The Madrigal family arrived around 6:00 in the evening and Jade excitedly showed Cayenne her own gift – something she didn’t buy with money. It was a pair of phone accessories that she created using the 3-D molder that Travis bought for her. She made it under her father’s supervision and she was so proud of it.
“Stefan will be very happy to receive that. I am sure he will use it.” Cayenne said and kissed Jade’s cheek. “Thank you, Jade.”
“Hehe. I am so good at finding one’s favorite.”
“Yes, you are.”
Aside from her gift, Travis and Jillyanna prepared something for Stefan as well. They placed it on the gift table before making their way to their table so that they can sit and chat with the other guests.
“Yenyen!” Luna greeted her happily and was even running toward her best friend. You would never think that she was an heiress from the way she acts. Other people would always think of being prim and proper when attending an event but Luna was never that kind of person unless she goes to an event with people whom she wasn’t fond of. “I know it’s your husband’s birthday but, when will you throw a baby shower?”
Cayenne chuckled while returning her best friend’s hug. “Soon. I’ll let you know for sure.”
“Great! I can’t wait to be your baby’s godmother. Also, I have a piece of great news for you!” Luna pulled something out from her bag and gave it to Cayenne happily. “I’ll expect you there.”
“Oh, my! Is this real? You are finally tying the knot?” Luna nodded several times like a hen pecking something on the ground. “Ahh! I am so happy for both of you.” She even wanted to jump in happiness, but Luna held her down by putting her hands on her shoulders. Thus, she could only hug Luna once again and pulled Ali for a group hug. “Congratulations to both of you.”
.....
“Thank you for always having our back.” Ali expressed upon remembering the times that Cayenne helped them even though she didn’t have much to offer.
Luna patted Cayenne’s back and pulled away a little to give her space. “I’ll place the gift first and chat with Manager Kim. It’s been a while since I last saw her. You have other guests to entertain as well.”
One after another, the guests started to arrive and some of them were Stefan’s business partners who supported him since Day 1 in the business industry. David prepared a little gimmick for the birthday celebrant and it was a large whiteboard where the guests could write their well-wishes for the celebrant. He planned to take a picture of the messages and develop it as a memento for this special day.
Meanwhile, Stefan already arrived home two hours earlier. He checked Cayenne’s flowers if they were watered properly and after that, he walked the dogs around and even chatted with them. He didn’t want to sound like a brat for not getting anything today, but he was really upset that even his wife has forgotten it.
He even thought that maybe she prepared a dinner date for them but she didn’t message him or call him at all. “I know that she’s busy and might not have time to prepare something for me but, she could have sent me a birthday greeting, you know.”
“Woof! Woof!” Summer barked as if he understood what his owner was saying.
“I am not expecting a present or anything, well, yeah, I was. At the same time, even if there was nothing, I would understand as long as she greeted me. That’s the point. She woke up early this morning but she only remembered about taking the exam in the afternoon and nothing else. We even visited Alexander yesterday. I thought she planned to have a day off today so we could celebrate my birthday.”
His dog, Spring, rubbed his body on Stefan’s leg as if he was comforting the man. Winter and Autumn were running around him as well, probably thinking of guarding their owner against the pain he was feeling.
“Did she take her vitamins today? I hope Martin supervised her properly. She tends to forget even the simplest thing when she’s busy with other things.”
Not far from him, the caretaker of the horses was smiling at Stefan. Almost all of the people in the house knew what Cayenne planned for his husband but they were tight-lipped with this secret and never mentioned this to anyone. None of them greeted him with a happy birthday even when they knew it.
“Sir, what do you want me to cook for dinner today?” Carla asked Stefan when he returned to the house. She only asked him but she didn’t really plan to cook anything for Stefan and Cayenne tonight. Their madam already told them that they can cook whatever they like for dinner as long as they get to finish it and not waste anything. Cayenne hates people who waste their food. She was only asking to play her part in the surprise.
“Ayen was craving for shrimps recently. Do we still have shrimps?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright. Let’s cook those and we can have that Filipino recipe of beef stew. I think I printed the recipe for that dish. Just find it in the cookbook. Tonight is special so let’s have more dishes to share with everyone. Do you guys like pasta? We can have baked mac and cheese. I think – ” Stefan mentioned the food that he likes to have for dinner but he didn’t know that he won’t be eating those. His phone rang and when he saw Cayenne’s name, a smile automatically bloomed on his face. “Give me a sec. You can start checking the ingredients for those dishes I mentioned.”
“Yes, sir.” Carla turned her back at once and grinned. Stefan was so in love with his wife. Even when he was upset because of her, he still thought of what she liked. She was always in his mind.
After getting the call from Cayenne, Stefan ran to the kitchen and found Carla taking out the ingredients. “Carla, you can cook those dishes for everyone. You enjoy the night and rest afterward. I’ll be having dinner with my wife.”
And before she could say something about his generosity, Stefan was already gone. He had been waiting for her call for the whole day and now that it has come, he didn’t want to waste even a single second. [Wait! What dress is she wearing?] He thought and called her again to ask about her clothes. He needed to know to match it. Think about his obsession with matching clothes.