"Dad."
Lia Aiken blushed deeply.
While others had already reached the stage of discussing marriage, and both parties were well-aware, she only found out about the meeting to discuss the wedding arrangements between the two families today—Jimmy Horne kept it too well hidden.
Tom Aiken chuckled as he said to Jimmy Horne, "Ivan, my daughter rarely blushes. Look at her, she's as red as an apple now, and that's thanks to you."
Jimmy Horne gazed affectionately at Lia Aiken, so much so that she didn't dare meet his eyes. They were too captivating, and she couldn't resist his charm.
Julia Bluen and her husband emerged from the house, and Tom Aiken quickly stepped forward.
The lively group was ushered inside, making the atmosphere even more bustling inside the house.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, Jimmy Horne led Lia Aiken upstairs.
"What's going on?" Lia Aiken asked, puzzled. He had mentioned taking her somewhere, and she was curious about the destination, but she hadn't expected him to lead her upstairs.
Jimmy Horne said nothing, guiding her in front of his study room. He smiled at her, signaling for her to push the door open and take a look inside.
Lia Aiken suspiciously pushed the door open. After glancing twice at Jimmy Horne, she ventured in first. Once through the door, she stood there in shock, staring at the wall full of paintings—all her artworks. Among them was a painting of a back view she regretted selling the most.
"Why is this painting here?"
Lia Aiken approached the painting of the back view. She remembered it had been forcibly bought by a gentleman.
Oh, that's right—she had seen the gentleman twice in T City, and it was Jimmy Horne who had forcibly bought her painting.
The first time was shortly after she found her uncle. At that time, her thoughts were entirely on her father and uncle, so even though Jimmy Horne seemed familiar, she couldn't recall where they had met. The second time was just now downstairs, where she saw Jimmy holding his daughter.
Now, upon seeing this back-view painting, Lia Aiken recalled that Jimmy Horne was the one who bought the painting.
"Jimmy bought it back. The person in the painting is supposed to be me, and he recognized me. That's why he bought it." Ivan explained from behind her, "He brought the painting back and sent it to my house. Since it was a back-view painting of me, I didn't recognize it. My mom said she liked it a lot, so Jimmy gave it to her, but she hung it in my study, and then my brother told me that I was the main character in the painting."
Lia Aiken nodded, "I painted you. Back then, when I had lost my inspiration, I came to visit Sister Charlotte. At the airport, I saw your back view and felt that even if you were alone, you stood out like a pearl in a crowd. Seeing your back view, my lost inspiration suddenly returned, and I painted this piece. This painting holds great significance for me, and I didn't want to sell it, but it was forcibly taken away."
"I was very surprised when I finally met you in person, and our actual meeting was indeed at the airport."
That must be fate.
Jimmy Horne embraced her with a smile, saying, "You know, this painting is like our red string of fate. It was because I discovered the painting's subject was me that I called your dad at night. Your dad thought you offended me, so he brought you to apologize, leading to our official meeting."
"So that's what happened."
Lia Aiken hadn't known why Jimmy Horne would call her father. Consequently, her father questioned her about how she could have offended Jimmy Horne, even though, at that time, she had never seen him and didn't know what she had done to offend him.
"So, about these paintings of mine..."
She remembered many paintings were bought by others. Did he send someone to buy them?
"They bought the paintings, and I went back to buy them again because I want to collect all your artworks. They belong to me."
Lia Aiken laughed and said, "I have so many paintings; do you want to collect them all? What about my gallery?"
"I just want to collect these paintings."
Jimmy Horne stated domineeringly.
Lia Aiken: ...
Looking at the painting of the back view again, a scene from three years ago seemed to unfold before her eyes.
A smile unwittingly appeared on her lips as she realized she had painted him, yet didn't know she would become the girlfriend of the person in her painting one day.
What a wondrous fate.
Suddenly, a large bouquet of red roses appeared before her eyes, followed by the man who should be high above kneeling on one knee, gazing at her deeply and asking, affectionately, "Lia, will you marry me?"
Lia Aiken was stunned.
He proposed to her, surrounded by her paintings in his study room, in front of the back-view painting which had acted as their matchmaker.
There wasn't a romantic setting or beautiful music, but there were flowers and a diamond ring.
The unusual setting felt more romantic than those portrayed on TV. She loved this study room and was moved by his regard for her—to collect her paintings because he loved her.
"Lia, will you marry me? I dare not promise to love you for three lifetimes, but I dare say I'll love only you for this lifetime." Three lifetimes is just a legend. People have only one lifetime, not three lifetimes, so he cherishes this lifetime.
Moved, Lia Aiken accepted the bouquet, saying, "Having you in this lifetime is enough."
She wasn't greedy for this notion of three lifetimes. Like him, she knew people don't really have three lifetimes; it's just one lifetime, and she just hoped he would accompany her for the rest of it.
Jimmy Horne produced the diamond ring he had prepared long ago, opened the velvet box, took out the ring, and slipped it onto her finger.
This ring was to bind her for life.
"Lia."
Jimmy Horne stood up and embraced her tenderly.
On the wall, there was that painting of the back view. Even as a silhouette in a crowd, Jimmy Horne's back view exuded a powerful aura that in the painter's heart was an intense light piercing through her then-dark world, leading her into brightness.
Love began with a painting, deep and unfaltering.
