The Billionaire's Secret Quartet

The moment Alaric dropped to one knee, the room went dead silent, including Hertha, who was so caught off guard that her eyes widened in sheer disbelief. There Alaric was, on one knee, with a ring in hand, proposing to her right in the middle of what was supposed to be a joyful and straightforward event.

This whole scenario was far beyond anything Hertha had anticipated. She was already taken aback by Alaric's sudden appearance, never mind his dramatic gesture of proposing to her then and there! Hertha was momentarily at a loss for words. Just moments before, she had openly admitted that Alaric was the father of her two kids, aiming to smooth over the tensions between Spencer and Emmeline.

The last thing she wanted was for their beautiful wedding to end on a sour note because of her. Nor did she wish for Spencer to lose Emmeline, given how hard it was for him to find someone he truly loved and wanted to marry, especially with Spencer's parents watching from the audience. They had waited three long years to see their son get married.

after all, how many "three years" could they possibly have left? As Hertha's gaze met Alaric's earnest and deep eyes, her heart

if she stared too long, her heart might just give in to the chaos and panic those feelings stirred within her. It scared her, the thought of falling back into the tumultuous pit

run away from problems, but the situation she found herself in wasn't something she could handle with her usual resolve. If she were to lash out at Alaric, telling him to get lost,

beyond her emotional capacity. The unresolved issues between Alaric and Georgia

the weight of everyone's expectations on her. Emmeline's anxious and tearful eyes were particularly piercing, reflecting the tension and turmoil of