°•♡Chapter 70~ The gala I

I didn’t want a birthday.

Not now. Not with everything still tangled in a mess of unanswered questions and wary glances. But Ronan had other ideas, as always.

“Absolutely not,” I told him flatly that morning.

“Absolutely yes,” he returned with that mischievous grin I rarely ever saw— but when I did, there was no escaping whatever he had planned. He'd breezed into my study interrupting my one moment of peace to talk about part decorations and guest lists.

As out of character for him as it was, I knew why he was doing it.

He set down two mugs of warm chocolate tea, one for me and one for himself. I eyed the cup with suspicion.

“You bribing me with beverages now?”

“I’m bribing you with joy,” he said, all too simply. “And a nice beverage. But mostly joy.”

I sighed. “Ronan, I appreciate the effort, really. But a party right now? I'm just not into that idea. I don't really want one.”

He leaned against my desk, folding his arms, his face was serious now but his eyes still carried a