Chapter 696
Aria woke up feeling fresh and rejuvenated. After washing up, she pushed open the bedroom door and paused in mild
surprise.
The living room floor was blanketed with crimson rose petals. The chandelier, draped in pale blue tulle, cast a soft, diffused klow.
Star-shaped fairy lights were strung around the chandelier. Their glow refracted onto the floor, spelling out a shimmering [Happy Birthday].
A large bouquet of flowers sat on the chair. Upon closer inspection, Aria realized it was artfully folded from crisp bills.
“Awake?” Owen asked gently as he walked out with a bowl of noodles. “Sorry, no feast for you today, but I’ll make it up to you another day,” he said gently.
He thought she’d been exhausted for too long, and something easier on her stomach would be better for her.
Aria’s fingers lightly traced the petals. “Did you fold these?”
“Sure.”
The coffee table was laden with beautifully wrapped gift bores, even more than last year’s haul.
Owen explained with a smile, “Some of their are from my mom Let’s take our time unwrapping them later. Oh, right. Lily mentioned that Nathan also sent you a gift. I put in on the sofa
“Alright,” Aria said. Since it was already here, she wouldn’t bother sending in back. Either way, it would just end up collecting dust.
Aria stepped over the petals and sat down at the dining table. Don’t go to all this trouble next time. It’s such a pain to clean up,” she said.
Owen let out a helpless chuckle. As expected, Madelyn was not into romance.
“It’s no trouble at all, just a quick sweep,” Owen said as he gently slid the bowl of longevity noodles in front of her. “Happy birthday, Madelyn.”
He silently vowed that from now on, he would be by her side for every birthday to come.
“Thanks,” Aria said, taking the fork.
“Don’t be so formal with me,” Owen said, affectionately ruffling her hair.
After finishing her noodles, Aria picked up the bouquet of money flowers, pulled out one, and examined it closely. She found that even the stems of the flower were rolled from dollar bills.
Aria couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. You must’ve had way too much free time on your hands, huh?”
Owen gazed at her tenderly and asked, “Do you like it?”
“I do,” Aria replied. She paused in thought for a moment, then raised her phone and snapped a picture.
Noticing this, Owen couldn’t help but smile. Looks like I’ll have to learn a few more money-folding techniques in the future, he thought to himself.
1/2
Chapter 696
Aria finished editing the photo and tapped [post] on her Instagram. Within moments, Aria’s phone started buzzing nonstop with notifications.
Yosef: [Holy shit! Who the hell hacked Ms. Saxon’s WhatsApp account?]
Vanessa: [I never thought I’d actually see you update your status. Thank god I checked my phone, almost missed it.]
Lily: [Owen is so handy. These flowers are gorgeous!]
Pearl: [Totally agree!]
Derek: [Aria, mine’s handmade too. Go ahead and open it!]
Myrtle: [Wait a minute. Is this PDA? Am I seeing things? Echohawk is actually showing off her love life.]
This was Aria’s first-ever post. And it was PDA content, no less, absolutely mind-blowing.
Helen caught a glimpse of the [Happy Birthday] message on the floor and sent a message to Aria. [Happy birthday, Ms. Saxon.]
Aria: [Thanks.]
Soon, Silvia also chimed in on Aria’s Instagram. [Happy birthday, Aria!]
“What’s got you smiling so much, Silvia?” At the dining table, Zoe smiled warmly at Silvia.
Silvia instinctively glanced at Caleb, then managed a smile. “Just some friends wishing me a happy birthday,” she said, trying to sound casual.
