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The flickering candlelight on the cake danced across the bewildered faces of the rk family.
‘Has it really been that many years?‘ they thought to themselves.
Andrew and Madeline thought back to Natasha’s birthdays before she turned six.
As the only girl in the family, they’d always spoiled her a little more than Thomas and Noel.
Every year, no matter how far away they were, they made a promise toe home and make a big deal out of Natasha’s birthday.
But now, seventeen yearster, those brief bursts of joy were painfully out of ce against all these long, empty years.
They’d never really thought about what all those years of atonement meant to Natasha.
They just didn’t dare to.
Olivia clenched her fists.
She thought, ‘A day is meant for remembering, not reopening old wounds. If it’s been left alone for seventeen years, why dig it up again now?‘
Among the guests, those who knew the rk family’s past could already guess the meaning behind that number.
They couldn’t help but sigh, ‘Mr. Turner really knows how to twist the knife. He doesn’t just
for the win. He makes sure it stings.’
go
The rk family had ignored Natasha for seventeen years. Now, right in front of them, Alexei was making up for every single missed birthday.
Some people thought even further. Seeing how fiercely Alexei was protecting Natasha, they realized that things were about to be turned upside down for both the rk and Turner families.
*****
After everyone had been filled in on the backstory, the room fell silent.
Alexei walked calmly, holding Natasha’s hand as they approached the first cake. His eyes were soft with a gentle smile.
“Make a wish,” he said softly.
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Natasha took a deep breath, sped her hands together, and closed her eyes.
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In the darkness behind her eyelids, she saw the frightened, innocent face of her as a little girl.
She was locked in a dark room to reflect on her actions, hungry and scared, all because Olivia had fallen into the pool.
‘Happy birthday, seven–year–old Natasha,‘ she told herself.
When she blew out the candles, the sadness in that little girl’s eyes faded away, and right in front of her was a huge pink gift box waiting for her.
Alexei’s usually aloof face seemed so much softer tonight. “Happy birthday, Natasha.”
She opened the box and saw a big, soft teddy bear inside.
It was so soft to the touch.
Natasha’s eyes sparkled. “It’s so cute! I love it.”
Alexei had put a lot of thought into the gift, and Natasha was happy to show her appreciation.
Seeing that she liked the present he had picked out, Alexei was clearly in a good mood.
He continued to hold her hand as they walked over to the next cake.
They went through the same routine over and over, but each time brought a new surprise.
Blowing out the candles seventeen times took quite a while, but no one dared to utter a singleint. <fn2dc4> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? ?ovelFind</fn2dc4>
Alexei made it crystal clear that tonight, Natasha was the star of the show.
He didn’t get tired of saying happy birthday to Natasha every single time.
Since Alexei took things so seriously, no one would even think about sneaking out early.
Honestly, it wasn’t boring at all. This was the first time everyone got to see Alexei acting so gently.
If anyone had told them before today that the ruthless Alexei would stand up for someone like this, they would’ve called it a fairy tale.
As Natasha kept opening gifts, each one was more jaw–dropping than thest.
Some of them were legendary collector’s items, the kind that had never been shown to the public before.
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Even the most seasoned guests found themselves utterly amazed.
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The only ones who couldn’t bring themselves to watch Natasha unwrapping her gifts were the rk family.
The more seriously Alexei treated the whole thing, the more it highlighted just how much they had neglected Natasha.
They felt that each giftnded like a loud, stinging p right across their faces.
The whole scene was arranged inyers.
The guests made up the outermostyer, then came Natasha and Alexei, surrounded by a ring of cake carts.
The rk family was boxed in at the very center so tightly that they couldn’t slip away even if they faked to faint.
They were forced to face the mocking, scornful staresing at them from all sides.
When Andrew nced at those cakes with their candles already snuffed out, it felt less like <i>a </i>birthday celebration and more like he was attending his funeral.
At longst, after what felt like an eternity, they finally made it to thest cake, which was for Natasha’s 23rd birthday.
But this time, instead of closing her eyes and making a wish like before, Natasha pressed her hands together and fixed her gaze directly on her parents.
She spoke up without hesitation. “For my final wish, I want to open the gift my mom gave me right here, right now, with my own hands.”
Madeline suddenly looked up. When she met the cold, distant gaze in Natasha’s eyes, a chilling realization washed over her. She knew that Natasha truly hated them.
Between them, there was no warmth of family. They were more like wary adversaries.
Olivia stepped forward, steadying the shaky Madeline, and said with fake concern, “Natasha, are you really being this ruthless today? Are you trying to sever ties with your family?”
Madeline suddenly clenched her fists.
She thought, ‘No way, I can’t let her have the bracelet.
If I gave up thatst tie, what else do I have left to keep her close?”
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Seeing that Madeline seemed to be hiding something, the guests started whispering among
themselves.
A person asked, “What’s going on? Did Madeline seriously not get her daughter a birthday present?”
Another person said, “Come on, it’s not like the rk family can’t afford it.”
Someone else said, “You never know. I heard they weren’t that close.
“Look at tonight. They said it was for Natasha’s birthday, but in the end, Olivia was still their favorite.”
Madeline’s face was tense. “I’ve already prepared Natasha’s gift. I’ll go get it right now.”
She could just give Natasha the set of jewelry she had originally bought to make up Olivia’s grievances after she got hurt.
for
While she was at it, she would take the chance to tell the butler to put away the emerald
bracelet.
Ever since she came downstairs, Shawn had been watching her closely, so she hadn’t had a single chance to talk to the butler.
“No need,” Alexei said with a smile, “Madeline’s gift has already been brought over.”
The rk family’s butler was totally clueless about what was going on.
Ever since Madeline handed him the jewelry box for safekeeping, he’d been randomly taken to a room and left there.
He had no idea what was happening at the party.
Now, someone just told him that Madeline wanted to give the gift to Natasha, so he was finally let out to deliver the box.
He didn’t even get a chance to ask who those people were that had been keeping an eye on him.
With everyone staring at him, he felt a bit weird.
Then he remembered that Madeline said she wanted to give Natasha her gift in front of everyone at the end of the party. He felt that this must be it.
So he walked right up to Natasha, gave her a polite smile, and handed her the box. “Miss rk, Mrs. rk picked out this present for you.”
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The rk family was in disbelief. They thought, ‘So from the very start, she made sure the bracelet was handed over to the butler as a neutral party.
‘She’d nned for this all along?‘
With so much drama in between, if Madeline had kept the bracelet, it was possible that she might have backed out, hidden it, or even smashed it in a panic.
But the butler was someone they trusted, so giving it to him made them feel like everything was still under their control.
They didn’t think they needed to put up their guard.
But Natasha went straight for the jugr.
She had the butler under her thumb and got the gift handed to her right in front of
everyone.
Now, no matter how shameless the rk family got, there was no way they could snatch back a present they’d handed over to Natasha in public.
“No!” Madeline hurried over, her voice tight with anxiety, just as the box was about tond in
Natasha’s hands.
She said, “The butler brought the wrong gift. This isn’t the one I prepared.”
But Natasha was faster. She popped open the box before
anyone could stop her.
The bracelet was now on full disy for everyone. The emerald wasn’t exactly top–shelf, but Natasha spoke up, calm and clear: “No mistake.
“This is my grandmother’s keepsake. She asked my mother to pass it on to me. This is the gift my mom and I agreed on before.”
It’s a family heirloom. No wonder,’ someone thought.
Everyone suddenly understood.
But the way Natasha addressed Madeline caught people’s attention.
A lot of people exchanged meaningful nces.
Whether the rk family could really make aeback was still up for debate.