The Secret Obsession of the CEO-Chapter 219: The Proposal(2)

"You like the kitchen, right? It has everything you like... And the library has a lot of originals. I heard they have the original Tolkien too. We can check it out if we want," Liam said.

"Whoa, hold your horses... Why do you..." Rory found Liam’s enthusiasm a lot odd.

He did not go and buy this castle, did he? Oh, this fool! We will go under if he goes on a spending spree like this! Buying the castle is not the end. The maintenance cost would be ginormous. Does he even know? There was a reason castles were owned by f*cking Lords!

"Cherry, calm down..." Liam held her hand and brought her to the modern laundry room near the kitchen. He closed the door after asking the butler to wait for a moment. They still had a lot of the castle left to visit.

"Take a deep breath... I did not buy the castle," Liam told her. He could see that she was so worried about that. He cannot afford to buy this castle. Not with their economic condition right now.

But...

"Cherry, do you remember... Right after we returned from our honeymoon, your grandfather sat us down and talked about getting us a house?"

"...Yes..." Rory remembered that.

Actually, her grandfather talked about getting Liam a house. He even told Liam that he had become the "man" of the house and that every man needs a house. But then her grandmother barged in and talked over him in her usual way.

"But the apartment we lived in..." Rory asked. She thought that was her grandfather’s wedding gift.

"No, we rented that apartment, remember? You paid the bills. You know," Liam told her.

"Wait..." Rory thought hard. She had to think hard because the simple answer was so absurd. "you’re saying that... This... THIS CASTLE is the "HOUSE" grandpa bought for you?" she asked.

"Well," Liam shrugged rubbing his neck. He couldn’t believe that either.

Both of them had forgotten the promise of her grandfather. But that lovely old man hadn’t. Before his death, he made sure he made a fortified will that would let Liam inherit this property.

"I talked to you about staying here for a while, right?" Liam said. "I talked to Mrs. Delport to check if it would be fine considering the health of your grandmother. And she was the one who gave me your father’s will that let me with this..."

"Wow!" Rory didn’t have any words to spare.

"Maybe..." Liam’s eyes watered. "Maybe he knew who I was and... He had written a letter for me. It was so... inspirational. He gave a lot of advice on being a man, without sounding condescending. He loved you so much, Cherry. And because I married you... he didn’t want me to feel left out or "poor"~"

Rory interjected him. She never thought about Liam as poor. She hoped her grandfather’s well-intended letter didn’t hurt Liam. "But~"

"I told you. He was not condescending or patronizing. He was so...kind and... Cherry, he believed in me. Just like you did... He knew I will be the best one day. And that you’ll be by my side that day. I felt so loved and I felt his warm hug through his words. I... I felt like I belong... I belong in your family... I..." he scratched the back of his head.

Rory hugged him. It’s not just a property in that case. It is a gift. A gift her grandfather gave Liam. She had no right to tell him not to take it.

And it’s also an inheritance. Why should she deny him his inheritance?

Liam held her close to his chest. Rory patted his back as she thought he needed it.

"And this Castle comes with the title. A title that could be passed on... I didn’t know there were such titles that were attached to a place..." Liam said. "I am Lord Fitzwilliam Roberts of Sterling. Or Lord Sterling in short. Isn’t that amazing? That makes you Lady Sterling."

Rory smiled hearing the childish giggle of Liam. He must really love the title part.

She understood her grandfather. He was a man of the past. He knew the responsibilities a man holds. And he knew his wife. Although it was Agnes who pushed for the marriage, he must have feared that Agnes would ill-treat Liam because he didn’t have much. So, he made sure Liam became a Lord.

How amazing!

She found that the house had a lot of factors that she loved. She had talked to her grandfather about the types of castles and historical houses she had visited. Whenever she was missing her home, her grandfather would sit her down and ask her about her homeland and what she loved about it. She used to think that talking about what she liked would make her miss that place more, but she found that it eases her homesickness talking about it.

Ah, grandpa... I love you so much! Thank you for doing this for my husband!

Rory thanked her grandfather in her heart.

Her grandfather loved her husband so much and expected for them to be together against all odds. He knew the kind of person Liam was in his heart and trusted him with this much.

THey were just teenagers when they were "pushed" into this marriage. They knew nothing about the world. And yet, the elders had stood by their side like strongholds and shielded them without even them knowing. They protected them.

Her grandfather and her grandmother. And also, the elders in Liam’s family were their greatest support.

Without them, they wouldn’t have been where they are now.

"I know..." Liam got out of her embrace and looked at her. Rory wiped the tear marks on his face with her hand.

How adorable is he!

"I know the cost of maintenance and the bills... It would be hard to afford if our situation doesn’t improve much. But your grandfather made sure to let me know that I should become the man who could afford to live in a castle and that was the point of him leaving this castle for me... So... I will try and become that man. Your grandpa wanted me to become a Lord. And you want me to become an Emperor. I have a lot to do, don’t I?" He asked.

Rory nodded with a smile. She couldn’t contain her happiness as she saw how inspired Liam was by this.

There are other ways he might have planned to handle this situation. He could have sold it. That would have fetched him a lot of money. But that wouldn’t have been respectful of her grandfather and his vision for him.

That’s the kind of man her husband is, right? He is not going to take the easy way out. He will work hard. She knew he will succeed. She will do her best to make sure he succeeds.

He deserves all the success.

"We can think about it, what do you say?" Liam held her hand. "Till now the maintenance cost is getting deducted from your grandfather’s estate accounts. We can..."

"Yes, we don’t have to hurry..." she held his hand.

She could offer her money. But he won’t like it. He considers it his responsibility and she didn’t want to take it from him.

She’s heard that men like responsibilities. Men who are responsible are sexy. She loved to let him take the lead.

"Lord Sterling... It does have a nice ring to it, right?" Liam couldn’t help but giggle as they walked up the winding stairs leading to the top of the tower.

"It does..." Rory gripped his hand.

He might act silly at times, but he is a good man. She always knew that.

"Ah, look at this little room...!" Rory got so excited to see the room at the top of the tower. "This could be a playroom for Ellie. I bet she’d love it!" Rory walked into the room.

She planned the ways this little circular room could be transformed into a little playhouse for her darling daughter. But she got a little jealous too.

Why didn’t I grow up in a castle with a playroom in a tower?

But that was only short-lived as she imagined her daughter’s smile. Ellie is more adorable than she ever was. Ellie deserves only the best.

"Fizzy..." Rory looked at him as it suddenly hit her. "You are really thinking of moving here? Have you talked about this to your family?" she asked.

She knew the resentment her grandmother held in her heart for her mother thinking that she was the one who separated her son from her to live in a distant country. But that was only because she missed her son. She didn’t want Liam’s family to miss him.

"I have. They are sad... I think they’ll understand..." he said. "After what happened to us, they think this move would benefit us. They love us. You more than me," he bopped her nose. "They saw some of the pictures you sent from here and think that you are happier here and this place suits you. Dad... dad was the one who talked to me about it first, you know..." he said.

"That’s good," Rory said. She was not that surprised when Liam put it that way. She knew how much they love them.

"Shall we go to the top?" Liam asked.

Rory walked up. The stairs narrowed and she walked in the front. Liam smiled placing his hand on his pocket.