Chapter 539 - 535: Made it Official?

After leaving Randall Jennings’s home, Jasmine Sterling immediately sent a message to Megan Nash.

"Mr. Jennings slept for a long time. He just woke up and his fever’s gone down. He should be fine, so don’t worry."

Her phone only rang when she got home. She thought it was a reply from Megan Nash, but when she picked it up, she saw it was a message from Randall Jennings asking if she’d gotten home safely.

Jasmine Sterling replied, "Just got home. You should get some rest," then opened her chat with Megan Nash. There was no response.

’It’s probably just a bit late,’ Jasmine thought, so she didn’t worry about it and went straight upstairs to wash up and go to bed.

*

「Mid-month, one evening.」

At a high-end, private Sichuan restaurant.

Seraphina stood at the entrance, sizing up the restaurant’s facade. A moment later, an enthusiastic staff member came out to greet her.

"Hello, are you here for dinner?"

Seraphina nodded hesitantly. She checked the message Owen Griffin had sent her to confirm before saying, "The ’Fiery World’ private room?"

The staff member nodded with a smile. "Of course. Please follow me."

As soon as she entered the restaurant, a tantalizing aroma wafted through the air. Seraphina loved spicy food, and the scent instantly made her stomach growl.

A waiter led her to the second floor. The hallway was lined with the restaurant’s awards, along with photos of the owner posing with numerous celebrities. ’This place must be expensive,’ Seraphina thought.

"Here we are."

The waiter stopped at the door to the private room. Without knocking or showing her in, he simply spoke and then left Seraphina standing there alone.

Seraphina double-checked the nameplate on the door. Once she was sure it was correct, she pushed it open and stepped inside.

But the next second...

POP!

POP!

POP!

Several party poppers went off on both sides of the door, showering her in a sky of falling streamers and confetti.

Seraphina jumped in surprise. She saw Owen Griffin standing before her, holding a huge bouquet of roses. And besides him, to her shock, were her three roommates.

Her roommates screamed and cheered, shouting in unison, "Seraphina, happy birthday!"

Owen Griffin was dressed especially formally today in a suit and tie. His hair was meticulously styled, masking his usual roguish air and making him look particularly dapper.

His eyes were fixed on Seraphina as he slowly approached with the flowers. "Happy birthday, Seraphina!"

Seraphina covered her mouth in shock. Her eyes showed she was completely stunned, and she only snapped back to her senses when the dazzling bouquet of red roses was right in front of her.

Surprise and emotion welled up in her eyes. She looked at Owen Griffin. "You..."

Then she turned to her roommates, who were even more excited than she was. "You guys..."

"Seraphina, this is a surprise from Owen!" one of her roommates exclaimed, grabbing Seraphina’s arm and heaping praise on Owen. "He contacted us secretly because he wanted all of us to celebrate your first birthday in college—and your twentieth birthday—together!"

The other two roommates nodded in agreement, adding that Owen was incredibly thoughtful.

Women are often sentimental, and while Seraphina was usually quite rational, she was easily moved by such a carefully planned and wonderful surprise.

What surprised her most was that Owen Griffin even knew her birthday was this month.

She looked at Owen and asked, "How did you know my birthday?"

Owen Griffin smiled. "If you care enough to find out, it’s not that hard, is it? I figured you’d be celebrating with family and friends on your actual birthday, so I planned this for you in advance. I hope you like it."

After he’d gone to such lengths, Seraphina wasn’t about to spoil the mood.

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you for doing all of this for me."

At her words, her roommates started whooping and teasing them. Owen seized the moment and offered her the red roses. "Happy birthday."

Seraphina looked at the bouquet. She knew what red roses symbolized, but this time, all her hesitation vanished. She accepted them with a smile. "Thank you."

"Let’s take a picture! Otherwise, all of Owen’s amazing decorations will go to waste," one of the roommates suggested.

Only then did Seraphina notice that the entire room was filled with balloons and fresh flowers, making it look especially dreamy and beautiful.

A waiter came in to help take the photo. The roommates pushed Owen and Seraphina into the center. Seraphina held the bouquet of roses, and Owen, standing beside her in his suit, naturally raised a hand to rest on her shoulder.

This time, Seraphina didn’t resist. She looked at the camera and broke into a genuine, sweet smile.

That night, Ethan was still in his dorm room studying when his phone suddenly buzzed with several messages in a row. He picked it up, his face impassive, and saw they were from Renee Reid.

"Ethan, look!"

"It’s a group photo from Seraphina’s birthday."

"What’s going on? How is Owen Griffin the one celebrating her birthday? Wasn’t this your plan?"

"It’s already all over our department. Go check Seraphina’s feed and see if she posted it herself."

"If she posted it, it means they’re official!"

Ethan froze as he stared at the photo. It took him a long moment to snap out of it. He scrambled to open Seraphina’s feed, and there it was—the latest post was that exact group photo, with the caption: "Happy twentieth birthday. Thank you."

She looked so radiant and beautiful in the photo, but to Ethan, the sight was just painful. Owen’s hand on her shoulder was a painful sight. The bouquet of red roses in her hands was even more so.

"Ethan?"

Wayne leaned over. "What are you staring at?"

Ethan didn’t react.

Wayne got up and came right over. The next second, he exploded, "Holy shit! What the hell is this? That motherfucker..."

He cut himself off mid-sentence when he realized Ethan seemed completely numb and wasn’t responding at all.

"Ethan?" Wayne asked, a little worried. Across the room, Rabbit took off his headphones and turned around, his eyes asking what was wrong.

Wayne shook his head and made a face. Rabbit immediately went AFK and came over to see.

"Huh?" Rabbit’s brow furrowed. "What’s all this?"

Ethan finally snapped out of it, quickly turning off his phone screen. He shook his head slightly. "It’s nothing."

Wayne and Rabbit exchanged a glance before both looking back at Ethan. "Seriously? You’re not even going to ask her?" Wayne demanded. "Did she really get together with that asshole?"

Rabbit added with a frown, "A birthday, a surprise, a confession... Wasn’t that your plan? How could someone beat you to the punch? And steal your whole idea?"

Their conversation caught Victor Tucker’s attention. He also walked over, feigning concern. "What’s wrong?"

"Seraphina got together with that guy, Owen Griffin. Fuck," Wayne couldn’t stop himself from swearing.

Victor feigned shock and offered Ethan a few words of consolation.

But Ethan didn’t hear a word of it. His mind was in a turmoil, and his heart suddenly felt hollow.

But he wasn’t the type to be radical or impulsive. He wouldn’t confront Seraphina and demand to know why. Whatever the reason, it was her choice. He had no standing, and even less of a right, to question it.

’He’d never once felt that Seraphina *had* to be with him. From the very beginning, he was just another suitor, same as Owen Griffin.’