Chapter 333: One Step Away from Forever

He grabbed Maxwell’s arm, his eyes filled with determination.

"It’s a must. You have to help me make it happen."

Maxwell blinked, leaning back with an amused, teasing grin. "Whoa, slow down. Why are you suddenly in such a massive rush?"

Adrian lowered his voice to an urgent whisper, leaning in close. "Let me ask you a question. If your boyfriend bought you an entire building, what would you do next?"

Without missing a beat, Maxwell replied, "I’d propose to him immediately and make sure he legally belongs to me forever. A good man like that? You lock him down."

"Exactly!" Adrian hissed triumphantly, grabbing Maxwell’s arm. "Now, I need to make sure this proposal happens seamlessly on the trip. Please, Maxwell, you have to help me pull this off."

Maxwell laughed, shaking his head at Adrian’s excitement. "Alright, alright." He gently patted Adrian’s shoulder. "Calm down. I’ll help you. We’ll make sure everything goes perfectly."

"Thank you!" Adrian beamed, turning on his heel. "Okay, I have to fly back upstairs before your brother notices I’m gone and starts looking for me."

"Go on, then," Maxwell chuckled.

Adrian had barely taken two steps toward the grand staircase when he suddenly stopped.

His eyes widened as something clicked in his mind.

"...Wait a minute."

He turned around and walked back into the spacious living room, where Maxwell was still sitting on the sofa.

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Adrian stopped in front of him.

"Where were you last night?" he asked. "You didn’t even come home."

Maxwell’s composed expression immediately cracked. He glanced toward him before lowering his voice. "I thought you said my brother was upstairs waiting for you."

Adrian stepped closer and lowered his voice to a sharp hiss. "Don’t change the subject. Tell me the truth right now."

Maxwell sighed, holding up his hands in defeat. "Alright, fine. If you really want to know... I’m trying to work things out with James. I spent the night at his place."

Adrian’s eyes grew wide. "Seriously?"

A slow grin spread across his face before he let out an amused laugh. "Wow, Maxwell. I honestly thought you were busy with work."

Maxwell shrugged. "I was...Then I went to see James."

Adrian’s grin only widened. "So you’re finally trying to win your boyfriend back?" he teased. "Spending the whole night with him?"

Maxwell rubbed the back of his neck, unable to hide the small smile tugging at his lips. "I’m trying," he admitted.

"Look at you." Adrian shook his head playfully. "You kept saying you wanted to protect him and give him space, yet you’re the one sneaking over to spend the night at his place."

"I wasn’t sneaking over," Maxwell defended himself. "James was the one who asked me to come over. Then he asked me to stay the night."

Adrian’s eyebrows shot up. "So... you actually stayed over after everything you said?" he asked, unable to hold back another laugh.

Maxwell groaned, already knowing Adrian wasn’t going to let this go. "Alright, that’s enough." He pointed toward the staircase. "Go back to my brother before he starts wondering where you disappeared to."

Adrian laughed and nodded. "You’re right. I should go now, but we’re definitely talking about this again later, okay?"

Maxwell said. "Okay."

Still grinning, Adrian turned and hurried upstairs while Maxwell watched him disappear before shaking his head with a helpless smile. He eventually settled back onto the sofa, unable to believe how much Adrian had managed to tease him in just a few minutes.

Meanwhile, Adrian quietly slipped back into the bedroom.

Matteo was sitting against the headboard with his laptop resting on his legs, his attention fixed on the screen as he worked.

Without looking away, he asked, "Baby, what were you doing downstairs for so long?"

"I was just talking to Maxwell," Adrian replied casually as he climbed onto the bed beside him.

Matteo gave a small nod. "Alright."

Satisfied with the answer, he returned his full attention to the work on his laptop.

Adrian smiled to himself before picking up his phone. Although he had already told his friends about his plan to propose during the trip, his excitement had only grown after everything Matteo had done for him. He opened their group chat and sent another message, letting Charles and Frank know that the proposal was definitely happening this weekend.

The conversation quickly turned into planning.

Charles suggested a few last-minute ideas to make the proposal even more memorable and promised he would speak with the decorator himself so Matteo wouldn’t suspect anything.

Frank suggested proposing on the yacht before changing his mind. "Actually," he typed, "the beachside would be more romantic."

Charles immediately agreed. "Besides, there’s no guarantee we’ll all be on the same yacht the whole time. The beachside is the safer option."

Everyone agreed, and after discussing a few final details, they settled on the plan. Charles assured Adrian that he would handle everything on his end, while Frank promised to help however he could.

Once the conversation ended, Adrian set his phone aside.

His gaze slowly drifted toward Matteo.

The man he loved was still focused on his laptop, completely unaware that Adrian was quietly making plans to ask him to spend the rest of his life by his side.

A warm smile spread across Adrian’s face.

After the proposal... comes the wedding.

This time, I’m not letting even the smallest chance of making him mine forever slip away.

Caught up in his daydream, Adrian didn’t realize how intensely he was staring until Matteo suddenly looked up from his laptop.

Their eyes met.

A smile tugged at the corner of Matteo’s lips.

"What is it, baby?" he asked. "Do you need something?"

Adrian smiled softly and shook his head. "No."

He rested his chin on his hand, still admiring him. "I’m just looking at you."

Matteo chuckled, his lips curving into a small smile before returning his attention to the laptop.

********

The days passed by faster than either of them realized.

As planned, Maxwell quietly collected the engagement ring from the jewelry store and kept it hidden, making sure Matteo wouldn’t suspect a thing.

Meanwhile, Matteo began noticing little changes in Adrian’s behavior.

His boyfriend had been smiling to himself more often, occasionally zoning out in the middle of conversations and becoming unusually secretive with his phone. Although Matteo couldn’t figure out exactly what Adrian was hiding, he was certain his boyfriend was hiding something.

On the other hand, Adrian spent every spare moment preparing for the proposal.

He rehearsed his speech countless times, repeating every word he wanted to say to Matteo and every heartfelt thank-you he wanted him to hear. Yet the more he practiced, the more nervous he became. No matter how many times he went over it in his head, he still worried that once he was standing in front of Matteo with the ring in his hand, he would forget everything.

A few days before their trip, Matteo happily told Adrian that they would be staying at a luxury beach resort owned by one of his close friends.

"You’ll love it there," he said confidently.

Hearing that only made Adrian even more excited.

According to the plan he had made with Charles and Frank, everyone would arrive at the resort on Friday. The decorators would quietly come in on Saturday while Matteo was distracted elsewhere. By nightfall, everything would be ready.

Then Adrian would ask Matteo to take a walk with him along the beach.

That was where he would get down on one knee and ask the man he loved to spend forever with him.

Every detail had been carefully planned.

Everything seemed perfect.

Finally, the weekend arrived.

Their suitcases had already been packed the night before, and by early afternoon, Adrian and Matteo were ready to leave.

The others were making their own preparations as well.

Frank sent a message to the group, letting his friends know he was ready.

Charles replied a few minutes later. "Alright. Mark and I are all set. We’ll be leaving soon. See you all at the resort."

Maxwell would be traveling behind Matteo and Adrian in a separate car.

Downstairs, the mansion was already bustling with activity. The staff had carefully loaded everyone’s luggage into the waiting vehicles, while the drivers made their final checks. Matteo’s bodyguards had already taken their positions, making sure everything was ready for departure.

A few minutes later, Matteo and Adrian made their way downstairs together. One of the bodyguards opened the rear door of the luxury car, and the couple slid into the back seat. Behind them, Maxwell got into another car with the rest of the security team, while the remaining bodyguards took their places in the escort vehicles.

Once everyone was in position, the convoy slowly pulled away from the mansion.

One by one, the others also left their homes, all heading toward the same destination.

Sitting beside Matteo in the back seat, Adrian slipped his arm around him and rested his head gently against his shoulder.

A quiet smile spread across his face.

In just one more day, he would finally be down on one knee, asking the love of his life to marry him.

He could hardly wait.

💍 Proposal O’Clock 💍

Two lovers.

Two secrets.

One unforgettable moment.

Who will propose first... or will they end up doing it at the same time?

Find out in the next Chapter.

Thank you for your support.