I still await new collections , If you like the story and want even more bonus chapters then kindly keep on adding to the Library, and I hope you'll stick with me to the end đđđđ.
Bonus Chapter(2/2)
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It started with a dinner.
Just a few people.
A small table in the heart of Soho.
No theme. No fanfare.
Just wine, laughter, and chairs pulled close enough to touch.
But somewhere between the second toast and the caramelized pear tart, Aria realized something quietly staggering.
This wasn't just a meal.
It was a welcoming.
Her name was printed on the menu.
Aria Castellan â Guest of Honor
She stared at it for a long time.
Not because she hadn't seen it before.
But because it had never been said out loud like thisâsurrounded by friends, in a city that was still learning her shape.
Leon raised his glass before dessert.
He hadn't planned a speech.
She could tell by the way he hesitated, then pushed through anyway.
"Most of you know her as Aria. Some of you knew her as Aria Rousseau. I've had the impossible luck of watching her become bothâthen somehow, more."
She swallowed.
Hard.
"She didn't take my name to belong to me. She took it because she decided we belonged to each other."
The table clinked their glasses.
But AriaâŠShe didn't move.
She was too full.
Not with food.
With knowing.
After dinner, they all migrated to the apartment.
It wasn't fancy.
Boxes still lingered in corners.
The espresso machine still misbehaved.
But the lights were dim, the candles flickered, and the space felt like it had always been waiting to host something true.
There was music.
Dancing.
Stories told over half-empty wine glasses.
One of Aria's clients, a quiet artist named Lila, cornered her by the bookshelf and whispered:
"I was afraid when I got married that I'd disappear."
Aria nodded slowly.
"And did you?"
"No," Lila said. "But I stayed afraid until I met someone who let me grow instead of shrink."
She looked at Aria.
"You shine more now. Not less."
The party dwindled after midnight.
The last of the guests trickled out.
The apartment exhaled.
Aria kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the couch, eyes closed.
Leon joined her a moment later, handing her a glass of water.
"Marry me tomorrow," he whispered.
Her eyes flicked open.
"What?"
"No fanfare. No cathedral. Just us. A courthouse and a ring and your name already printed."
She blinked at him.
"You serious?"
"Deadly."
Aria considered it.
The truth wasâshe hadn't dreamt about a white dress since she was twelve.
But this?
This room.
This name.
This man beside her.
It felt more sacred than any aisle she could walk.
"Okay," she whispered.
Leon turned toward her, surprised.
"Okay?"
"Tomorrow," she said again, smiling. "Let's do it."