Chapter 259 Will There Be a Ring in the Cake?

Chapter 259 Will There Be a Ring in the Cake?

As soon as Sienna arrived, she thrust her gift into Vanessa's hands.

Vanessa stood there holding the present, a smile plastered on her face while her mind raced in confusion.

Wasn't he supposed to propose to her? So why were all these people here?

Vincent was putting on quite the act—so convincing it felt like just another ordinary birthday dinner.

To make matters worse, Vanessa noticed that Luna was there too.

Luna had just returned from the restroom and said sweetly, "Vanessa, happy birthday!"

"Luna? What are you doing here?" Vanessa scooped her up, hugging her warmly.

Luna said, "Daddy told me to come. He said it's your birthday today!"

Vanessa's smile stiffened. She suddenly remembered that although Luna was Daisy's daughter, over the years she and Vincent had brought Luna to all kinds of events. Everyone around them had long assumed they were a family of three.

So of course Luna would be here to wish her a happy birthday.

Receiving birthday wishes should be a happy thing, so Vanessa didn't say anything. But deep down, she was still eagerly anticipating the surprise Vincent was about to give her.

Victor had also prepared a birthday gift for her—it looked expensive.

After everyone was seated, Vincent handed her his own carefully prepared gift. "Happy birthday!"

It was a gift box. Vanessa stared at it for a few seconds, lost in thought, then smiled. "Thank you."

Although it wasn't the candlelit dinner she'd imagined, but rather everyone sitting together eating and chatting, Vanessa wasn't particularly disappointed.

She kept waiting for the surprise she expected, paying extra attention to every detail during the conversation, afraid she might miss some special cue.

After dinner, the waitstaff brought out the birthday cake.

Sienna got up to turn off the lights while Vincent lit the candles.

In the candlelight, Vanessa pressed her palms together to make a wish, still thinking about that surprise.

She wished for a smooth marriage with Vincent, to grow old together.

Then came the cake-cutting ceremony.

As the birthday girl, Vanessa made the first cut.

While cutting, she wondered if there might be a ring inside the cake. After all, a ring wasn't that big—it could easily be hidden in a cake.

So she cut very slowly.

Sienna teased, "Looks like Vanessa really values this birthday—cutting so carefully, afraid of messing it up?"

By this point, Vanessa had cut all the way to the bottom. Feeling somewhat disappointed, she smiled awkwardly. "Sorry to keep everyone waiting."

"Not at all! Good things are worth waiting for!" Sienna's offhand comment reignited hope in Vanessa's heart.

After cutting the cake, Vanessa realized it actually wasn't very large. Once divided evenly, the slices were even smaller—there was no way a ring could be hidden inside.

So when would Vincent propose to her?

She suddenly felt uncertain.

Luna, at least, seemed to be enjoying her cake.

Watching Vanessa's smile gradually become forced, everyone exchanged glances. Vincent also seemed to sense her distraction. "What's wrong?"

Vanessa forced a smile. "Nothing."

But except for Victor, everyone could tell she wasn't very happy today.

Vincent didn't press further.

Sienna tried to liven the atmosphere. "Vanessa, look how thoughtful Vincent is—he specially made time to celebrate your birthday!"

"Yeah." Vanessa glanced at Vincent, only to find him picking up his phone to reply to messages.

Time ticked by, and everyone began to leave, saying their goodbyes one by one.

Vanessa finally realized that the scene she'd envisioned probably wasn't going to happen. Having everyone over for dinner today really was just an ordinary birthday celebration.

No—it wasn't even that. They were just at a restaurant. It wasn't even a proper birthday party.

But this was the first birthday Vincent was celebrating with her after his divorce. It shouldn't have been this casual.

Although she and Vincent hadn't gotten their marriage certificate yet, she'd long considered herself Vincent's wife.

Besides, it was just a piece of paper—it didn't mean anything.

He'd already brought her to the company anniversary gala, so why couldn't he throw a proper birthday party just for her?

"Vanessa?" Luna noticed something was off and asked with concern, "Are you feeling okay?"

Vanessa's expression did look terrible now, and she couldn't muster the energy to fake a smile anymore.

She looked at Luna, thinking how not only had Vincent's attention been drawn away by Daisy, but now even Luna had stopped calling her 'Mom' and only called her 'Auntie.'

Hearing Luna's voice, Vincent turned around and quickly approached, pressing his hand to Vanessa's forehead. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

Seeing Vincent so concerned about her, Vanessa's anger dissipated.

Her expression improved slightly. "I'm fine."

She suddenly remembered that the rumor about spending several hundred million dollars on diamonds had never had a reliable source.

Maybe Angela had gotten it wrong.

Come to think of it, diamonds were now mocked by ordinary people as an 'intelligence tax'—how could Vincent possibly spend big money on diamonds?

That idiot Angela had spread false information, and she'd believed it.

Since Vincent hadn't bought diamonds and wasn't planning to propose on her birthday—

All of this was just a misunderstanding born from a rumor.

Angela had read too many romance novels and let her imagination run wild!

Still, even though Vincent hadn't proposed, judging by his actions in every other way, he still loved her. Their relationship hadn't changed.

Vincent lowered his hand. "If you're not feeling well, go see a doctor. You can take tomorrow off."

Vanessa felt somewhat satisfied again. Who else besides her could take time off so freely?

With Vincent, she would always be special. Even if he hadn't bought her a huge diamond, he'd bought her plenty of other things.

After thinking it through, Vanessa's mood improved considerably.

Though still a bit disappointed, she was working through it herself.

Love was never easy to begin with. She and Vincent had a long future ahead—no need to worry about these little details.

Luna answered a phone call at that moment.

The speaker was on—it was Daisy calling. "Luna, are you done over there?"

Luna said, "Uh-huh, Mom. Dad and Vanessa just saw all the guests off."

Daisy asked, "So when are you coming back? Or are you not coming home tonight?"

Luna hesitated, looking toward Vincent and Vanessa.

Vincent also looked at Vanessa.

Of course Vanessa didn't want Luna staying here. After all, today was her birthday—she wanted to spend time alone with Vincent.