Chapter 18: Permission Granted

Chapter 18 - Permission Granted The hospital hallway was quiet as Adrian and Bianca walked side by side toward Sean Williams's room. The moment had finally come. They were going to tell his grandfather about their marriage plan. Adrian glanced at Bianca. She looked calm like always, but he noticed her hand gripping her purse a little tighter than usual. "You sure you're okay with this?" he asked in a low voice. Bianca turned her head slightly toward him, one brow raised. "Why? Are you having second thoughts about marrying me?" she asked with a teasing tone. Adrian frowned. "No." Bianca let out a soft sigh. "I already said yes. This is for your grandpa, right?" He gave a small nod. They stopped in front of the door. Adrian looked at the handle, then back at her. "Once we walk in, there's no turning back." Bianca met his gaze for a moment, then gave a small, steady nod. "I know." Adrian took a deep breath, then pushed the door open. Inside, Sean was sitting up, reading a newspaper. When he saw them walk in together, his face lit up with a big smile. "Adrian... Bianca... You came to see me again." Adrian gave a small grin. "I brought good news today. Better than soup." Sean laughed. "Unless it's about stocks, I'm not interested." Bianca smiled and sat down next to the bed. Adrian stood on the other side. "I wanted to tell you... I'm getting married." Sean lowered the paper and stared at Adrian. "You're serious?" Adrian nodded. "Yeah. I'm marrying Bianca." Sean's eyes widened slightly. He immediately turned his head to Bianca, his expression filled with hope. "Is he telling the truth, Bianca?" Bianca nodded. "Yeah, sir. We're getting married, me and Adrian." For a moment, Sean said nothing. Then his features softened, and a warm smile spread across his face. He reached for Bianca's hand, his voice quiet with emotion. "You just made an old man's dream come true." They spent the next few minutes talking about the wedding. Sean looked happier than he had in a while, even joking about what color suit Adrian should wear. Before they left, Sean reached out and gently took Bianca's hand again. "Thank you, Bianca," he said, his voice sincere. "For accepting Adrian... and for saying yes to marry him. It means more to me than you know." Bianca smiled softly. "You don't have to thank me, sir." "I do," Sean said with a chuckle. "I know my grandson. He's not exactly easy to live with. So the fact that you said yes... you deserve a medal." He was clearly joking. Bianca laughed, and Sean laughed with her. Adrian shook his head, half amused, half annoyed. "Wow. Thanks, Grandpa. Really appreciate that." Sean just grinned, completely unapologetic. When they left the room, the hallway was still quiet. They walked in silence for a moment. "You did good in there," Adrian said. Bianca gave a small nod. "He's sweet." Adrian smiled a little. "Yeah. He is." *** Silence filled the Scotts' living room the moment Adrian spoke of the reason for his visit. He and Bianca were now seated across from her parents in their Santa Barbara home. "I came here to respectfully ask for your blessing to marry your daughter, Bianca," Adrian said with a serious expression. It was weekend, just as they had agreed. Today was the day Adrian would formally ask for Mr. and Mrs. Scott's blessing to marry Bianca. The week before, he and Bianca had already informed his own family about their wedding plans. His father had looked stunned at first shocked, even. But it hadn't taken long before smiles and laughter filled the room. His grandfather, in particular, had been overjoyed. He'd even tried to convince them to move the date up, which both Adrian and Bianca politely declined. Adrian, who was rarely ever nervous, found himself sweating coldly this time. Although his face showed no sign of what he was feeling, the pounding of his heart gave him away. He was anxious. For some reason, facing his secretary's parents made him a little uneasy. With both hands resting on his thighs, Adrian sat upright, facing the married couple in front of him. Henry, Bianca's father, looked at Adrian for a long moment before finally speaking. "Are you serious about marrying my daughter?" "I am, sir," Adrian replied firmly. "What do you do for a living?" Henry asked, wanting to know more about the man who wanted to marry his daughter. "I work at the same company as Bianca." "In what department?" Henry continued his questioning, clearly wanting to get a clearer picture. Adrian glanced at Bianca briefly. "I'm responsible for overseeing, planning, managing, and analyzing the company's operations." "So you're a manager?" "Something like that, sir," Adrian replied, neither denying nor fully confirming the assumption. Henry nodded thoughtfully, completely unaware that what Adrian had just described were the duties of someone in charge of the entire company. "So you two met at work? Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend, Bianca?" Rose, Bianca's mother, added with a warm smile on her face. Bianca, who heard her mother's teasing question, turned to the man sitting beside her. She didn't respond. She simply offered a small smile, choosing not to explain anything further about her relationship with Adrian. The more she spoke, the more likely her parents would get hurt when they found out the truth, that their daughter's upcoming marriage was nothing but a well-acted lie. "I'll give you my permission," Henry finally said. "But listen carefully, don't you ever hurt my daughter. If you do, I won't forgive you." He cracked his knuckles loudly, the sharp pop of his fingers filling the silence like a warning. Adrian stiffened slightly. He wasn't easily intimidated, but something about the sound and the dead serious look in Mr. Scott's eyes made his throat dry up for a second. Still, he managed to nod with confidence. "I won't hurt Bianca, sir. I promise." "Good. I'm holding you to that promise, Adrian." Having finally received her parents' blessing, Adrian felt a wave of relief wash over him. Finally. He hadn't expected asking for a woman's hand in marriage could be this exhausting, mentally and emotionally draining. ***