Chapter 30: The Perfect Proposal

 

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the Sternberg Wine Estate as Thando stood before the floor-length mirror, her fingers nervously tracing the delicate beading along her neckline. Lerato stepped back with a critical eye, her designer's gaze missing nothing as she adjusted the drape of the custom gown she'd created for this moment. 

Lerato: “Stop being anxious ” 

Lerato reprimanded gently, securing a final pin into the intricate updo she'd styled herself. 

Lerato: “ This fabric doesn't forgive restless hands.”

Thando exhaled, catching her reflection the way the champagne-coloured silk clung to her curves, the way the light caught the subtle shimmer woven through the bodice. 

Thando: “When did you even have time to make this?”

she breathed. Lerato's lips curved into a satisfied smile. 

Lerato: “ Your fiancé flew me down a week ago with a suitcase of fabrics and a blank check.” 

She smoothed an invisible wrinkle from Thando's shoulder. 

Lerato: “ Though no amount of money could buy the all-nighters I pulled to get this right.” 

Outside, the distant sound of a string quartet tuning their instruments sent Thando's pulse racing. The vineyard had been transformed into something from a dream. 

Arjun had chosen every detail with obsessive precision the aisle lined with blush-coloured rose petals, the suspended glass orbs filled with floating candles, the way the late afternoon light filtered through the ancient oak trees bordering the ceremony site.

Lerato watched from the sidelines as Thando made her way toward the floral arch where Arjun waited, his dark green suit tailored to perfection, his expression one of awed reverence. The guests a carefully curated mix of Thando's closest friends and a handful of Arjun's mysterious associates leaned in as if witnessing something sacred. 

Arjun: “ You once told me real love shouldn't need contracts” 

Arjun said, his voice carrying across the hushed gathering. He dropped to one knee, producing a ring box lined with the softest impala leather. 

Arjun: “ So consider this just a man asking the woman he can't live without.” 

The emerald-cut diamond caught the dying light, throwing prismatic sparks across Thando's tear-streaked face. Lerato, standing just behind Buhle, noticed how the stone was set slightly off-center an intentional imperfection that mirrored a design Thando had once doodled on a cocktail napkin during one of their girls' nights. Zee's audible sob broke the silence, followed by the frantic clicking of her camera. 

Zee: “This is going to break the internet ” 

she whispered loudly enough for the entire first row to hear. Later, during the champagne toast, Lerato found herself studying the scene with detached precision. The way Arjun's hand never left the small of Thando's back. The way his so-called cousins all sharply dressed men with watchful eyes positioned themselves at every exit. The way the waitstaff moved through the crowd like ghosts, their eyes carefully averted whenever Arjun spoke. 

She nearly missed it when one of the black-suited men slipped Arjun a folded note. The way his smile never faltered as he palmed it into his pocket without reading. The way his thumb absently stroked Thando's hipbone as he did so, as if reminding himself she was real. 

Buhle: “ You're scowling” 

Buhle murmured, appearing at Lerato's side with two fresh flutes of champagne. Lerato accepted the drink with a tight smile.

Lerato: “Just calculating how many bridal collections that rock could finance.” 

As fireworks exploded overhead timed perfectly to the crescendo of their song Lerato caught the way Thando leaned into Arjun, her body language open and trusting. The way his arms encircled her like a promise. The way his eyes, when he thought no one was looking, scanned the perimeter of the estate with military precision. Perfect, she thought. Too perfect. Like one of her runway shows all beautiful illusions and carefully constructed magic. The kind of perfection that only existed when someone had everything to hide.