Chapter 193
Chapter 193
Austin blinked, pushing down the darkness rising within him. Instead of inserting Emily’s question, he reached out and took her hand. “These eve are beautiful, Emily, Let me show you.”
He led her to the floor to ceiling windows, where they could see the fireworks lighting up the lawn.
The purple fireworks shifted into all kinds of shapes in the sky, so beautiful that it felt like all the wondes just melted away
After the fireworks faded, a fleet of drones lit up the night sky. They morphed from blooming flowers to a birthday cake, and finally arranged themselves into a glowing message: Happy Birthday]
Right behind the words hovered an adorable chibi girl in a hoodie, her face lit up with a bright, sweet smile.
Emily had almost forgotten how long it had been since she’d seen something so lavish and beautiful. She just stood there, lost in the sight of the sky, completely entranced.
It wasn’t until Austin’s voice sounded in her ear again that she finally came back to herself. “Happy birthday, Emily!”
She turned around in surprise, only to meet Austin’s perfect eyes. In that moment, Emily felt like she was the only one reflected in those eyes. Only her. No one else
Austin’s smile was sweet and proud, like a kid waiting for praise. “Do you like the gif, Emily?”
Emily snapped out of her daze, her eyes wide with surprise. “You did all this?” Austin raised an eyebrow and nodded.
In that instant, Emily felt a rush of heat surging in her chest, so intense that even the hand Austin was holding seemed to burn.
She always thought she’d gotten used to skipping her own birthday, but only at that moment did she realize that wasn’t really true. Getting used to something didn’t mean she stopped hoping for it.
It was only because the Bennett family had let her down so many times that she’d forced herself to get used to it.
But deep down, she still wished someone would remember her birthday. Even if there were no gifts, just a simple “Happy Birthday” would have been
enough
For the first time since leaving St. Gabriel Reform Academy, Emily let out a genuine, carefree smile. “Thank you. Just those two simple words, but they held all the warmth and emotion in her heart.
But what Austin wanted wasn’t just her thanks. “If anything, I should be the one thanking you, Emily. Thank you for saving me from those kidnappers, and for not abandoning me afterward.”
He’d been left behind too many times to count, and the thought of it terrified him. So, even if the warmth Emily gave him was just something she did without thinking, he’d still cling to it for dear life.
Emily didn’t quite understand what he meant, but she could feel his grip on her hand tightening just a little.
She was about to say something, but Austin just smiled gently. “If you really want to thank me, then just smile at me more, like you are now.”
His words sent a wave of warmth straight to Emily’s heart. They stood at the back of the crowd, their voices low, so no one else noticed their conversation, except for Wonne.
Yvonne had already drawn everyone’s attention away, so as long as Emily left, she’d be stuck with the blame for ruining the gift.
Yvonne gritted her teeth, grabbed Lydia’s arm, and called out loudly, “This has to be from Mr. Lucas Bennett, right? Lydia, you’re so lucky to have a brother like him.”
Her words made everyone turn to look at Lucas, who was standing off to the side, looking completely stunned. He seemed a little dazed, and under
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Chapter 193
everyone’s gaze, he looked a bit flustered.
Just as he was about to say something, Lydia turned in him with a bright, boaming smile “Luces, thank you. I always knew you were the one wh
me best.”
When he met her eyes, filled with gratitude and joy, the words Lucas had been about to say got stuck in his throat. The git Lucas had prepared for Lydia was already in her room. These definitely weren’t his doing
Lucas thought, “But Lydia looks so happy, and she is convinced it is from me. If I denied it now, wouldn’t that just kill her viba?”
AD
