Chapter 24: The Dragon Firework of Gandalf
This was definitely not what a newlywed man expected when he woke up in his wedding night to find himself straddled by his beautiful naked bride.
"What if I lose it in a dumpster and a rat eats it and runs away before I can catch it?" Her eyes were wide and wild with fear and worry. "What if I blow it up with my car or something and it melts into nothing?" She had been scared awake by a horrible nightmare in which she'd lost her ring repeatedly, and had immediately jumped on her sleeping husband and woken him up for help. He really wanted to tell her nothing bad was going to happen to her wedding ring, but they both knew she was indeed a magnet for the weirdest disasters. And he never lied to her.
"Don't tell me you will just go buy me another ring, Ranger. You can replace a car, but you can't replace this ring! It's irreplaceable!" A drop of crystal tear slid down her cheek. "I can't lose it!" It was not just a ring. It was the token of their love. It was the most precious treasure she'd ever had in her whole life. Losing it would be like losing a piece of her heart and soul, and the pain might kill her.
He knew now was not the best time to reason with her. She was not yet fully awake and too upset and frightened by the nightmare. So he just pulled her down into his arms, held her tight and told her in his most gentle and assuring voice that she could lock the ring in the safe inside their closet before going out to catch FTAs. The RangeMan building was the most secure building in the whole Trenton, her ring would be safe there. He whispered to her softly as if telling a little child bedtime story till finally his bride drifted back into sleep.
"Rings, like cars, are replaceable. The only thing irreplaceable is you, Babe." He kissed his sleeping beauty tenderly and smiled to himself. The good thing was, Ricardo Carlos Manoso, aka Ranger, former special forces officer, extremely smart investor and successful businessman, the elite of the elite, the best of the best, always thought ahead and was well prepared. He had bought not only the diamond necklace and earrings his wife had worn on their wedding, but also six more simple elegant platinum rings exactly the same as the one wrapping around her slender finger.