Chapter 1356: A greeting would be nice

"Thank you all for coming to my 32nd birthday!" Grace stood at the end of the table, gazing at everyone seated around it, their faces alight with smiles. Her lips curled up as she looked at her friends and a few close co-workers.

"I know you’re all aware that I am not actually 32, but still, I appreciate that you’ve humored this crazy idea of mine," she said, raising a glass of champagne. "Cheers to all of you."

A soft round of applause filled the private dining space as glasses clinked together in a toast. With that, the feast began, and the food was served, a spread Grace had carefully prepared for them. As she sat down, Lily quickly approached her, tossing a sash over her and placing a small crown on her head.

"Grace, if you’re hosting a party, you should never forget that the host is the star of the night," Lily giggled. "You’re going to learn."

Grace chuckled, adjusting the tiara on her head. "Well, you’re right. I am learning. Thank you."

Over the years, Grace could count on one hand the times she had actually celebrated her birthday. Most of them had been her mother’s doing—either a small surprise or just the two of them sharing a special meal. Even with the Bennet Family’s support, Grace and her mother had always preferred to stand on their own, even for something as simple as a birthday. An intimate celebration had never felt like a bad thing.

Even now, with the means to throw a lavish party, Grace often found herself too busy for such things.

"I hope you’re all enjoying the food." After a while, Grace’s eyes drifted to her left, where Penny and Zoren sat. Next to them, Hugo was eating to his heart’s content.

Penny, her mouth already stuffed, nodded enthusiastically. "It’s so good."

Grace chuckled, watching as Zoren’s plate remained full—only for him to silently transfer food onto Penny’s plate. He didn’t say a word about it, nor did he stop eating himself. It seemed he filled his plate just so his wife wouldn’t have to worry about refills.

"How sweet," she murmured before shifting her gaze to her right. Seated there were Lily and Nina, along with a few others close to her. Ginnie had been invited as well, but unfortunately, she couldn’t make it due to a conference.

"I haven’t heard of this restaurant before," Lily remarked, a surprised look flickering in her eyes. "I think I just found my new favorite spot."

Nina laughed. "The food is really great."

"Oh, Nina, by the way—didn’t you say you moved into Skyline Plaza?" Lily perked up, watching as Nina nodded.

"I’m still settling in, and we’re not finished unpacking. It’s kind of weird—so much space, yet for some reason, I feel like I can’t put my things anywhere."

"Huh? Why’s that?"

"Well." Nina shrugged. "Let’s just say... they don’t fit."

Lily smacked her lips before giving Nina a playful slap on the back. "Just throw his things away. That place is yours now. It’s your territory—free up some space for yourself."

"Haha, that’s not it..." Nina shook her head, chuckling. "Finn already cleared out a lot of space and even set up a few rooms for my things. He vacated them so I could design them however I wanted. The thing is, I’m a designer, and the house’s color palette doesn’t match any of my stuff."

"Ahh..."

"But we have plenty of weekends, and Finn promised we could repaint the rooms together."

"Painting a room together?" Lily’s mouth fell open. "That’s kind of romantic."

Nina blushed slightly. "It is."

"Gosh!! You lucky girl!" Lily shrieked, slapping the table. "I didn’t know you were so cheeky!"

"Do you want to repaint our room?" At the same time, Zoren turned to his wife—just in time to see Penny choking.

Reaching for a glass, he said flatly, "Penny, chew your food."

"Ack—!" Beside Penny, Hugo pounded his chest with his fist. Just like her, he was choking.

Zoren exhaled through his nose and handed Hugo a glass of water as well. His wife and second brother-in-law looked like they had been starved. Or... were Penny and Hugo competing?

’All I wanted to know was if she wanted more romance... repainting our room, huh?’ Zoren sighed in defeat, feeling a bit competitive now. It seemed Finn was going all out. And if anyone deserved to be the happiest woman in the world, it was his wife—because of him.

Zoren nodded to himself, convinced he needed to up his game after this dinner.

The table buzzed with different conversations, with people occasionally directing remarks toward Grace. She didn’t mind; what mattered was that the people close to her were enjoying themselves and getting to know each other.

As she sipped her wine, Grace glanced around and sighed faintly. ’He didn’t come

Still, her birthday celebration—though simple—was filled with lively chatter and laughter, with her friends from outside Penny’s circle mingling with those within. As the evening wound down, they all handed her small gifts despite her insistence that they shouldn’t bother.

And just like that, Grace’s 32nd birthday celebration came to an end.

Haines didn’t come, even though Grace had secretly waited for him.

*****

Later that night, as she pulled into her parking space, Grace smiled at her phone.

"No, Penny. It’s alright," she said over the call. "I know you’re busy. And you don’t have to be on time, knowing how packed your schedule is with the upcoming competition."

"Haha. Don’t worry about it." Penny chuckled. "Stop pretending to cry—I know there aren’t any tears in your eyes. Anyway, I just got home. Mhm. Good night, Penny."

With that, she ended the call and climbed out of the driver’s seat. Grace toyed with her keys as she entered the elevator, watching the floor numbers change. A thought crossed her mind, and she checked her phone, smacking her lips before typing a message.

[To: Haines

Still a few minutes till my birthday ends. A greeting would be nice.]

She pressed send, but the message took a moment to load—no signal.

As Grace stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hallway, a faint ding! echoed.

Her steps faltered at the sound of the notification, the noise fading into silence. Her gaze fixed on the hallway—more specifically, on the figure standing just outside her door.

Haines.