EPISODE 11: THE WEDDING ## CHAPTER 1: THE PROPOSAL (PROPER) James did it properly. Three weeks of planning. Coordination with her parents. A ring that took two months to design—a central diamond flanked by smaller stones that had belonged to his mother. He chose a Thursday evening, unremarkable on the surface. Elena came home from a site visit for the Tenderloin project, tired and satisfied, to find the penthouse transformed. Candles everywhere. Flowers—not the stiff arrangements of corporate events, but wild blooms, the kind Rosa grew in her garden. And James, standing by the window, looking more nervous than she'd ever seen him. "What is this?" "This is me, asking properly." He crossed to her, taking her hands. "I know I suggested a real wedding. I know we've talked about it. But I realized I never actually asked you." "James—" "Let me do this." He dropped to one knee. "Elena Reyes. When we met, I thought I knew what I needed. I was wrong about everything. You showed me that life can be more than transactions and contracts and carefully managed expectations. You showed me what it means to be loved—really loved—by someone who sees all your flaws and chooses you anyway." He opened the ring box. The diamonds caught the candlelight. "I'm asking you to marry me. Not...