Chapter 338

Zinnia tiptoed quietly downstairs. Once in the living room, she set the things she had prepared on the coffee table. Then she took out her phone and tapped the top contact.

Zinnia: [Yannis, are you up?]

She sent the message and got a reply almost instantly.

Yannis: [Why are you still up?]

Zinnia: [Yannis, you’re still awake? Come to the living room for a sec.]

Yannis: [On my way.]

Zinnia set down her phone, her nerves tightening as she glanced at the thing in front of her. Soon, she heard the soft sound of a door opening not far behind her.

Yannis tiptoed in and quietly closed the door, his gaze immediately drawn to the petite figure by the coffee table. The sleepiness in his eyes instantly dissipated.

The living room was dark, and the only light came from the clear moonlight streaming through the window. It cast a gentle glow over her delicate form. He moved stealthily closer.

When Yannis saw what she had placed in front of her, he paused in surprise.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Zinnia turned around, her eyes crinkling into crescents. “Happy birthday, Yannis!”

She carefully inserted the candle she had prepared into her homemade little cake, lit it with a lighter, and then proudly held up her simple yet heartfelt creation.

Yannis’s eyes shimmered with emotion. He never expected her to prepare such a heartfelt surprise.

Through the warm amber glow of the candle, Yannis lowered his gaze and met Zinnia’s smiling eyes. At that moment, he thought she looked absolutely radiant. Her smile was so bright and beautiful.

Seeing Yannis frozen in surprise, Zinnia sprang up with the little cake and thrust it toward him. “Yannis, come on. The day’s almost gone. Make your wish now!”

Yannis snapped out of his daze. Lowering his gaze, he looked at the little cake before him and then at Zinnia, who was holding it. He closed his eyes.

A soft and sweet birthday song rang in his ears. “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you…”

Looking at Yannis before her, Zinnia saw how the candlelight softened the sharp, well-defined features of his face, lending him a gentle warmth.

As she watched Yannis making his wish, Zinnia’s gaze softened tenderly. Her eyes drifted downward to his clasped hands, where she spotted a familiar bracelet.

He was wearing it. The simple, ordinary bracelet somehow looked extraordinarily elegant against his hand.

Zinnia sang the birthday song, her eyes crinkling into crescents. She was glad she had kept her promise.

In an unnoticed corner on the second floor, Nathan watched the scene below. His lips pressed into a thin line, his fingers digging into the wall until his knuckles turned white.

As he stared at the two smiling faces, a wry, bitter smile twisted Nathan’s lips. ‘Wasn’t this the outcome I wished for? Didn’t I push Zinnia away with my own hands?’ he asked himself inwardly.

A bitter, metallic taste, like blood, rose in his throat as he closed his eyes. His fingertips dug into his palm. Waves of pain radiated from his heart to every inch of his body.

Breathing heavily, Nathan leaned against the wall. With leaden steps, he slowly made his way back to his room.

He’d only come out because he’d heard Zinnia still busy in the next room, wondering what she was up to. As it turned out, all his concerns had been unnecessary.

As Zinnia sang her sweet and tender birthday song, Yannis gave a faint smile. His first wish was for her safety and health, his second for her happiness, and his third for Nathan’s recovery. After silently making his wishes, he opened his eyes.

Yannis wasn’t one for making wishes. He’d always believed in self-reliance and practical solutions. But when it came to Zinnia, he thought, ‘Why not? Maybe it might actually come true.’

For some reason, a vague sense of unease had been lingering in Yannis’s heart these past couple of days. The last time he’d felt this way was when something happened to Henry. Zinnia had been ill for quite some time after that.

Zinnia urged eagerly, “Come on. Blow out the candles!”

As Yannis blew out the candle under Zinnia’s expectant gaze, a cold, sticky sensation suddenly smeared across his cheek.

Zinnia pulled back her yogurt-dipped finger, her eyes smiling as she cheerfully said again, “Happy birthday, Yannis!”

Yannis’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Thank you, Zinnia,” he replied.

As midnight struck and the day came to an end, Yannis turned 24.

After Yannis made his wish and blew out the candle, Zinnia, holding the little cake, was ready to leave. “Okay, Yannis, I’m off then!”

Just as she was about to leave, Yannis’s eyes widened in surprise. He grabbed her wrist and said, “Wait. You’re leaving already? You’re not even going to let me have a bite of the cake?”

He couldn’t help but think, ‘She just called me out here to make a wish, but she’s not even letting me taste the cake?’

“Um, maybe we shouldn’t eat this. It’s so ugly,” Zinnia mumbled.

Zinnia glanced at the lopsided little cake she’d made and then at Yannis’s handsome face. ‘This messy thing doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near someone as perfect as him,’ she thought.

Zinnia hadn’t known Yannis would be coming, so she hadn’t prepared a proper cake for him. Instead, she quickly threw together a makeshift cake with some bread rolls, yogurt, and crushed strawberry cookies. The yogurt was tricky to spread, so the whole thing looked lopsided.

Honestly, it was just a symbolic gesture. She never in her wildest dreams expected Yannis would actually want to eat it.

Yannis took the little cake from her hands and gently pulled her down to sit beside him at the coffee table. He said with a hint of possessiveness, “I don’t mind at all. This is mine now, and you can’t take it back.”

Zinnia sat beside Yannis and muttered under her breath, “It’s so ugly. Why would you even want to eat this? It’s my first time making one.”

Yannis didn’t miss her quiet muttering. “It’s your first try, and it’s already this beautiful. Zinnia, you’re absolutely amazing!”

Zinnia felt her cheeks warm at his praise. “How can you even compliment this messy little thing?” she muttered.

Yannis looked at the little cake with tender affection. “Ugly? Not at all. This is the most beautiful cake I’ve ever received.” To him, it looked perfect in every way.

Staring into Yannis’s smiling eyes, Zinnia fell silent. ‘Why does he look so happy? He’s probably never received such an imperfect homemade cake in his life,’ she thought.

Yannis carefully set the little cake down on the coffee table, then pulled out his phone and snapped a few photos of it.

Zinnia quickly reached out to block his phone. “Why are you still taking pictures?” she exclaimed. It was way too ugly. She couldn’t let him take any photos.

Yannis caught both her hands. “It’s not ugly at all, really,” he assured her. “Let me take a picture to remember this moment.”

The little cake wasn’t ugly at all. It was just much simpler compared to the elaborate, fancy ones. Still, Zinnia’s sense of style showed in every detail; it could hardly be called unattractive.

She used two small bread rolls as the base, spread yogurt, like frosting, over them, topped them with a few big strawberries, added some purple grapes in the center, and finished with a sprinkle of cookie crumbs. Honestly, it was delightful.

Zinnia loved beautiful things and had high standards for appearances, so she thought it wasn’t pretty enough.

But to Yannis, this little cake was perfect.

Hearing Yannis shower her with praise, Zinnia finally gave in. “Fine, if you say it’s pretty, then it’s pretty. Just don’t blame me if it looks a mess,” she said.

As long as Yannis didn’t mind, that was good enough for her.

Yannis raised his phone and snapped several photos in a row.

Zinnia watched from the side, amused, as Yannis excitedly tried out every possible angle.

After taking photos from every angle, Yannis moved closer to the little cake, holding up his phone. “Zinnia, look here and say cheese!” he coaxed.

Zinnia instinctively turned and beamed at the camera.

With a soft click, the phone captured their smiling faces with the little cake sitting between them.