After the whole madness and drama, that evening Valentino and Valeria invited their entire family members out to a luxurious restaurant in the heart of Rome. Each side did not tell each other what they were actually planning but they made sure their entire family members emptied out their schedule for the evening including Gianluca and Chiara who was still distant toward each other but Valentino was extremely determined to get them out together and for the sake of their son they eventually tolerated each other for the evening. Once they arrived at the restaurant they were guided to the VIP room where the Valenza were already there. When the two family met each other in the room each party were confused as they looked at their children who had planned it.
"What is the meaning of this, Valeria?" her father asked because he knew what had happened with his daughter and Alessio, he would never expect Valeria to voluntarily invited the other family after what their eldest son did. Mind that at this point he had no idea about Valentino and Valeria's relationship. Meanwhile Gianluca and Chiara who had never met with the Valenza again after the incident felt slightly embarrassed to meet them. Their son had done their daughter wrong and they had no idea how they were supposed to compensate for it. At the same time Valentino had told them about his relationship with Valeria, which they refused to believe at first, but after meeting Valeria again, they started to believe what he was saying was true. Even then the whole situation just felt so awkward.
"Have a seat first, we would order some food and then we will talk everything out. I promise today will be quite peaceful" Valeria stated. After all a good dinner always have a tendency to solve problems. The other members of Valenza were quite skeptical because of what Saverino had done to them but since those words came out from Valeria's mouth they had no choice but to believe it.
The Svarino took a seat across the Valenza and if the situation was different they would be welcomed with a warm joyous manner, but that evening was slightly different. They did not know if the seating was made on purpose but Alessio was seated right beside Valentino while Valeria was seated across him. Which meant the gap between Valeria and Alessio were not that different. Ginerva who was seated beside Valeria and across Alessio could still sense the tension between the two of them but generally speaking it was nothing too massive. Perhaps Valeria was holding back her desire to punch him in the face after what he did to her but she was a civilized woman, she would never resort to violence. Besides she had better plan that day. Something much more grand.
They ordered quite a lot of food that night and each according to the taste of their family members which at the end of the day pleased everyone, customized food was always better and the best part about dining in a fancy restaurant was the individual request was always spot on. They ate and not much words were exchanged, but the room was not exactly silent either. There was some classical music playing in the background. It was a rather comfortable and calm atmosphere, the tension in the room slowly faded as the evening faded by and they were starting to have chatters in the room by the dessert. Of course it was a sight both Valeria and Valentino wanted because soon they would formally announce their relationship. It was no more a secret to most people in the room, but still they had to create an official gathering for it.
Once everyone was happy, full and settled, they finally stood up and asked for everyone's attention. Valentino and Valeria was holding each other's hand and everyone in the room could already guess what they were going to say, but decided to listen out of respect. Everyone except for Alessio who looked bothered by the gesture because he knew exactly how long his brother had waited for the day and he felt ashamed to make a fool out of himself by doing what he did. It was awful for him but he could not do anything about it.
With a bright smile plastered on their face, they officially announced their relationship.
"We are officially dating now!" both of them knew exactly the consequences of their actions and the timing was not exactly the best but it was better to announce everything right then than waiting and having something come in between them. The reaction was quite similar to how they had expected, there would be some who were a bit surprised, especially Valeria's parents who had no idea about it before, the rest still could not believe they were actually a thing since there were too many things that made it impossible for them to be together in the past. Guess that was how life works, unpredictable.
"Are you sure, sweetheart? He is Alessio's brother" her father asked with a rather sarcastic tone. He was still slightly bitter with the fact that his beloved daughter was hurt by the man who he thought was suitable for her but turned out to be much worse than what he had initially thought.
"He is not his brother. Just like how a son should never be held accountable for his father's action, nor should a brother to another" she calmly stated as her eyes met Gianluca, who turned his head away since he knew that was directed at him. It seemed the news of his infidelity had spread much further than what he had initially thought and if he was to make the wrong move then it would truly be the end of his reputation.
They all squirmed uncomfortably, then she continued.
"I have made my decision. Beside Valentino is a good man, he has always been there for me when I need him unlike a certain someone. And he has proven himself worthy to be my forever partner. I know he will always stand by me and he will take care of me. I can never choose a better partner for myself and this time, I know for sure he will remain faithful and loyal to me" that statement seemed to have double meanings. It was like a sword that was headed to several individuals at the same time. Everyone knew she had the upper hand in the room and no one dared to say anything because whoever said something first or tried to deflect her words, which were not even intended as an offense to anyone would only further embarrass themselves.
Once she was done with her statement, he continued.
"Everything she says is entirely correct, but there is one more thing I would like to add. From this day on, we are no longer just dating" Valeria turned her head at him with confusion when all of a sudden knelt down on one foot and took out a velvet navy box from his pocket. She was not expecting it at all, her palm covered her mouth and a small drop of tear gathered around the rim of her eyes.
He looked up to her in the eyes, before the entire family and opened up the box to reveal a golden ring with a large oval cut diamond in the middle and two smaller round cut diamond on the side. The light reflected on it, everyone in the room was equally as surprised as she was.
"Valeria. I have waited my whole life to say this line. You have no idea how long I have waited until I can finally have you. Now, before you and our family. I would like to ask the most important question I have ever asked.... Will you marry me?" She cried and nodded, mouthing a small yes before repeating it over and over again until everyone could hear it. Valentino could not be happier. He took out the ring from the box and placed it on her ring finger. He stood up and pulled her into a deep embrace. The two of them exchanged a tender kiss and she admired the man before her and the ring he had just given.
Everyone else was speechless, they had not expected Valentino to propose after only dating her for a few months, but truth to be told, what counted was not exactly the few months that they had been together. What counted was the amount of experience they had had with each other throughout their lives. There could not be someone else who knew Valeria like Valentino did.
In the end, his wait was over. What initially started as a solemn gathering had turned into something more joyous. Valentino and Valeria had their moment after his quick and forward proposal. It was not exactly what she had in mind, but it was still memorable and she would never forget it for the rest of her life.
But the problem did not end there. Because there was still something that needed to be resolved once and for all. What was left of Alessio and Valeria needed to be sorted out. Only then could everyone gain peace. But the price of that peace was quite expensive.
Soon Alessio would learn the true cost of his actions
YOU ARE READING
The Devoted Gentleman (EDITING)
Romance"My brother does not deserve you, Valeria. He could never love you as much as I do" He stepped in closer to her until she could feel his breath on her neck. 'Valentino, we shouldn't..." she tried to push him away. He froze where he was and placed h...
