“Clara, Brigitta, what are you doing?”
Bella had just finished lunch. When she went to the kitchen, she found the two house assistants busy preparing something. Bella was curious. It wasn’t usual for the two of them to be so busy like they were now.
“We’re making a birthday cake.”
Bella immediately looked puzzled.
“Birthday cake? Whose birthday is it?”
“Mr. Edward’s,” Clara replied without diverting her focus from the cake batter she was working on.
“So, today is Mr. Edward’s birthday?”
“Yes,” Clara nodded. “His 34th birthday.”
“Oh my. I had no idea that today was his birthday. Did Mr. Edward request this cake?”
“Of course not, Miss Bella. This is our initiative. We just felt sorry because on his birthday this time, Mr. Edward had to be left by Mrs. Julia.”
Bella nodded in understanding.
“Ah, in that case, I’ll help you too, how?”
“No,” Clara disagreed, of course. She was worried that Bella would tire herself out. “It’s better for you to rest. I don’t want—”
“Oh, come on, Clara. I also want to help. While you guys make the cake, I can make Lasagna and Lancashire Hotpot for dinner.”
“But, Miss—”
“Please. I also want to give something to Mr. Edward.”
Clara sighed softly. Seeing Bella’s determined face, she couldn’t bear to refuse the woman’s request.
“Alright. Please make whatever you want.”
“Yay!!!” Bella cheered happily.
“But…” Clara interrupted Bella’s happiness. Giving a warning not to overexert herself.
“Anything else, Clara?”
“I just hope you don’t overexert yourself too much. If you feel tired later, don’t force yourself to finish it alone. Call me or another assistant to help.”
“Okay! I’ll follow your orders.”
While humming a tune, Bella prepared all the food ingredients. She cooked all the dishes that had been mentioned earlier. Besides being easy, both could be done quickly without needing to exert much energy.
Around five in the evening, Bella finished all the cooking. With Clara’s help, she served Lasagna and Lancashire on the dining table along with the birthday cake Clara and Brigitta had made.
In a rush, Bella cleaned up. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. When she opened the door, she found Edward and Samuel standing there.
“Mr. Edward, Doctor Samuel.”
“Hi, Bella. Nice to see you again.”
Bella smiled.
“Please come in, Doctor.”
“Thank you.”
Before Bella could close the door, Kairos suddenly appeared. Wearing very neat clothes, he hurriedly entered Edward’s house.
“I’m not late, am I?”
“To be honest, I wasn’t even expecting your presence,” Edward bluntly replied as usual.
Kairos sighed. Couldn’t Edward appreciate his efforts even once?
“Oh God, Edward. Just so you know, I was actually on an important job in Germany before this. Samuel suddenly contacted me and asked me to join in celebrating your birthday tonight. You should appreciate my sacrifice of coming back to London just to accompany you. I even took the time to buy a birthday cake with a Mickey Mouse decoration on it.”
“I don’t need a birthday cake from you.”
“Fine then. If you don’t want it, I can give it to Bella. If necessary, I’ll even take her to enjoy this cake at my house.”
Edward grumbled irritably. He approached Kairos, then took the cake box from the man’s hand.
“Thank you for your presence and the cake you brought. Are you satisfied now?”
Samuel laughed. Ignoring Kairos, Edward then invited his friend to sit in the living room.
“Wait here for a moment, let me take a shower first. After that, we’ll order dinner.”
“No need, Sir,” Bella quickly interrupted. “Sorry for being presumptuous. But, I have prepared some special dinner menus to celebrate your birthday.”
“Wow… Bella, you’re so thoughtful,” Kairos exclaimed. “Seriously, if your matters with Edward are settled, you should consider becoming my girlfriend or even my wife if necessary. I need a companion who’s beautiful, good at cooking, caring, and kind like you.”
“Stop it, Kairos,” Edward disapproved. “Don’t go overboard.”
“I’m speaking the truth. Just imagine, even when pregnant, Bella is willing to go through the trouble of preparing a special dinner for your birthday. While Julia, who is supposed to be your wife, is nowhere to be found. Honestly, instead of Julia, it would be better if you made Bella your wife.”
“Kairos!”
“Alright, I’ll keep my mouth shut. But before I do, I suggest you give the best reward to Bella, who’s nobody but still willing to appreciate you.”
Originally, Edward felt disappointed because his birthday celebration this time didn’t go like the previous years, always celebrated with Julia. Luckily, there were Samuel and well, Kairos the troublemaker. Although he rambled a lot, at least tonight he didn’t feel lonely.
Like a child, Kairos even asked Edward to blow out the candles and cut the cake. After chatting casually while drinking several glasses of wine, Samuel and Kairos decided to leave.
“Goodnight, Ed. Don’t forget to treat us to a nice meal.”
Edward nodded.
“Don’t worry. Originally, I had already reserved a restaurant for dinner with Julia. It’s best if I go with you guys.”
“Great idea. Also, don’t forget to invite Bella to join—”
However, Kairos hadn’t finished speaking. But deliberately, Edward immediately closed his door, as if he couldn’t be bothered to listen to his friend’s unnecessary chatter.
Tired, Edward intended to go back to his room. Climbing the stairs, he met Bella who seemed to also want to enter her room.
Suddenly, Edward remembered Kairos’s words earlier. Among all the people who remembered Edward’s birthday, there was Bella who sincerely went through the trouble of preparing special food to celebrate his birthday. Edward felt it wouldn’t be wrong to appreciate what Bella had done for him.
“Bella.”
Being called, Bella immediately turned around. Nodding, she responded to Edward.
“Yes. What is it, Sir?”
Edward stepped closer. Standing in front of Bella’s room door, he seemed nervous.
“Is there something you want to say?”
Scratching his head, nervous, he gathered courage and replied.
“Tomorrow night, I want to take you out for dinner.”
“Dinner?” Bella repeated, making sure she heard correctly. What dream was she having that Edward was asking her out for dinner?
“Actually, I made a reservation a few days ago to celebrate my birthday with Julia. Since Julia suddenly had work, she couldn’t accompany me. And this reservation can’t be canceled. So, I decided to have dinner with Samuel, Kairos, and my other friends. But if you’re not willing, I—”
“I am willing, Sir.”
Bella said it with great confidence. After all, she thought Julia wasn’t even at home. Moreover, she was sure that beautiful model was probably not working outside. Who knows, she might be having fun with her lover. So, it didn’t matter if Bella accompanied Edward to celebrate his birthday, right?