Blair thought that Wesley would be disappointed after being turned down. However, he simply lowered his head and flashed a smile. He didn't look embarrassed at all.
She was confused. 'When I proposed to him and was turned down, I was so angry and disappointed. But he doesn't seem affected by my refusal at all.'
The soldiers who had been cheering stopped and began to talk among themselves. "Chief was right all along. He knew that she wouldn't say yes."
"If he already knew, then why did he still propose to her?"
"She had proposed to him a few years ago, and he too had refused her at the time. Maybe he just wanted to make her feel happy."
Wesley got to his feet and took the ring out of the box. "It's your choice to turn me down, but I insist on marrying you. I'm putting the ring on your finger,"
he said. He wasn't surprised at all. It would have been strange if Blair hadn't turned him down.
After all, he had hurt her so many times during the past few years. He didn't blame her for turning him down.
He only hoped that she would feel better and forget about the miserable past after getting the chance to turn him down just the way he had done to her.
Staring at the shining diamond ring on her finger, Blair stammered in a guilty voice, "Wesley, I—"
He interrupted her, "You turned me down this time. But I won't give up. I'll keep proposing to you until you say yes." If she didn't say yes soon, their wedding would have to be postponed. He didn't want this to happen.
He had promised her that he would throw a wedding after coming back from D City, and he meant to keep that promise. He would make her say yes willingly.
Wesley took her to where Joslyn was standing, wide-mouthed. She patted the back of Blair's hand lightly and said, "Are you an idiot? You have been in love with him since you were seventeen. Now, you are twenty-seven! It's been ten years. You've long been looking forward to marrying this man. Why did you turn him down? Are you mad?"
Joslyn wished she could open up Blair's skull and look what her brain was made of.
Wesley held Blair's hand and told Joslyn, "She just got back at me for turning her down last time. And now, we are even. When I propose to her next time, she will say yes." He turned to Blair. "You will, won't you?"
Staring into his eyes, Blair couldn't help but nod. "Yes, I will."
If he was willing to propose to her again, she would definitely agree.
Talbot brought a bunch of roses which had been prepared by Wesley earlier. "Chief, here you are."
Wesley received it from him and gave it to Blair. "These are for you. I haven't bought you any flowers in a long time. I'm sorry."
Blair didn't know how to respond. She regretted her promise to Carlos from two days ago.
Wesley drove Joslyn home first and then drove back to their apartment. Back home, Blair looked at the flowers in her hands, deep in thought. Wesley kissed her forehead. "Blair, I'm sorry. I won't make you suffer anymore."
He swore to himself that he would protect her with his own life.
Blair said nothing; she felt lost.
Before long, Wesley left the apartment because he still had tons of work to finish. Sitting in their apartment alone, she felt a deep regret.
Two days ago
When Blair received Carlos' phone call, she was taken aback. They were not really friends and never contacted each other. So, she wondered why he was calling her.
The only two links between her and Carlos were Wesley and Debbie. She guessed that it must have something to do with either of them.
There was nothing else for them to talk about.
Carlos asked her to meet him at the Orchid Private Club. When she arrived at his private booth, he came straight to the point. "I can help you leave Wesley," he offered.
Blair was dumbfounded. 'Aren't they best buddies? Why is he offering to help me leave Wesley?'
Carlos was a man who was confident, strong and powerful. He was seldom this patient while talking to a woman. "He has kept you grounded for such a long time. Debbie feels bad for you. Don't get me wrong. Wesley is my best friend. It's just that he was rude to my wife while I was in the coma. I just want to teach him a lesson."
"I can go wherever I want?" she asked.
"Do you love him?" he asked in reply.
'What a stupid question! Of course, I love him. Otherwise, I wouldn't have willingly let him ground me, ' she thought. "Yes, I love him," she answered.
She thought that Carlos would ask her why she wanted to leave him if she loved him. And she thought that maybe Carlos would think she was not that into Wesley.
The truth was, Blair loved Wesley. A lot. The reason why she wanted to leave him was that she had no freedom around him.
"Then, you can go wherever you want," Carlos simply said.
"Mr. Huo, let me be honest with you. I couldn't wait to leave Wesley in the past because there were other women around him. Patty and Megan. But now, the situation is different. He is all mine, and I don't feel like leaving him." She really meant what she said. She had changed her mind about leaving him. Women were fickle creatures, after all.
Carlos chuckled at her straightforwardness. "You should remember what Wesley had done to you while you were in college. Besides, I'm not asking you to leave him forever. Just teach him a lesson. You can come back to him anytime you want. I'll help you keep an eye on him, and make sure to keep the women away."
A man like Wesley wouldn't fall for another woman even if Blair left his side. Carlos was only doing this because he wanted to avenge Debbie. As for whether Blair would return to Wesley, that was completely her decision to make.
Carlos was a man of influence. Blair figured that he must have learned everything about her. "Do you know that I'm pregnant?" she asked. She knew it only this morning, and Carlos had asked her out in the afternoon.
"I know," he said with a faint smile. Carlos had earlier asked his men to check on Blair, and that was how he knew that she had an appointment at the obstetrics and gynecology department that morning. "I have a suggestion. You can stay with the Li family in A Country," Carlos proposed.
Blair sighed. "Staying with the Li family is no different than staying with Wesley."
"You don't want to leave him forever, right?" Carlos asked.
Blair didn't know how to respond. 'This man is so clever. He knows what I'm thinking. I don't know how Debbie is able to live with him.
Wesley is much easier to deal with, ' she mused.
"Wesley doesn't visit his parents often. Besides, he has decided to study in England. He may visit his parents only once before leaving. And his mom loves you a lot. If you ask her not to tell Wesley your whereabouts, she will listen to you. Staying with the Li family with Wesley's child is a good idea, isn't it?" Carlos asked.
Blair was moved by his words, and she agreed to his idea.
And that was the reason why she had to refuse Wesley's proposal. Even if she had turned Carlos down, she would still have said no to Wesley.
She wanted him to realize how desperate she had been when she was turned down.
That day, Blair left Wesley.
When he came back home, he was welcomed by an empty house. The woman who was supposed to wait for him with open arms was now gone.
What he had most dreaded had finally happened. The first person that came to his mind was Carlos, who had gotten his memories back.
But he decided not to go to Carlos yet. He had his men look for Blair everywhere. A week passed with no clues about her whereabouts. It was time to call Carlos now.
