"Chief Lucilla, my son divorced his wife for you! We can all see how serious he is now. Besides, I believe that Tate is way better than a nobody like this guy, no matter what aspect you want to look at. Be the family background, or strength, or personality, he can never match up to Tate. There must be some reason that we do not know, because it doesn't make any sense for you to choose that guy. Maybe he is forcing you?" Alexander said empathically, trying to paint a good case for himself, and along the way, he made it sound like Lucilla would be stupid if she turned Tate down.
"My father is right, Lucilla. If you have any difficulty or trouble, please feel free to let us know. I won't let him do as he pleases, and I will always take your side. Trust me!" Tate exclaimed passionately, as he cast a resentful glance at Rocky.
By now, all the other guests that witnessed everything from the start were completely confused at the abrupt change. They wondered which one of them was telling the truth. Did Lucilla really step in Tate's marriage that led to his divorce, or was the Qi Clan just doing this to drag her and the Cao Clan through the mud?
"Lucilla, there's only one way out today. To get rid of the accusation of stepping into other people's marriage and to prove that I never forced you to do anything, please agree to marry me right here and right now! I can't remember how many times I proposed to you, and today, let's seal our fate with your sweet agreement. We both understand that we love each other, and we are going to spend the rest of our lives together, so please don't hesitate anymore. In front of all these people, I promise that I will share in the responsibilities of your clan with you as much as I can. Of course, I have an ulterior motive in this. Please prove to me that you have nothing to do with this man, and I am the only one. Will you marry me?" Rocky said affectionately, looking into Lucilla's eyes with an intensity that warmed her from the soles of her feet to the tips of her hair.
He sounded so sincere and devoted that she was on the verge of believing him herself. His words seemed real and infectious that she wanted to believe, and if she didn't know that he was just trying to get her out of the trap made by the father and son, she would have fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker.
So she could not blame all the other people, who were gaping at them at that moment, eating all the lies that Rocky was feeding them.
'Are you kidding me? He's asking my sister to marry him! When did they fall in love with each other, and how come I didn't know about it? It can't be true! Does my sister love him? Does he love her? Oh, forget it. It's none of my business after all!' The news hit Queenie like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky. Besides the tremendous shock that had struck her, she also felt a small sting that she was trying hard to ignore. It was easier to be angry, rather than acknowledge the hurt that was killing her inside. Unfortunately for her, she was quite gullible, so she
ruly had nothing decent to offer, people would suspect the true intention of his proposal now, and that would be favorable for the Qi Clan.
Just as he expected, people in the hall began to whisper to each other while they cast doubtful glances at Rocky. Some of them were curious about what Rocky would present as betrothal presents, while the others had followed Alexander's train of thought. After all, because Lucilla was the chief of the Cao Clan, the presents needed to be grand and impressive.
"I think we'd better stop here. At least we won't be too passive now. Let's think it over later," Lucilla whispered to Rocky, as she felt relieved that the most urgent problem was now solved. She didn't want to embarrass Rocky because she believed that he hadn't prepared any presents at all. She thought that what happened was just an accident brought on by his impulsiveness. If Alexander pushed Rocky and he couldn't produce anything, things would become more complicated. She didn't want people to laugh at him or her clan.
"Mr. Rookie, there's no need to rush into marriage anyway. After all, we all see your sincerity today. How about you propose to Chief Lucilla another time? Maybe you two want to make it more private!" Lucas suggested. He had the same thought as Lucilla, so he immediately found an excuse for Rocky.
"Actually, I have already prepared the betrothal presents for the proposal. I hope that this would show you how serious I am," Rocky replied, to everyone's surprise. He raised his chin a little confidently.
Both Lucilla and Lucas were astonished at his answer. They exchanged a surprised glance, wondering how Rocky could foresee such a situation, and they wondered when he was able to prepare the presents and what they were.
Alexander was even more surprised because he was thinking that his logic had been foolproof, and he began to doubt his conclusion. Rocky could not have prepared his presents in advance, so what could he be planning? Did he plan to propose to Lucilla all along?