Chapter 6 - The AwakeningOver the next week, the Blackwell estate underwent a seismic shift. Under Ethan's direct orders, Mrs. Brooks was promoted to Head of Household Operations with a massive salary increase and total autonomy to fire any staff member who showed disrespect to Lily or Jaden.
Jaden was enrolled in a prestigious private preparatory school in Hartford, fully funded by Ethan, much to the boy's absolute delight.
And Lily? Lily was no longer a maid.
Ethan had moved her out of the modest staff quarters on the third floor and into the sunlit West Wing suite—directly across from his own.
"You don't have to do this," Lily protested one afternoon as Ethan sat beside her on the plush velvet sofa in her new suite, helping her apply a soothing cream to her bruised wrist.
"I'm not asking for your permission, Lily," Ethan said softly, gently massaging her wrist with infinite care. "I spent a month worrying myself sick halfway across the world, wondering if you were eating, sleeping, or breathing properly, all because my mother treated this house like a medieval dungeon. That ends today."
"What about the board? What about society?" Lily asked, looking around the luxurious room. "Everyone in Connecticut knows who I am. They know I started as—"
"Let them talk," Ethan interrupted, capturing her hand in his. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, dark velvet box.
Lily's breath caught in her throat.
"Ethan..."
"I wasn't going to wait," Ethan said, his voice dropping an octave, filled with an intense, burning sincerity. "I planned to wait until I returned from Europe, until the timing was 'right,' until corporate optics approved. But watching you lie in that bed, realizing how close I came to losing you because of pride and social hierarchy... it cured me of every stupid hesitation I ever had."
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He popped the box open. Inside sat a breathtaking, vintage diamond ring that caught the afternoon sunlight streaming through the window.
"Lily Carter, you are my home. You always have been. Marry me, and let's build a real family in this house—one built on actual love, not fear."
