Chapter 456 A Birthday Present That Will Never Go Out of Style
Luke smiled and stretched out his hand. âLetâs go, thereâs a function we have to attend tonight.â
Selina hummed in response and didnât think it was strange.
Luke would play small tricks every once in a while, but he never went overboard and was very considerate.
They took two cars. Robert and Catherineâs car were in the lead and Selinaâs siblings were with them, while Luke had Selina, Claire and Joseph in his car.
Robert picked up a walkie-talkie and said, âOkay, weâre moving out. Clear the ground.â There was a swift response from the walkie-talkie. âCopy that, boss.â
Catherine burst out laughing. âWeâre not going off to catch thieves. Isnât this a little too much? Clear the ground?â
Robert shrugged. âSince that brat wants to play, weâll just play along. Hey, when do you think we should go on holiday?â Catherine glared at him. âWhy canât you learn from Luke? Shouldnât you plan everything, then give me a surprise?â
Robert was at a loss. âHuh? But how will I know when youâll be free if I donât discuss it with you?â
Catherine raised her head in despair and wanted to ask God if her husband had hit his head on granite before. But then she smiled.
It was precisely Robertâs honesty and sincerity which had moved her.
She had only decided to marry him after he personally swore that he would treat Luke and Claire as his own children and wouldnât force her to have his baby.
How sincere was Robert?
They didnât have Joseph until they officially discussed it and Robert even asked Luke and Claire for their permission.
Since she had chosen him for his honesty, she couldnât blame him for being dense.
Her past experience had taught her how valuable honesty was in a marriage.
In the car, Selina glanced at Luke and asked, âWhat are you doing?â
Luke was at a loss. âWhat?â
Selina said, âI feel that youâre up to something, but you donât want me to know about it.â
Luke sweated. âWhat? Did you pick up Karenâs paranoia?â
Selina frowned before she looked away. âAlright, that could be part of it.â
She had seen not long ago how Karenâs paranoia had unmasked a special agent couple, and how her twin daughters had picked up on clues of Freddy invading dreams and killing people even when they werenât looking for them.
Selina felt that she had caught a bit of the paranoia bug.
This was Shackelford and Luke was with her. How could anything happen? She didnât notice Joseph and Claire giggling behind their hands in the backseat.
The car had reached Selinaâs house. She got out and looked at her place in surprise.
It was completely dark and no lights were on, as if no one was in.
Was Sandra out? But Robert had just come back with her siblings. Where did they go?
Puzzled, she stared at her house.
Behind her, Luke, Joseph and Claire got out as well.
The two kids ran into the yard, laughing, and Luke put his hand on Selinaâs shoulder. âLetâs go. Why did you stop?â
Selina gave an âohâ and didnât think too much of it.
A moment later, she asked confusedly, âArenât we going in? This... is to the backyard. Whatâs going on?â Luke said with a smile, âTo see if Sandraâs in the backyard.â
âShe wouldnât be, there are no lights on in the house,â Selina said, but she let Luke pull her toward the backyard.
As they were talking, the two kids up ahead had already gone around the house to the back.
Luke also dragged Selina around the house to the backyard.
Looking at the dim backyard, Selina felt that there was something here, and it felt tidier and a lot more spacious than usual. She said, âNobodyâs here, letâs go inside...â
âSurprise!â Their surroundings suddenly lit up with colorful lights, and a huge crowd of people popped out from various corners as they shouted the same word.
Selina was stupefied. âHuh?â
It was more of a shock than a surprise!
If Luke hadnât grabbed her hand, she wouldâve taken her gun out.
Anybody would be wary when a bunch of people suddenly popped up out of nowhere in their own quiet backyard.
At that moment, the entire backyard was lit
up.
Strings of colorful fairy lights drew bright, colorful lines in the backyard. A few bright LED lights were also turned on and Selina could clearly see everybodyâs faces.
Her father Mario, her mother Sandra, and her siblings were beaming as they looked at her.
Then there was Robertâs family as well as a few colleagues from the townâs police department. The rest were her neighbors and cousins.
Standing next to her, Luke said with a smile, âHappy birthday, Selina.â
Selina: âHuh?â She didnât react for one moment.
She then recalled the date and was enlightened. âMy birthday? D*mn, I completely forgot about it.â Everybody laughed. As Luke raised his hand, they said at the same time, âHappy birthday!â
Looking at everything around her, Selina suddenly hugged Luke and kissed him on the cheek. âThank you.â
Everybody cheered again.
Seeing that, Catherine couldnât help but murmur to Robert, âIs there really something going on between the two of them?â.
Robert: âHuh?â Didnât you tell me not to overthink it last night?
Of course, nobody attached a deeper meaning to Selinaâs action.
Here, it wasnât strange for a man to kiss another man when he was excited, although it remained to be seen whether he would be beaten up for it.
It was quite a lively barbecue. Besides family and colleagues, many neighbors whom they were close to also came.
The ten or so kids who were free for the weekend had a good time outside.
But Selina shone the brightest tonight.
Both she and her white dress were exceptionally captivating.
When it got late, everybody said goodbye one after another and left.
Luke then pulled Selina into the house and gave her a small box. âThis is your birthday gift.â
Selina was delighted. âAnother one?â She thought that her dress was Lukeâs gift to her.
Luke was amused. âClothes will go out of style, but this thing Iâm giving you never will.â
Selina eagerly opened the box, only to be astounded by what she saw. âWhat the hell?â
There was a small and cute golden pig lying quietly inside the jewelry box.
âA golden pig lasts forever,â Luke said with a smile. âOkay, sweet dreams tonight.â
With that, he slipped off before a particular glutton came back to her senses.
A moment later, Selina gnashed her teeth. âYou jerk, are you mocking the fact that I can eat so much?â
Grabbing that exquisite and adorable golden pig, she squeezed it. âHuh, itâs quite nice to touch.â
Staring at the golden pig for a moment, she heaved a sigh. âFine. I have to admit that youâre quite cute. Much cuter than that guy.â