Chapter 422 For Me
Daniel was a real pain in the ass.
But when he brought up Brad, I felt a jolt of excitement. I tossed the doll I was holding and asked eagerly, "What did Brad ask you to do?"
Daniel shot me a disdainful look and plopped down on the small sofa. "Brad got back yesterday at noon. Jenny sent a couple of guys to tail him so you two wouldn't meet. Brad tried to get them drunk at dinner, but those guys could really hold their liquor. They drank all of my dad's good wine and still wanted more. In the end, my dad had to slip some sleeping pills into their drinks so Brad could finally sneak out to see you."
I had already figured Brad must've gone through a lot to meet me. "So?"
"So," Daniel suddenly raised his voice, making me jump, "he asked me to check on you, see if you were crying, and to tell you he'll find another chance to see you. He wants you to be good."
After saying that, Daniel muttered annoyingly, "Be good, like he's talking to a kid. Gross."
I was about to snap back, but my leg moved faster than my mouth. I kicked him right in the calf, making Daniel yelp in pain. "Is this how you treat your savior?"
Daniel brought up the savior thing again. Did he know how much I hated those words right now? I went for another kick, but this time Daniel was ready, and I missed.
After that failed meeting, there was no word from Brad, not a peep. The News Feed was eerily silent.
My heart, which had finally calmed down, started to get anxious again. I checked my phone countless times a day, scrolling through the entire News Feed, but there was still no news about Brad.
For the first time in years, I willingly called Daniel to get news about Brad.
On the other end, Daniel's voice was lazy, "Looks like you have my number. Why didn't you ever call me? Do you hate me that much?"
Fuck, didn't he know if I hated him or not?
I was about to hang up the phone.
I had to admit that Daniel knew me well. He knew that after saying something like that, I would definitely hang up, so he quickly shouted for me not to be impulsive and mentioned he had news about Brad.
I bit my lip and held back for Brad's sake.
"Maybe Brad's visit to you was discovered. Jenny heavily punished the two people who followed him back. Brad felt guilty for getting innocent people in trouble and wanted to make it up to them. He promised Jenny to paint a picture for Mrs. Taylor as a birthday gift in exchange for those two people. He's been busy with that and hasn't had time for anything else."
So that was what happened.
It was because of me again!
Brad went through so much trouble to meet me, and I wasted it. Just thinking about it made me angry at myself.
"I understand. Thanks, Daniel." I sincerely thanked him.
"We're all family. Don't beat yourself up too much; Brad would be upset. By the way, your birthday is coming up. Any plans?"
I glanced at my phone. The day after tomorrow was my birthday.
Brad had been with me for my birthdays these past few years. This year, without him by my side, it didn't matter whether I celebrated or not.
No matter how great the birthday was, it couldn't compare to having Brad with me.
"I've got some work to finish up. Birthday or not, it doesn't matter. Not celebrating is fine," I said.
"Come on. Rachel's coming over the day after tomorrow. You should come out too. Let's have a meal together and celebrate. Rachel even got you a gift," Daniel urged.
Having Rachel around would be fun, but I just wasn't in the mood. I said indifferently, "We'll see. I really don't have time."
Daniel tried to persuade me for a while. In the end, he changed the plan to have both families celebrate together, but I still didn't agree. He finally said, "I'll come to pick you, Ronan, and Helen up the morning after tomorrow. That's it, bye."
And he really hung up.
I tossed the phone aside, feeling super irritated. I had zero interest in celebrating my birthday.
Ronan heard the commotion and came over to pat my shoulder. "It's your birthday; you decide. If you don't want to go out, we'll stay home. I'll tell Daniel when he calls. Why the long face? Let your mom make some of your favorite dishes, and we'll celebrate ourselves."
I sat on the armrest of the sofa, towering over Ronan. His half-white hair caught my eye, and my heart ached.
A parent's love for their child was the purest in the world.
Guilt washed over me. Ronan and Helen had spent most of their lives for me, and I hadn't made them happy since growing up. Instead, I made them worry because of my own issues.
"Dad, I've learned to cook a few dishes. On my birthday, I'll cook for you so you can enjoy my cooking."
Ronan nodded appreciatively, saying I was the best, knowing how to care for my parents.
Then Ronan pushed me back onto the sofa, telling me to relax and that dinner would be ready soon. He said girls should be pampered, and as long as they were around, I didn't have to do anything.
Although I had planned out the recipes, I didn't get a chance to show off my cooking skills.
The next day, Elliot called me, excitedly saying he had a new idea for the paint formula and was almost ready, just missing a rare mineral. He was eager to gather all the materials and start the experiment, so he wanted to go out and find the mineral and let me know his whereabouts.
This was the first good news of the year, and I was thrilled.
"Elliot, where is the mineral found?" I asked.
"Not too far, Silverbrook City. Have you heard of it?"
Silverbrook City!
I was so excited that my hand holding the phone trembled slightly.
For me, this was a rare and legitimate opportunity to get close to Brad. Besides, the lab was founded by Elliot and me, and we had agreed from the start that the results belonged to both of us, so there was no reason for him to do it alone.
"Elliot, I have some free time. I'll go with you."
I couldn't be with Brad for now, but going to the city where he was would be good. At least I'd be close to him.
Elliot didn't encourage or refuse my request. He just told me I could go, but I couldn't give up halfway because finding the mineral might not be as easy as I imagined. It could require long-term work in the mountains and be very tough.
No problem, I could handle this kind of hardship.
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