Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 219

“No need.”

Silvia declined Kent’s suggestion with a shake of her head, popping another macaron into her mouth as she answered, “Don’t you think an engagement party is a bit much?”

Most people she knew simply had a small dinner with their closest family and friends to mark the occasion. That was it—nothing extravagant.

But Kent’s version of an engagement party? It was so grand, it might as well have been a wedding.

The thought made Silvia laugh softly. She glanced at him, her eyes flickering with complicated emotion. She still didn’t quite understand why Kent had insisted on such an elaborate affair, but honestly, it had more than satisfied her.

Back then, Silvia had been in a place where she just went with the flow. Still, Kent’s kindness hadn’t gone unnoticed; she’d kept it all tucked away in her heart.

Kent glanced at her, noticing how she kept her head slightly lowered. He could guess what was going through her mind.

He pressed his lips together and said, “Too much? I actually think it wasn’t enough.”

Kent had always wanted to give Silvia the very best the world had to offer.

Of course, it was his first engagement, too. There were bound to be mistakes—things you only realized after experiencing them firsthand.

He paused, then added, “But don’t worry. I’ll make sure what I’ve learned this time comes in handy for our wedding. Any problems we had with the engagement party won’t happen again.”

Like the fact that anyone could just wander in—even people who’d nearly hurt Silvia.

The memory made Kent’s expression darken for a moment.

Next to him, Silvia noticed that he wasn’t joking. A wave of warmth swept through her.

All things considered—even if there wasn’t much romance between them—this marriage wasn’t such a bad deal.

When Silvia finished eating, Kent stood up to leave. There were still a few hours before her shift ended, and he clearly didn’t plan on hovering around to disrupt her work.

Catching the looks they were giving her, Silvia could pretty much guess what was running through their heads. She just smirked and nudged Kent. “You should get going.”

After Kent left, the office finally felt normal again.

There was a big project deadline looming, so Silvia and her team stayed late, grinding away until seven that evening before she finally let them head home.

Out in the hallway, the security guards Kent had hired were still standing watch. Silvia glanced over at Shipley’s old office next door. It was pitch black inside.

Apparently, Shipley had left ages ago.

No point in making the guards wait around any longer. “You can go ahead and clock out,” Silvia told them. “I still have work to finish up. No reason for you to stay late because of me.”

The two guards exchanged uncertain glances, a hint of hesitation in their eyes.