Chapter 372: The Birthday Arrangements

The gentle morning sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains of April’s bedroom. She stirred softly, feeling the cozy warmth of the bed and the lingering sense of deep, peaceful rest.

"Happy Birthday, sister!"

A sudden, joyful voice burst into the room. Before April could fully open her eyes, the mattress dipped as Emily threw her arms around her in a tight, affectionate hug. April chuckled softly, wrapping her arms around her twin sister and pulling her close.

"Happy Birthday to you too, Emily," April murmured, her voice warm with sleep. "Our very first one together."

"And it’s going to be unforgettable," Emily beamed, pulling back with her eyes sparkling. "Now, get ready—because it looks like they went all out!"

Before April could ask what she meant, the doors of her bedroom glided open. Samuel entered first, carefully holding a silver tray with a stunning, multi-tiered birthday cake adorned with delicate spun-sugar flowers and glowing candles.

Behind him came a sudden pop! as bright, shimmering confetti rained down through the air, sparkling under the morning light.

"Happy Birthday, Miss April," Samuel said smoothly, setting the tray down on her bedside table. He turned his gaze toward Emily, offering her a respectful bow as well. "And a very Happy Birthday to you as well, Miss Emily."

Emily blinked, her cheeks flushing with surprise and delight. She hadn’t expected to be included so thoughtfully in the grand gesture.

"While today marks the birth of my master," Samuel continued softly, his dark eyes sweeping between the twins with quiet precision, "it is equally the day Miss Emily entered this world beside her. It would be a severe lapse in my duties to celebrate one without honoring the other."

Behind Samuel stood Oliver, perfectly composed in a sharp button-down shirt, a subtle, knowing smile on his lips as his dark eyes met April’s. Even Nat and Alexander had made their appearance—Nat leaning back with an arrogant, smirking toast of his coffee cup, and Alexander grinning brightly, offering a salute with two fingers.

Xavier smiled at April and whispered, "Happy Birthday,"

Samuel had secretly contacted every single one of them late last night. Though his possessive heart disliked sharing her favor, he understood his master completely.

He knew how much genuine joy these men brought into her life—a complex, vibrant happiness that went beyond what any single person could offer her. And above all else, Samuel’s ultimate devotion was to her happiness.

"Now," Samuel murmured, stepping back to give both sisters equal room near the glowing flames. "Together, if you please. Make a wish, Miss April, Miss Emily."

April looked over at Emily, whose eyes were shining with unshed tears of happiness. For the first time in both of their lives, they were standing together, surrounded by luxury, security, and people who truly cared for them.

April reached out, lacing her fingers with Emily’s. They shared a knowing, radiant look, took a deep breath together, and blew out the candles in a single, unified breath.

"Now, Emily... About that plan you had..." April brought up and Emily blushed. She had suspected they would all be present but then the reality of it was still so overwhelming. She gulped and nodded, determined to make it work out.

So first, she picked up Philippe. She couldn’t spend her birthday happily if the man she liked wasn’t present, right? He was a little nervous, bashful, but not so much that he was distracted from the woman in front of him.

Their first stop was a cinema lounge where Samuel had booked out the entire VIP auditorium. At the concession stand, the harmony immediately began to unravel over the most trivial detail possible: movie snacks.

"We are not buying five tubs of buttered popcorn, Nat," April said, crossing her arms as she looked at the mountain of snacks Nat was casually pointing to. Even she, a foodie, would not consent to it.

"Why not, sweetheart?" Nat drawled, leaning his elbow on the counter with a lazy smirk. "I’m paying, aren’t I? Besides, watching a movie without enough food to survive a siege is a cardinal sin."

"It’s a two-hour documentary-style thriller, Mr. Collins, not a famine," Xavier remarked mildly, standing beside April with his hands tucked loosely into his pockets. "And high-sodium popcorn hardly seems like the ideal pairing for an informative narrative."

"Informative?" Nat scoffed, rolling his eyes as he grabbed a bag of gummy bears and tossed it into Alexander’s arms. "It’s a movie, Reed. You’re supposed to turn your brain off and eat junk food, not write a thesis on it."

"I actually agree with Xavier," Oliver piped up from the back, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses with clinical precision. "Excessive artificial butter leads to acute digestive sluggishness. I suggest raw nuts and dried fruit."

Nat stared at Oliver like he had grown a second head. "Doctor, if you hand me a box of raisins in a movie theater, I will throw them at the screen."

In the end, April bought two tubs of popcorn, three boxes of candy, and let them bicker all the way to their reclining leather seats. Even with the punishment and reward system, there was no stopping a naturally formed argument. It was human nature, after all.

True to form, twenty minutes into the film, Nat leaned over toward April, his voice dropping into an exaggerated whisper. "This is painfully boring, sweetheart. If someone doesn’t blow something up in five minutes, I’m taking a nap on your shoulder."

"Quiet, Nat," April whispered back, holding out a handful of gummy bears. "Eat your candy."

"Informative," Xavier murmured from her other side with a serene, knowing smile, earning a low groan from Nat.

"What is this?" Alexander grumbled. "I think I’d have better chances watching a cartoon." he covered his face tiredly.

"Well, leave it to Samuel to plan a birthday movie, and this is what you get." Nat snorted, but Samuel did not respond and simply tilted his glasses.

If April or Emily wasn’t complaining then the movie was fine. April, though, was just trying to savor her first experience at a movie theatre despite what was showing on screen, and Emily... Well, she was paying more attenion to Philippe than the movie itself.

From the theater, they swept into a massive amusement park that Samuel had arranged private access to. The sheer scale of the place was overwhelming for almost everyone—except Alexander. Having grown up as a pampered grandson, amusement parks were nostalgic territory for him.

"Alright, listen up!" Alexander announced brightly, clapping his hands together as he took the lead, looking far more like a energetic youth than a battle-ready knight. "First rule of the park: we hit the biggest, loudest roller coaster first. The Titan’s Drop."

Nat looked up at the towering steel structure, which featured a vertical ninety-degree plunge, and let out a dark chuckle. "You expect me to sit in a tiny plastic cart and get thrown around like a sack of potatoes?"

"What’s wrong, Collins?" Alexander taunted with a cocky grin. "Scared of heights? Or is your stomach as soft as your ego?"

"Watch it, kid," Nat’s eyes narrowed, a competitive fire instantly igniting in his chest. "I’ve jumped out of low-altitude transport planes. A glorified fairground ride isn’t going to make me blink."