The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 460 Burke's Proposal (Part Two)

"Don't worry about that." Burke gave a gentle smile. He had never told Leila all about his family circumstances, but today he was determined to tell her everything. "Leila, try this. It tastes very good," he said affectionately.

He put the sakura jelly in front of Leila which was crystal-clear with a beautiful and bright cherry blossom inside. In doing so, it was easy for Leila to replace the diamond ring in the middle of the translucent jelly. "What is this, Burke?" Leila was shocked. Even though she could somehow sense what Burke was about to do, she was still feeling weak in her knees and flushed when she saw the diamond ring in the jelly. When she was a little girl, she always imagined the scene when a man would proposal to her someday. It should be romantic, touching and she would nod her agreement with tearful eyes glistening with love and hope.

Now the man sitting across from her not only had a respectable job but was also handsome. Moreover, he also came from a good family. It seemed that from every aspect, he was the perfect husband, but in comparison, Burke and Charles were as different as chalk and cheese.

Leila was surprised as Burke smiled softly at her, taking out the diamond ring from the jelly. After wiping it with a tissue carefully, he stood up abruptly and knelt over which startled Leila. It all seemed like a dream, a beautiful dream.

Even though there were only two of them in the restaurant, Leila still felt a pinch of embarrassment on all the attention she was receiving. Therefore, she reached out, in a bid to stop him. "Burke, please don't do this. Just stand up."

"Leila, don't stop me please. Let me finish what I am saying or I will not stand up," Burke said firmly. He looked at Leila with his sincere eyes optimistic of their future.

In fact, Burke was handsome and the most important thing was that he was a dignified man. He was pursuing Leila for so many years and he never gave up hope. Leila might have accepted his proposal if she was not such a wavering girl.

However, she was still not content with him.

Upon seeing this, Leila's eyebrows knitted into a frown and had no idea how to respond.

Staring at Leila, Burke was so eager to take their relationship forward since he courted Leila for many years. This was a big leap into their future.

"Leila, we may not have been together for a long time but we have known each other for so many years. And I am sure that you know me well and know what kind of person I have become." Burke said in a sof tone, as his eyes filled with affection and admiration for her.

All of a sudden, melodious music began to play in the background, with violin as the highlight. It was a dream for every girl to be proposed in such a romantic manner. Leila's heart was warmed up by the entire set up.

"I remember you telling me that this is your favorite song." Upon perceiving Leila's subtle and content look, Burke felt that everything he had done was worth the effort. "I remember that when we were in the high school, you said that you liked this song, so I played truant to learn this song. Do you still remember that?"

"Yes, I remember it almost clearly," replied Leila softly as she chuckled to herself. She nodded slightly and then said to Burke, "You did many things for me in high school and sacrificed a lot. I will never forget it, but..."

However, before she could finish speaking, Burke interrupted her mid-way. "I am so glad that you could remember all of that." Burke said cheerfully and went on, "Leila, we have been through a lot and I hope...' He paused for a moment and continued, "I hope we could spend the rest of our lives together. I hesitated for a quite long time, because I didn't know how to express my feelings. I know you only have a favorable impression on me. But I am not sure if it is enough for you to accept me," he said sincerely.

He gazed at Leila with hopeful eyes and went on,"I thought about executing many grand and luxurious scenes that would move you while surprising you, but in the end I chose the most conventional one. I remember everything you said to me including what you like and dislike. I don't want to wait like this anymore knowing that I want to spend my life with you and I don't want to remain in a state of apprehension, because I am afraid that I will lose the chance before I could say these wonderful words to you.

So I have to ask you today. Will you give me the pleasure of marrying me?"

Right after he finished his sentence, Burke looked at Leila nervously, waiting for her answer. He was striving to have the perfect ending with Leila, but he was not sure how Leila would respond. He was at a loss even when he had knelt over. He was sweaty and trembling slightly with fear. He tried his best to calm down his nerves, but he realized it was impossible.

Leila shifted her eyes to the big diamond ring which was dazzling under the light and looked so beautiful. She had never seen a ring so perfect. Burke added as he shivered, "I designed this diamond ring personally, because I wanted it to be unique in the world just like you are. Leila, would you like to wear this ring?"

Slowly, Burke said what he wanted to say most, though he still couldn't figure out what Leila wanted to do. He could not read her expressions. In that moment he felt like a student who finally handed in his examination paper and was waiting anxiously for the result. This was really about his future and dreams.

With tear filled eyes Leila turned to Burke and whispered softly, "I am sorry, Burke. I can't accept your proposal at this moment."

"Why? Did I do something wrong?" Even though somewhere in his heart Burke had anticipated this result, it was hard for him to accept it. He had planned this proposal for a long time and he was confident that Leila would accept him. However, she just declined him out rightly which was hard for him to accept so quickly. "Leila, I love you so much. I would like to take care of you for the rest of my life. Why won't you accept me? Did I do something wrong? Please tell me and maybe I can change..."

Burke reflected and tried to replace some mistakes in himself. He always felt that he hadn't done enough and that was why Leila didn't fall in love with him even though he was wooing her for about ten years. Staring at Burke, Leila was at a loss of words on how to explain what she was thinking. In a hesitant tone she said, "Burke, listen to me. You are a good man and I appreciate everything you did for me with all my heart. But..."

She stopped at mid-sentence, because she couldn't get herself to tell him the truth. She was unable to tell him that it was because he was not rich enough. She was materialistic and she could not let him know that harsh truth.

After hesitating for a long moment, she then said in a shaky voice, "Burke, it is not your fault. You are an amazing man, but I am not good enough for you. I am sorry."

"What do you mean by that, Leila?" Gripped by shock and a wave of confusion, Burke blurted out in a hurry,"Why did you say that you are not good enough for me? You are a kind girl and I love you for all that you are. So why are you saying this now?"

"Don't ask anymore questions please. Burke, I request you with all my heart." Leila stood up, grabbed her bag and turned around to leave. She was unable to stay there a moment longer or she would die out o guilt and shame of hurting him the way she did.

For others it may seem ridiculous that she would feel so immensely burdened by guilt.

"Burke, I am so sorry. Please forget me. I know there are many wonderful women who would love to be with a man as kind, gentle and considerate as you. I can't be with you," said Leila as she choked back on her tears. She then took one last glance at Burke, as her eyes turned red with gushing tears.

"Leila, stop. Don't leave me alone here. Leila, please wait." Burke got up from the floor, but his legs were now numb as he was kneeling over for quite a long time. But between all of that he did not realize it and leaped ahead to stop Leila who was going to leave.

He had too many questions to ask her as she had left him quite dumbfounded.

He was afraid that he would lose the chance to get answers if Leila left today. He needed these answers for clarity, for peace and more importantly to accept what had happened before he can move on.

"Leila, please tell me why you didn't say yes. I know what you said just now wasn't true. If you aren't good enough for me, I don't know who is." He looked distressed while Leila kept looking at the ground to avoid looking into his pitiful eyes.