Chapter 4

I shook my head as my parents continued fussing over me, saying, "I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little tired."

A few moments later, Dad said remorsefully, "It's my fault for being so useless. I dragged you down. Don't push yourself too hard. It'll break our hearts."

"He's right," Mom added quickly. "It's New Year's Day and your birthday today. Didn't you mention that you wanted to have a meal with us? Let's do that today! We've also prepared a cake for you."

I was completely unaffected by their happy tone, but I still nodded. I wanted to know how far they were willing to go to keep up the farce, and how genuine their acting could be.

I changed into a fresh set of clothes and followed them to a high-end shopping mall in the heart of the city.

It was a little pathetic, but it was my first time setting foot into the mall, even though they had brought me back to the Bilson family when I was 16.

I had been too busy studying before our supposed bankruptcy. On top of that, my parents never thought of taking me out to experience the world. I totally lost the right to visit the mall after our family filed for bankruptcy.

It was why, although Oliver had explored the mall like it was his backyard since he was a child, it was my first time entering the building.

My parents entered the restaurant first to place their orders, asking me to stay outside to wait for Oliver, who was coming from the "hospital".

A sports car skidded to a stop in front of me.

Oliver took off his sunglasses and smirked at me, asking, "Doesn't my car look great? Mom and Dad gave it to me as my New Year present."

He then grabbed the cake box that was sitting on the passenger seat and threw it at me. "Your birthday present. There was no way that I could finish the ten cakes that Dad bought for me. I specifically told the maids not to throw them out in the morning so I could give one to you.

"Go inside. Don't make Mom and Dad wait too long for you," he said before winding up the window and preparing to leave. "Although you don't have the right to enjoy a feast of Mom's home-cooked food like me, at least you get to eat the dishes that they ordered."

I placed the cake box on top of the trash can after I walked into the restaurant.

The waiter led me to a private booth.

My parents were holding up a cake, looking at me with expectant eyes. It was obvious that they hoped that I would be pleased by their surprise. After all, it was their first time celebrating my birthday with me even though I had already lived for 24 years.

"Happy birthday, Ash! Make a wish and blow out the candles!"

I stared at the restaurant's logo on the cake.

An uneasy expression crossed Mom's face when she saw where I was looking. "We didn't have enough time to prepare since this was a last-minute decision. But we still wanted to give you a proper birthday celebration, so we had no choice but to use the cake that the restaurant gave us.

"I hope you don't mind. We'll definitely make the necessary arrangements beforehand next year."

"Is that so?" I asked.

My parents nodded vigorously.

As I stared at the free cake that the restaurant had provided, I couldn't help but think about how ridiculous the entire situation was. Oliver had so many cakes that he couldn't finish them all. On top of that, each cake cost a million dollars.

Recalling Oliver's words, I looked at Mom and slowly said, "I want to eat your home-cooked food. Anything's fine."

Mom was stunned. It was clear that she hadn't expected me to make such a request when I had always been so accommodating toward her.

Although we had gone "bankrupt", I never allowed her to set foot in the kitchen. I was also the one who did the dishes. They would leave their used plates and cutlery on the dining table, leaving them for me to wash despite how late I came home every night.

Mom averted her gaze and said, "You know that I don't know how to cook, Ash. Change your wish. I'll definitely fulfill it."

"Then, I want to return to school to pursue my doctorate since the family's debts have been paid off," I said.

My parents immediately fell silent upon hearing my words.

They exchanged glances before Dad let out a deep sigh and said, "You know our circumstances, Ash. We've paid off our debts, but we don't have any savings. You won't be able to work if you continue your studies. We'll also have to pay your school fees…"