Chapter 250 Happy Birthday
Charles's voice was hoarse, and he was extremely downcast. "What day is it?"
"What's wrong with you?" Rex noticed something was off. "Are you sick?"
"No," Charles replied simply.
Rex still felt something was wrong. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine." Charles's edges seemed to have been smoothed out, his voice calm but weak. "Just tell me what's up."
"Today is your birthday," Rex blurted out, with a hint of seriousness in her tone. "Congratulations, you've made it to twenty-eight, one step closer to thirty."
Charles was taken aback.
Daphne, who overheard, also paused, her eyes showing a complex emotion.
Was today already the 14th of this month?
"I knew you'd be too busy to remember your birthday," Rex continued, "For the past two years, Daphne was with you, so I didn't worry, but now that you two are divorced, I thought I should take care of it."
This sentence hurt Charles badly.
It made his already aching heart go numb.
Rex asked, "Are you still at the office?"
Charles replied, "Yes."
Rex said, "Come back soon; Mom and Dad are here; we're right outside your door, and we've got a cake for you."
The emotions Charles had managed to suppress surged up again.
His throat felt like it was stuck.
He just suppressed his emotions and replied in a muffled voice, "Okay."
After speaking, he hung up, put his phone on silent, and sent Rex the door code via Facebook Messenger. The code was his and Daphne's wedding date.
He composed himself before looking over at Daphne.
The moment he saw Daphne's eyes, all his emotions sprouted and grew, taking over his entire heart with unstoppable force.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to her, but found that anything he said at this moment felt powerless.
If it weren't for his strong self-control desperately suppressing it, his vision would probably blur once again.
"Happy birthday." Daphne, stung by his expression, said with a complex emotion.
Charles's clouded heart felt a ray of sunshine from her words. He looked at her deeply, as if trying to etch her features into his heart.
After a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Thank you."
They looked into each other's eyes.
In their eyes, there was only each other, and everything around them seemed irrelevant.
After a while, Charles got out of the car.
As the sound of the car door closing reached their ears, their world was separated at that moment.
Daphne drove forward.
As the car left the parking lot, she rolled down the window, and the cold air from outside brought her heart back to normal.
So this was what it felt like to receive an apology from someone who was once the closest to you.
After the time she cared about the most had passed, his apology didn't seem that important anymore. Everyone should move forward; as for the past, she let it go.
She completely let go at this moment.
However, while she let go, Charles couldn't.
He sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, his mind filled with everything that had just happened.
Daphne's forgiveness, Daphne's happy birthday.
The look in her eyes showed she had completely moved away from him.
Mark didn't know what had happened; he only knew that Charles was in a very bad mood now. He didn't joke with him as usual, nor did he say anything that would make him feel uncomfortable.
This lasted for about half an hour before his phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID: Mr. Rex Lancelot.
He answered, "Mr. Rex Lancelot."
"Is my brother still at work?" Rex asked.
Mark glanced at Charles in the back seat and replied in his usual tone, "There was a sudden issue here, an urgent matter that needs to be handled. He might need another hour before he can leave."
"Alright," Rex said. "Tell him to hurry up; we're waiting for him."
Mark said, "Okay."
Rex said, "By the way."
Mark asked, "What?"
"Is something wrong with my brother?" Rex asked again. Although he usually liked to tease Charles, he was still his brother. "When I called him just now, his voice sounded a bit off."
"He must be really tired today." Mark lied to Charles. "He's been busy since morning and hasn't had a bite to eat."
"Then I won't disturb you guys. Tell him to finish up quickly and come back," Rex said.
He knew Mark well enough to know that he took good care of Charles's daily life.
He knew something must have happened today to make them so busy.
After hanging up, Mark put his phone on silent, looked at the heartbroken Charles, and said, "Sir, you can only stay for another hour at most."
"Just drive," Charles said hoarsely.
If it were just Rex, he could be willful, but since their parents were there, he couldn't let them wait too long.
Mark pursed his lips and started the car with a heavy heart.
At this moment, he began to blame himself.
Why didn't he insist a bit more and have a good talk with Charles?
Charles clearly didn't like Kayla, yet he divorced Daphne for her. Wasn't that foolish?
He was really stupid!
With these emotions, he drove to the community parking lot.
When Charles got out of the car, Mark handed him something and called out, "Sir."
Charles stopped.
He was still in his suit, looking handsome,but because of his mood, he no longer had the previous indifference and coldness but more sorrow and loneliness.
"Happy birthday." Mark handed the item forward. "May all your wishes come true."
Charles took the box and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you."
"Go on up," Mark said with a smile, hoping to share some of his happiness with him, "Mr. Rex Lancelot and the others are waiting for you to cut the cake."
Charles said, "Come up with me."
Mark said, "No need."
Charles insisted. "Come on."
Charles's eyes were deep and complex.
In the past two years, Daphne and Mark have always planned birthday surprises for him without his knowledge.
This time, Daphne wasn't there, but Mark should be.
After some hesitation, Mark agreed, "Alright."
He thought simple.
Charles's current state wasn't great. If he forced a smile, it would be easy for others to notice. If he went up, he could help ease the atmosphere.
However, he really underestimated Charles's ability to handle emotions. From childhood to adulthood, except for matters of the heart, he never worried his family.
When they reached the door, Charles had already composed himself.
He hid all his thoughts in his heart. He looked like someone who had just come home from work with nothing else happening.
Seeing this, Mark felt complicated.
So Charles was just like them, hiding his bad emotions in front of his parents to avoid worrying them. This was what growing up meant.
Charles looked at the door, paused for a moment, then raised his hand to open it and walked in as he did every day.
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