381 The Permission

Grandfather Young was impressed at how determined Damien Park was in pursuing his granddaughter. It had only been a week since she came back and he thought he would need to do his magic and it would take a long time for the two to find each other again. As it turned out, he wasn't really needed. Fate brought the two back together again… But he wouldn't mind giving a shove or two to bring them even closer.

Katherine could only stare at Damien who was staring back at her, a handsome smile painting his lips and making him look even more gorgeous. This man just told her grandfather that he loves her. He said the words as if he had been ready for a long time to say them anytime that he needed to. Anytime that he was allowed to. And damn if she didn't fall in love with him even more.

But while most of her was dancing in glee, the ugliest part of Katherine tried to burst her bubble and reminded her of the ugly truth: Damien was a Park. And they were currently at the Young Mansion where her father was probably watching over her. Silently, she prayed as if someone could hear her cry. 'Daddy, he just declared he loved me… It's okay to love him back, right? You won't get mad, right? If you do… Can I convince you otherwise?'

Usually, Katherine would feel the guilt creep up on her by now, but this time it was different. It wasn't a good feeling… though it wasn't unpleasant either… It was just… there. Like a ball of something unknown floating in her heart. She was mostly scared and would feel bad whenever she felt these strong emotions but for some odd reason, she wasn't scared today. Rather, she was just wondering—as though waiting for approval that it was okay for her to proceed. But as to who will give her the 'go' signal, she had no idea.

"I see…" After a while, Grandfather Theo finally spoke. He observed the two and nodded as if he was satisfied with something. "I don't know what happened between the two of you and it's not my place to ask, so I will just leave it at that. You are both adults and you can figure it out yourselves." Then he turned to Damien, "Young man, if you want to make it up to her, that is for her to decide if she will allow you to do that—you did ask for the rest of your life… and that's a long time—"

"I don't care how long it takes. If she doesn't agree now, I'd have to make her agree somehow." Damien was obviously adamant, and this made Katherine scoff at him. Wow. So persistent.

"Good luck with that then." This made Grandfather Theo chuckle, seeing how Damien was dead set on marrying Katherine. "However… You asked for my blessing. What exactly are you asking for?" He didn't actually have to ask. Grandfather Theo wasn't an imbecile. He knew exactly what Damien meant, but he wanted to hear the words from his mouth, making sure that they were on the same page and everything was clear. Or maybe he just wanted to grill the already nervous young man a little more.

"D-Damien…" Katherine stuttered in almost a whisper, her mind reeling at the scene happening before her. Where was all this coming from? Why is he suddenly doing this?

Katherine was ignored as Damien darted his gaze between her grandfather and aunt and then continued, "Katherine didn't know her family before. If she did, I would have asked for permission from you before proposing to her. We're still working out our differences and I know it's been hard on her but I just want to let you know that I still want to marry her. I don't know if she… still feels the same way… but… I'm willing and committed to us. I hope that you give us...me… your blessing to marry Katherine." He swallowed, a drop of sweat ran down his back and his temple.

The woman in question was left speechless at the side as she continued to watch the event unfold in front of her. Her hands now felt cold. Was what's happening right now normal? Was this really how it's supposed to be? Why did no one inform her? She remained quiet, but why did it feel as though Damien just took the words out of her mouth. Why did it feel as if she was the one talking and asking for permission that her ears and cheeks became hot and red? 

'Damien, I think you need to stop… or calm down… or I don't know… my seat is burning hot,' she chanted in her head where she thought she was safe.

Grandfather Theo turned serious and whispered something to Deborah Young. The latter nodded and excused herself from the conversation, leaving the three in the living room. He then faced Damien once again and told him, "Thank you for being honest. I admire your resolve and I can see that you do care for my granddaughter. Giving you my blessing is not really the problem… it's whether you two are ready for each other. Getting married is up to you as it's honestly the easiest part. The real challenge is staying married.

"I only want what's best for my dear Katherine. As long as she's willing to take you in her life, then I'll give you my blessing. But… not until this bidding process is over. I don't mind any gossips… That's nothing. What I do mind is if she gets hurt. I think it's best to revisit this idea when everything is already calm. What do you think?"

Damien's mouth curled up into a smile as he agreed with Grandfather Theo. "Yes, Chairman Young. I understand and I agree."

Katherine's mouth hung open, her eyes drifting between Damien and her adorable grandfather. "Um… Hello? Am I not part of this conversation? Is nobody interested in what I think about all of this?!"

Just then, a servant came over and announced that dinner was ready. Grandfather Theo got up from his seat and told the other two to follow him to the dining room. "Let's go have dinner. I asked the chef to prepare a feast for us."