Chapter 14 : Birthday 3

Nina watched Theo’s car as it drove away. She tried hard to recall where she’d seen his face before, certain the handsomeness and striking features should have stood out to her somewhere in the past. But where? She thought until her head hurt. Craning her neck, she looked for her friend—no sign of Ruby emerging yet. The handsome young man had already gone inside.

Theo walked into the house and was surprised to see Ruby there at eight in the evening. His eyes went from the cake box to the jewelry case his mother was choosing.

“Theo, you’re back?”

“Yes. But what’s going on, Mom?” he asked her, though his gaze first flicked to Ruby before turning to his elder brother.

“Today is Ruby’s birthday, Theo, so I want to find her a gift. I can’t decide what to give her,” his mother said. Theo’s face hardened as he heard this.

“You’re trading a cake for my mother’s diamonds, Ruby?”

“Theo! Don’t speak to Ruby like that. That’s terribly rude. Sit down here and help me choose instead,” his mother quickly scolded, beckoning her younger son to sit beside her.

Hearing those words made Ruby uncomfortable. No matter how she tried to refuse, Paula would not relent; she insisted on giving Ruby a birthday present. Selecting and re-selecting gifts brought no satisfaction. In the end, it was Theo who finally chose the smallest white-gold necklace.

“I think this one suits you best, Ruby. What do you think, Chris?” Theo said to Ruby, then raised his eyebrows at his brother.

“It’s fine.” Chris didn’t want to give much of an opinion on the matter.

“This one, Mother. I think it’s the best choice,” Theo went on, turning to his mother.

“Isn’t it too small, Theo?” Paula hesitated.

“This one, Paula. I like small, delicate ones like this,” Ruby said. She understood Theo’s intention perfectly. What else could it be, if not his way of blocking her from receiving a larger piece? So she simply went along with it.

“Alright, if you like it. Come here, Ruby, I’ll help you put it on.”

“Thank you so much, Paula.” Ruby expressed her gratitude and moved closer to her. But whether the necklace was too small or Paula’s eyesight was failing, she could not fasten it.

“Theo, help Ruby put on the necklace. My eyes must be failing; I can’t get the clasp through the loop.”

“Yes, Mother.” Theo switched places with her. He leaned in to fasten the necklace around Ruby’s neck. Chris watched, his gaze calm and unreadable, as if unmoved by the scene. Theo, in contrast, seemed to tease Ruby, letting his breath brush the nape of her neck as he worked.

“Um.” Ruby shivered. Theo quickly pulled away, worried they’d notice.

“Done,” he said with a smile that mocked her, while she glared back at him with angry eyes.

“Then I’ll take my leave now, Paula. Thank you for the gift, I really love it.”

“Shall I have Theo walk you out?”

“No need. I came with a friend. She’s waiting in front of the house.”

“Wait a second, what friend? That girl with the glasses isn’t the new maid, Mom?” Theo began to suspect that he might have made a mistake.

“What maid, Theo? There isn’t one. I haven’t hired anyone new.”

“It must be my friend then. Nina came with me, but she chose to wait outside.” Ruby thought of the girl waiting outside, who was surely complaining nonstop by now.

“It must be Ruby’s friend, Theo. There really isn’t a new maid.” Hearing this from his mother, Theo grew angry at the one outside. Was it fun for her to trick him like that? ‘Crazy girl!’

“I’ll go now, Paula. Good luck,” Ruby said her farewells and quickly rose to leave the sitting room, upset that Theo had teased her and hurt that Chris had seen it all but chose to ignore.

“You’re out at last, Ruby,” Nina said happily, for she had waited far too long.

“Paula gave me a gift, so it took a while. Sorry to keep you waiting. Oh, and you met Theo just now, didn’t you?”

“How do you know? Was it the man driving the black car? Theo, Chris’s younger brother, right?”

“Mm. And did you lie to Theo, saying you’re a maid?”

“Exactly! He came up to me first, asking if I was the new maid. So I just went along with it. Like, seriously, what’s wrong with his eyes? How could he mistake a gorgeous girl like me for a maid? Totally insane.”

“Yeah, totally insane! Just now, Paula asked Theo to put the necklace on me, and he actually teased me while doing it. If Paula hadn’t been there, I swear I would’ve kicked him straight into the wall!” Ruby said with a vengeful look on her face.

“So cruel.”

“Chris is no different. He saw me being teased and just ignored it, so heartless,” Ruby said, her voice taking on a note of complaint when she mentioned Chris.

“There, Penny is here. Let’s go.” The two of them hurried to follow Penny toward the exit.

“Walk home safely.”

“Yes, Penny. You can close the door now.”

The two of them walked home, chatting along the way. When they arrived, they found that Tucker had already taken Flynn back home, leaving only Ruby’s mother waiting for them.

“Flynn was very sleepy, so I asked Tucker to carry him back home. Poor child.”

“So it’s just the three of us single girls now, Auntie,” Nina said, making a mischievous face at the mother and daughter.

“Sure, Nina. Do whatever you want,” Amber joined in, amused by Nina’s playful energy.

“Then let’s dance! Ruby, change the music.”

“Is that okay, Nina?”

“Yes, perfect! No one will see us.” Feeling impatient, Nina walked over and changed the music herself.

The new song was perfect for dancing. Nina grabbed Ruby’s hand and pulled her up to dance together, then turned to bring Amber into the circle as well. At first, they felt a little awkward, but once they held hands and swayed to the rhythm, everything fell into place. Everyone moved in time with the music. It was Ruby’s happiest birthday yet. Even without having to insist on a gift from someone, as in the past, she could still enjoy herself just as much.

At Chris’s house, after the three of them had finished the birthday cake, everyone began to get ready for bed. But before Theo could head to his own room, his elder brother grabbed his arm.

“Chris, what is it?”

“Don’t do what you did just now again.”

“What did I do, Chris?” The one who had no idea what he was being scolded for asked, puzzled, but the gaze his brother returned was stern and serious.

“You teased Ruby when you put the necklace on her, didn’t you?”

“Teased Ruby? Are you upset that I did that?”

“Yes. I don’t like what you did. We’re boys, and Ruby is a girl. Doing something like that is not right.”

“Not right, or are you jealous?”

“Theo! I’m warning you because we’re boys. Doing that isn’t gentlemanly, understand?” Chris raised his voice at his younger brother, who didn’t seem to feel guilty at all.

“Okay, okay, I won’t do it again. I’m sleepy, so I’ll go to bed.” After being scolded so harshly, Theo quickly cut off the conversation and opened the door to his room.

Chris let out a heavy sigh. His younger brother’s actions had practically crossed the line into teasing Ruby inappropriately. Their mother might not have noticed or cared. But as the elder son, Chris saw everything. He noticed Ruby’s frustration and her displeasure with Theo, but still chose to sit quietly. Why did he act that way? Chris couldn’t understand himself, either.