across the patio. Whistles followed, and laughter filled the air.

When they finally pulled apart, Genevieve rested her forehead against his.

Both of them kept smiling at each other, completely in love.

Around them, their family and friends continued cheering.

“Are you both going to stop long enough for us to congratulate you, or should we call it a night and get you both a room?” Harry asked dryly.

Everyone laughed.

Stefan laughed too.

Genevieve blushed, realising that she’d forgotten they weren’t alone.

Around them stood the family she had spent most of her life wishing for.

Beside her stood the man she loved.

And for the first time in her life, Genevieve didn’t feel judged. She didn’t feel undeserving or unworthy.

She didn’t feel like an outsider. She knew she was home.