Never Judge

Cedric laughed from his office at R Tower as he watched the events unfold in front of Saints Hospital. At this point the news agencies wouldn't know which piece of information to broadcast as the headline.

Earlier today their main focus had been the old man, but now, it seemed that Eric had stolen the show.

The next part was meant to cement the authenticity of the old man's surrender as well as to make Lucius Ting feel as lost as possible in his situation.

"Do you really find this to be that amusing?" Alexi sipped from his glass as he kept his eyes on the TV in front of them.

Knowing what Eric was planning to do, Cedric made sure that Alexi was not alone when the public learned about his sister's and Eric's relationship.

"Hey, be happy for Katerina." Natalia scolded her older brother.

She was already done with the work Cedric needed and didn't want to miss this moment. She was aware of how much her sister loved Eric and wanted to be there for her even if it was through the screen of the TV.

"I'm shocked dad allowed this!" Alexi was furious at his father for giving his permission for the couple to make their announcement on the same day as the surrender of the old man.

The president argued that it would be good for their image if Katerina's and Eric's relationship came to light as a fair judgment was passed on the old man.

"We both know that you understand why." Cedric shook his head as he witnessed how overprotective Alexi was acting. "If this were anybody else you would approve of it."

"He has hurt her a lot." Alexi said with a sigh as he got up and refilled his glass of whisky.

"We both know that they've talked it out and it wasn't entirely Eric's fault. They needed that time apart too. At least Katerina isn't heading into this next phase of their relationship as some innocent naive woman." Cedric argued back, making Natalia smile.

"Was Cedric this bad with Ayanna when the two of you got married?" Natalia asked Ray who was silently seated to the side.

Ray had arrived with Miguel and got off the plane after the media tailed Miguel to Saints Hospital.

"I'm his best friend, we became brothers by law. Do you think he was like this?" Ray asked with a raised eyebrow making Alexi glare at him.

"Sit down Alexander Sebastian, be happy for our sister or I'm going to call mom!" Natalia said in an outburst of anger, surprising everyone in the room.

Natalia had always been the silent type, it was Katerina that was most likely to have an outburst like this.

"Katerina has rubbed off on you too much." Alexi grumbled as he sat back down.

"Oh, oh, it's starting!" Ayanna said as she pointed that the TV.

Ray had his arms wrapped around her waist, caressing the small baby bump on her belly. When he had heard that Cedric allowed her to go to the office today he was quite mad at his friend.

Eventually, Ayana managed to calm him down and explain that it had been all her idea and that she had nagged Cedric non-stop to let her work.

Cedric quickly pulled out his phone and sent a message to Guan Ming asking if things were ready on his end.

Guan Ming quickly replied that he was ready to put into motion his side of the plan.

Cedric smiled as the pieces slowly fell into place, he just couldn't help but feel worried that he was missing something or that the plan could go wrong.

He would never dare to assume that any of his plans would be a guaranteed success, he knew that the more moving parts he had, the more things could get messed up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm very excited to announce that for the past few years I have been dating the love of my life." Eric announced as he beamed with joy on the TV. "She is the woman I've loved even before I became an actor and I never stopped loving her."

"Wanna bet people will think it's Calathea?" Ayanna grinned as she looked at Natalia.

The younger woman simply shook her head as she took out her phone and scrolled through social media.

"I don't need to bet with you, we both know it's true." Natalia pointed out  as she handed her phone to Ayanna.

True enough, people were already speculating that the woman Eric proclaimed to be the love of his life was Calathea.

However, there were a few people that were hoping it was Katerina as they recalled the old rumors surrounding the pair.

"People will think it's arranged when they find out that Eric loves Katerina." Cedric mumbled as he recalled the reaction people had to any relationship between their sisters and their friends.

"Can you blame them for thinking that way?" Ray asked his friend as he shook his head.

He had been a victim of the same speculations when he and Ayanna started their relationship and eventually got married.

"It is very beneficial to our families if we marry each other." Ray said with a laugh as he thought of the many benefits it had brought over the years.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to marry my sister to get any of those." Cedric grumbled as he returned his attention back to the screen.

Eric waved for Katerina to come out, everyone in Cedric's office knew how excited and nervous Katerina was for this moment. She wanted their relationship to be public, but she also worried about it's repercussions on Eric's career as an actor.

As Katerina walked out of Saints Hospital and to where Eric was standing, Cedric could hear the gasps of the reporters from the TV.

It was clear that most of them had expected someone else to step out, maybe Calathea, or someone they did not know about.

"I have love Katerina Sebastian since we were young, the only thing stopping me was because her brother would have killed me if I hurt her." Eric announced making Alexi cough and spit his drink at Natalia.

"Disgusting." Natalia said as she rolled her eyes and reached out to wipe the drink off of her.

"Hey Alexi, I know you're watching this. I'm just kidding, of course." Eric gave the audience one of his famous smiles as he wrapped an arm around Katerina's waist as she stopped next to him.

"My love." Eric declared as he kissed her on the cheek.

The members of the media were quick to snap photos of the couple as the screen lit up with flashes coming from the different cameras.

Suddenly, Eric did something that no one except Alexi expected.

He got down on one knee, making the women in the audience scream.

"Katerina Sebastian, I've wanted to ask you this question from the moment you forgave me." Eric declared.

In Cedric's office, everyone's eyes turned to Alexi who was smiling from ear to ear.

"YOU KNEW!?" Natalia asked as she threw a pillow at her brother.

"Will you honor me by being by my side for the rest of our lives and whatever comes after? Will you marry me?" Eric asked, making Katerina burst out in tears as she nodded.

Cedric shook his head in disbelief, no wonder Alexi was mad, Eric was planning to make a very public proposal and he knew it.