Chapter 61

Chapter 61.

Nelly’s POV, “It must have been Aisha,” | said as he poured me a glass of wine.

He chuckled. “You're right. She told me, and then we planned this together.” | smiled, touched by their thoughtfulness. “You don’t celebrate your birthday?” he asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

I shook my head. “Not really,” | said, taking a sip of the wine. “It was the day | lost my parents, so it’s never been a day of celebration for me,” | said, my voice quiet and somber.

He pressed my hands together, his gaze full of compassion. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice gentle.

“| don’t want to ruin the mood,” | said, trying to smile.

“It's okay to talk about it,” he said, squeezing my hands. “You can tell me anything.” | felt a rush of gratitude, “Thanks. “So,” |

said, giving him a teasing look, “what made you decide to be so romantic?”

He grinned, meeting my gaze. “I was taking your advice, you know.”

| laughed. “To show your mate romance, not me!”

He winked. “Let's just say | was practicing your advice on you.”

| shook my head, amused and impressed by his cleverness. “Well, | must say, you’re quite the romantic!” | said, giving him a playful nudge.

“You can say that again,” he said with a chuckle. | laughed, enjoying his playful mood.

He stood up and walked behind me, leaning close to whisper in my ear. | shivered at his touch.

“There are all sorts of delicious food here,” he said, his voice soft and low. “What would you like?”

| took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. “Anything that tastes delicious,” | said, my voice quivering slightly. | could feel him smiling as he stood up straight.

“There’s pasta with chicken and pesto, there’s cheese pizza, and there are plenty of other options,” he said, gesturing to the food laid out on the table. | thought for a moment.

Chapter 61 “I'll try the pasta and chicken,” | decided, feeling a bit more relaxed now that | had something to eat. He brought me a plate and set it down in front of me.

“Thank you,” | said, beginning to eat.

As | ate, | could feel his eyes on me. | looked up, and he was staring at me with a look of admiration.

“Have you ever been told that you're beautiful?” he asked, his voice soft and sincere.

| felt my cheeks flush, and | looked down at my plate, suddenly feeling shy. | cleared my throat, trying to compose myself.

“I-I don’t know if anyone’s ever said that,” | stammered, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Well, they should have,” he said, reaching out to gently take my hand. “You're absolutely stunning.”

“Do | look more stunning than your mate?” | asked, a hint of jealousy in my voice.

He gently took the fork from my hand, his touch sending a shiver down my spine.

“You know | can’t answer that,” he said, his voice soft and sincere. “It would be unfair to compare you two. You're both beautiful in your ways.”

| tried to swallow the lump in my throat, not sure if | was comforted or still jealous. | wanted to be the only one in his eyes, but |

knew that wasn’t possible.

“One wish for your birthday,” he said, a mischievous smile on his face. “Anything you want, you can have.”

| thought for a moment, my mind racing. Then, without thinking, the words came tumbling out of my mouth.

“To meet your mate,” | blurted out, a blush rising to my cheeks.

He looked at me, wide-eyed and a little shocked. “Wow, that was unexpected,” he said, a small laugh escaping him.

| felt my cheeks burn even brighter, and | busied myself with the chicken on my plate, not meeting his. gaze.

“Why would you want to see her?” he asked, his tone curious. | looked down at my plate, not wanting to meet his gaze.

“| don’t know,” | said, shrugging. “I just feel like | want to see her in person.”

“Hmm,” he hummed in response as he nodded, understanding.

10:49 Thu, 22 FebuGG Then, the room went quiet, the only sound was the ticking of the clock on the wall. | found my mind wandering, thinking about this mysterious woman that Kex had a connection to. Who was she, and why couldn’t he reject her, even though she had a boyfriend?

As | sat there, | couldn’t help but admire Kex as he ate his meal. His hair was tousled from the breeze blowing through the open window, and he casually reached up to push it out of his eyes. | watched his every move, mesmerized by his effortless grace.

“Gosh,” | thought to myself, “how can one man be this handsome?”

| shook my head, trying to snap out of my trance. | need to get a grip, feeling a little embarrassed by my fascination with him.

You have got goosebumps,” he observed, a hint of a smile on his lips.

My cheeks burned with embarrassment as | realized I'd been caught off-guard. | cursed myself for not being able to keep my emotions in check. My heart was still racing, and | could feel my palms growing clammy. | willed myself to take a deep breath, trying to regain my composure. | knew | needed to think of something to say, but my mind was blank.

“|... 1...” [stammered, searching for the right words. “I’m just a bit cold, is all,” | said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Without a word, he removed his suit and wrapped it around my shoulders.

“There, that should help,” he said with a smile. | smiled back..

“Thank you,” | mumbled as we finished our meal.

We moved to the bed, and he instructed me to close my eyes.

“Why?” | asked, a little confused.

“Just do it,” he said, his voice firm but gentle.

After a moment's hesitation, | closed my eyes, my heart beating faster with each passing second. | could hear him moving around the room, but | had no idea what he was doing.

The anticipation was making me nervous, but | forced myself to remain still and silent.

| felt his hands on my neck, gently fastening something around it. | opened my eyes, and my breath caught in my throat.

In front of me was a portrait of my brother and me, taken when we were children. | reached up to touch the painting, tears springing to my eyes.

Ill 979%

Chapter 61 Kex had somehow found the one thing that | treasured most in the world, the only thing | had left of my brother. | felt a surge of emotion, a mix of gratitude, sorrow, and joy.

“| can’t believe you found this,” | whispered, my voice choked with emotion.

“| found this when | was going through some of his old things,” he said, his voice soft. | looked at him, my eyes welling up with tears.

“How can | ever thank you?” | asked, my voice trembling.

Unexpectedly, | found myself wrapping my arms around the portrait, holding it close to my chest.

| felt Kex’s arms around me, his me,” he whispered. “You’re welcome.”

gently stroking my hair. “You don’t need to thank And then he said something that made my heart stop for a while.

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