"Not now," George whispered to Cynthia with a warm smile on his face. But his eyes were void of all humor. He drew a circle with his index finger over their table, and Cynthia knew exactly what that gesture was code for.
'All ears are on this table' was what he meant by it.
George closed his eyes giving himself exactly half a minute to make a decision. His hand automatically went into his pocket, he felt the velvety texture between his fingers. 'This is not how I wanted to do it, dam* it…' he thought to himself gravely.
George and Cynthia had underestimated their opponent, the Cobra came prepared for more than one scenario, and the addition of George to their party gave her one more angle to attack Cynthia from, but when that went nowhere, she quickly changed venoms.
'A trial could not have been a snap decision on her part.' George's thoughts were fuel to his fire, he was disgusted by the entire Green family which was composed of only two people now, starting with their very first ancestor, whoever that was.
The Cobra had thrown a rock into Cynthia's puddle, many ripples will form going forward, and he needed to restrain their spreading out process as much as possible.
'That's right, this isn't about me, it's about Cynthia's wellbeing.' George's decision was made by the time his half a minute was over.
He opened his eyes and looked at a pale Cynthia.
"It's your enemies who should be afraid," he whispered too low for her to hear him.
George moved away from his seat and knelt beside her. It took the flabbergasted Cynthia two seconds to understand what he was doing. But it took less than that for their audience to figure it out.
More gasps erupted from all around them. Cynthia's nerves couldn't take much more of the action dose this evening, but she understood where George was coming from.
'Social damage control,' she thought to herself, looking at him but not really seeing his face.
He grabbed her left hand and kept a hold on it with his left hand while he reached his right hand into his pocket, he took out the ring box and opened it. This special square velvet engagement ring box had a built-in light that made the diamond sparkle even more.
And it was red. Like the diamond.
Cynthia gasped when she finally snapped out of it and actually saw the ring. She placed a hand on her pounding heart.
"Is this…"
"Moussaieff Red Diamond," His voice was dripping with satisfaction.
"You remembered…how did you manage to get it in one day?!" Cynthia was slurring but George understood.
That was one of the many secrets George had, The Moussaieff didn't become his acquisition in one day. He ordered it the day Cynthia spoke so enthusiastically about it.
She was sixteen at that time.
As Cynthia's green eyes were sparkling brilliantly, George's vision almost doubled. He saw a younger version of Cynthia right behind the pregnant woman who was in front of his eyes. One was full of life; the other was melancholic.
George took a deep breath,
"I fear no fate, for you are my fate, my sweet…"
Cynthia's eyes glistened with her unshed tears.
"I want no world, for beautiful you are my world…my true,"
Her tears flowed down her cheeks.
"And it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing… is you…"
"George…" Cynthia's heart broke in all the right places.
"Will you marry me, Cynthia Evans?"
Cynthia's thoughts were racing around one thing. It was so wrong; it was worthy of being listed right under the seven sins for her. Dragging this man into her revenge scheme, condemning him into a contract marriage and using him like that. She thought that it was so wrong.
"Yes," she whispered. Then closed her mouth with her hand, startled because of what she had just done.
Le Diplomate broke into waves of laughter and clapping, and the words 'bravo!' rang in Cynthia's ears many times while George was putting the ring on her finger, he placed a kiss over the ring once in its place.
George was carving the moment inside his head. This ring was priceless, a palpable proof that his Cynthia was finally, his.
Cynthia and George both took a silent oath that instant.
'That contract marriage will turn into the real deal sooner than later,' George swore to it.
'That contract marriage will never last longer than the second my ex's life falls apart,' Cynthia swore to it.
They looked at each other for a long moment, both determined, both clueless as to what the other was thinking.
***
George and Cynthia had a quiet romantic dinner at Le Diplomate Just like any lovey-dovey engaged couple, they exchanged looks and a few waves of laughter of their own. The atmosphere was so smooth that people from other tables started approaching.
The high society in Washington DC was dying to take part in whatever the latest scoop in the Evans x Green drama was all about.
George subtly led the show, the story that got passed around the tables in Le Diplomate was that Mrs. Green was bitter with jealousy and had made an outrageous suggestion to the soon-to-be mother and re-married Cynthia, but it was in the past now, the couple was going to take the high road and put the incident behind them.
George's performance was impeccable.
He played the male lead until he closed the door to the passenger seat of his 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S after making sure that Cynthia was comfortable in it. He got in next and closed the driver's door, he took off his jacket, and placed it over her shivering shoulders immediately.
"I told you not to let her get to you."
"George..."
"Not until you calm down..."
"JUST TELL ME!" She shivered some more.
"I'm taking you to the hospital, this can't be good for either of you," he quickly eyed her pregnant belly.
"Please..." her voice was thick with tears.
He drove for a few blocks to get away from any watchful eye from inside of the restaurant and then pulled over to the side, he snatched a crying Cynthia right into his arms.
"Cry the poison out first, then we'll talk," he promised her. 'I'll make them wish they were never born,' he promised himself.