Chapter b207 /b

b“/bbThank /bbyou/b, Aurora,” she said, though her tone was cooler than I’d expected. Her eyes traveled over me, and the smile faded entirely. “But why on earth didn’t you wear the red dressb?/bb” /b

I blinked, ncing down at my simple attire. “I–I didn’t think it was necessary. It’s your bday/bb, /bCare, not mine,” I said, feeling self–conscious under her sharp gaze.

Her frown deepened, and she shook her head. “Aurora, we gave you that dress for a reason. It’s gorgeous, and it would have looked perfect on you. This…” She gestured vaguely toward me. b“/bThis isn’t it. You’re my closestpanion here. You should stand out too, not fade into the backgroundb./bb” /b

I swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. “I didn’t want to draw attention away from you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped, though there was no real malice in her voice–just frustration.

“You couldn’t, even if you tried. But now you’re here, and we don’t have much time. I’m going to

send someone to bring that dress up. I want you to wear it.”

I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose as I faced Caroline. Her stubbornness was relentlessb, /ba trait I

admired and despised in equal measure. “Caroline, enough,” I said firmly, my voice carrying the

weight of finality.

“This is your day. Your parents have gone through so much trouble to make it perfect for you, and I

am not about to ruin it by getting into an argument. Do you understand me?”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her fiery eyes challenging mine, but I held my ground. She opened

her mouth to protest, but I cut her off with a sharp shake of my head.

“No, I won’t hear it. Not another word about this. We’ve already been ove

ozen times, and

shine today is you.

my answer hasn’t changed. This is your day and the only person who need

Your parents-” I paused, taking a breath to keep my tone even,“–have dne so much to make this

day special for you. Pleaseb, /blet me have this dress on. It suits me and it’sfortable. That’s all I

care about.”

Her arms crossed over her chest, and she looked away, muttering something under her breath that I couldn’t quite catch. I sighed againb, /bsofter this time, and reached into my pocket.

“Caroline,” I said, my tone gentler now, “I’m serious. Let’s not fight. I came here to celebrate you,

and that’s what I intend to do.”

I pulled out the tiny box and held it out to her. bHer /bbeyes /bdarted to it, and for a moment, I saw her guard drop, reced by curiosity and something that looked suspiciously like excitement. “This,” I saidb, /bcing the box in her hand.

bChapter /b207

bIs /bbmy /bpresent bfor /bbyou/bb. /bbIt’s /bbnothing /bextravagantb, /bbbut/bb… /bIt’s bfrom /bbthe /bbheart/b.

bShe /bhesitatedb, /bher fingers brushing over the smooth surface of the box before bshe /bbnced /bup at me

b“/bbYou /bdidn’t have to get me anything,” she murmured, her dence reced by a softness bthat /bI hade to associate with her.

I chuckled, shaking my head. “Of course, I did. It’s your day, remember? And for onceb, /bcan we just let it be about that? No drama. No arguments. Just… you being happy.” I met her gaze, willing bher /bbto /bunderstand how much I meant it.

“Please, Caroline. Let’s keep it simple.”

For a long moment, she stared at me, the tension between us lingering. Then, finally, she noddedb, /bbá /bsmall, reluctant smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Fine,” she said, her voice barely above ba /bwhisper.

I smiled back, relief washing over me. “Good. Now, open it already. I want to see your face when byou /bdo.”

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