radicalducati Chapter 170
Chapter 170
Bianca noticed the people in the room, their eyes all falling on her and Riley. She awkwardly withdrew her hand and, in the process, let go of Riley's hand on her belly.
Blushing, she said with a hint of annoyance, "I twisted my foot, not my stomach. How could my stomach hurt?"
Riley paused, ignoring the gaze of everyone in the room. He squatted halfway down, gently placing Bianca's foot on his lap and, with a mix of gentleness and dominance, removed her high heels.
Seeing the swelling around Bianca's ankle, he frowned with concern, criticizing as he massaged her foot, "You can't even walk properly, yet you insist on wearing high heels. And now you're pregnant. If you fall, you'll suffer."
Having her foot massaged in front of her family, being scolded like a child, Bianca's face flushed to the point of boiling shrimps.
Embarrassedly, she tried to pull her foot back, saying, "Alright, stop fussing. I won't wear high heels next time."
While Bianca compromised, Riley wasn't willing to let it go.
He didn't release her hand, continuing his actions, "It's not that you can't wear high heels. It's just that next time you do, I want to be by your side. Alright, that's enough for now. I'll get some medicated oil later to massage your feet."
Only after the massage did Riley gently release Bianca's leg and help her put her shoes back on.
With a series of actions, Bianca felt like disappearing into the ground. When she saw Riley still busy taking care of her, she could only resign herself and close her eyes.
Only when Riley stood up did Alessia voice the thoughts of everyone present. "Brother, can you explain what's going on between you and Bianca?"
As Alessia spoke, Riley seemed to realize there were others present. He pushed his glasses up, straightened his clothes, and only after tidying himself up, did he turn to Grandma Carter, Brenda, Dominic, and the others, bowing formally to them.
"Old Lady Carter, Mrs. Carter, I-Riley Sinclair, formally request that you marry Bianca to me."
Just a few days ago, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol every night. Now, how long had it been since he completely changed his attitude?
Alessia felt genuinely happy for Riley, almost instinctively looking at Bianca.
Bianca's eyes were filled with shyness and nervousness as she looked at Riley. It was evident that she understood Riley's proposal.
So, Riley had overcome his own troubles and successfully comforted Bianca at such a speed.
Just as Alessia was pondering, Dominic told Riley, "Come upstairs with me." With that, he turned and headed upstairs, his face expressionless, his body stiff.
It didn't look like he wanted to discuss things with Riley; rather, it seemed like he wanted to fight.
"Brother, why go upstairs? Can't we talk about it here? Grandma and Mom are both here." Bianca anxiously tried to stand up.
Riley noticed her movement, gently pushing her back onto the sofa, softly tidying her hair, "Be good, sit down. Whatever happens, I will marry you."
Riley's words were like a soothing pill. Bianca stopped struggling, but she still looked worried.
Riley patted her shoulder reassuringly and then followed upstairs.
Alessia took Riley's place, sitting next to Bianca, holding her hand, her eyes filled with smiles.
"Sister-in-law." Bianca was too shy to meet Alessia's eyes.
"This is good news. Tell me, what's going on between you and my brother?"
Grandma Carter and Brenda were also very interested.
Clearly, from the tone between Alessia and Dominic earlier, Riley seemed unwilling to take responsibility.
But what they just saw was obviously different from what they imagined.
On the contrary, Riley was very protective of Bianca.
Facing the curious gaze of everyone, Bianca bit her lip, lowered her eyebrows, did some mental preparation, and then began to speak.
Bianca felt bored staying at home this morning and wanted to go out for a walk. Coincidentally, a friend invited her out, thinking it would kill some time.
This friend was her senior from college, who usually took care of her. She didn't think of him in any romantic way, even though she knew he had a crush on someone else.
Unexpectedly, while they were walking in the mall, without any warning, he used the mall's big screen advertisement to publicly confess to her.
She was stunned, and it was then that Riley appeared and took her away.
They had an argument, and Bianca walked away in anger, accidentally twisting her foot.
Riley suddenly appeared and carried her away.
As she spoke, Bianca grew increasingly shy, her head drooping lower.
"He said he got so jealous when he saw someone confessing to me, and his heart ached when he saw me fall down. He said he realized he had already fallen for me long ago. He thought overcoming his emotional struggles was not as hard as losing me. He said he was willing to give it a try for me. "
Even though Bianca kept her head down, Alessia could see the curve of her lips lifting.
"Oh, girl..." Grandma Carter glanced helplessly at Bianca.
Brenda also approached Bianca, hesitated for a moment, then embraced her. Bianca smelled the same familiar fragrance on Brenda as she did when she was a child, and her nose tingled.
Resting her head on Brenda's shoulder, she sincerely called out, "Mom!"
"You've grown up but still give me worries." Brenda lightly patted Bianca's shoulder as a reprimand, but then hugged her tighter. "Bianca, don't learn from your mom. Don't be stubborn in love, and don't sacrifice yourself because of children."
While hugging Bianca, Brenda used her own experience to educate her.
Bianca felt warm inside, warmer than basking in the March sun. She hugged Brenda tightly.
This was the first time in many years that her mother had hugged her like this, and the first time she had been so close.
She felt genuinely happy now.
With a smile in her eyes, she spoke sincerely to Brenda. "Mom, I won't sacrifice myself. Other than nagging a bit about dating, Riley hasn't caused me any sadness. He's caring, hygienic, and I love him. In this world, it's unlikely I'll meet another person who fits my heart like him."
Brenda couldn't help but laugh at Bianca's rational analysis, shaking her head helplessly in the end. "In matters of the heart, as long as you know what you want, it's fine!"
"Of course." Bianca nodded, pulling Brenda to sit beside her and resting her head on her shoulder.
She wanted a husband who could take care of her, and Riley was clearly qualified. He had his flaws, but as long as he was willing to change, she was willing to give him a chance.
Bianca smiled and reached out to hold Alessia's arm. Frowning slightly, she was troubled by one question at the moment.
"Sis, if I marry your brother in the future, then you'll be my sister-in-law. How should I address you?"
Alessia was stunned for a moment, then laughed. She was happy that her brother and Bianca's matter was perfectly resolved.
"Call me whatever you like, it's up to you."
"Then I'll still call you sister-in-law!" Bianca decided happily, still teasing her future husband.
Watching Bianca and Alessia getting along so well, Tiffany felt a pang in her heart, like someone had driven a nail into her heart.
It hurt, especially when she saw Grandma Carter and Brenda looking at Alessia without any hostility.
It seemed she had just made a fool of herself, busy as a clown, and hadn't even scratched the surface of Alessia.
Taking a deep breath, Tiffany, even though ignored, forced herself to stay.
While waiting for Dominic and Riley to come downstairs, she naturally walked behind Brenda and gently massaged her shoulders.
After half an hour, Dominic and Riley finally came downstairs.
Dominic's elegant face was unreadable, while Riley had a bruised nose and swollen eyes again.
However, he seemed to be in both pain and joy, with a tender smile on his face. He walked with a light step, as if he had completely shed his shackles.
"Riley." Seeing Riley's appearance, Bianca became anxious, trying to stand up with her injured foot.
"Don't get up, I'm fine." Fortunately, Riley stopped Bianca in time.
He hurried over to Bianca, squatted down again, and pressed her hand against the bruise on his face to show her. "Feel it, it's just superficial injuries, I'm fine. Your brother agreed to marry you to me. Let's get married on the ninth day of next month. It's an auspicious day."
"Dream on, who wants to marry you?" Bianca blushed again when Riley sweet-talked her in front of everyone, turning her head away and refusing to look at him.
Seeing through Bianca's little tricks, Riley leaned closer, pressing his face against hers, and whispered enticingly.
"You're already carrying my child. Who else could you marry? Be good, I owe you a proposal, and I'll make it up to you."
Of course, this was something that would happen in the future:
Riley kept his promise. On a night filled with twinkling stars, he proposed to Bianca amidst a floor covered with roses and heart-shaped candles flickering.
Dressed in a white shirt, Riley looked youthful. He knelt on one knee, presenting a carefully prepared diamond ring. He said, "Bianca, marry me, and become my first lady."
Yes, Bianca's dream was to become a first lady, and Riley remembered that.
At the moment, Dominic almost couldn't bear to look, avoiding eye contact with everyone. It turned out girls were outgoing.
Seeing that he had gone easy on Riley just now, he should have beaten him to a pulp.
At this moment, Dominic just wanted to vent his emotions, forgetting that karma existed.
Trying to ignore the situation, Dominic cleared his throat and changed the subject, "It's time for dinner."
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