Following the awkward pause, they both pretended nothing had happened, turning away and walking quickly out of the living room. In reality, both of their paths led straight toward the bedrooms to grab their respective proposal props.
The moment their figures disappeared around the corner of the hallway, Andrew, who had been holding it in all this time, finally burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that his elegant image nearly crumbled.
Teresa quickly reached out and smacked him on the arm, lowering her voice to warn him, "Keep it down. Our son in law has sharp ears, do not let him hear you."
In truth, only Teresa and Andrew knew exactly what was going on. When James and Emmy had separately approached them for help setting up the proposal scene, the two elders had laughed until their stomachs hurt in their room. Having lived most of their lives, they never expected to encounter such a coincidental situation. This young couple was in sync to an unbelievable degree. Not only had they both secretly custom ordered matching rings, but they had also chosen the exact same moment at midnight on New Year's Eve to propose to each other. Not even a television script could be written with such dramatic irony.
Laney sat on the side, staring blankly at the two elders who were laughing with profound mystery. "Teresa, Dad, what exactly are you laughing about?" She felt like an outsider who had accidentally stumbled onto a movie set.
Smiling, Teresa wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, took Laney's hand, and patted it reassuringly. "Do not rush. You will find out very soon."
Upstairs in the bedroom, Emmy snuck in like a thief. She pulled the dark blue velvet box out of the vanity drawer and shoved it into her coat pocket. She let out a long breath. Just as she relaxed and turned around, her eyes met James, who had just walked in. Startled, she instinctively covered her pocket, her guilt making her stutter. "Weren't... weren't you going to the restroom?"


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