Chapter 401 I Don't Want You to Be So Tired
After ghosting the group chat for a bit, Benjamin finally gave a quick rundown of their brainstorming session. He wasn't really into the idea of a classic balloon-themed proposal.
He threw out a bunch of themes: starry sky, galaxy, sea of flowers, tech vibes, literature, you name it.
Once he had the list, he started sketching out a rough plan. He was grinding until almost 2 AM before he called it a night. First time he’d pulled an all-nighter since he retired.
Maybe his brain was too wired from all the planning, or maybe he was just stoked about popping the question to Daphne. Either way, he was tossing and turning for a good twenty minutes before he even got close to dozing off.
That was a first for him.
Just as he was about to grab his phone for more proposal inspo, he saw a message in the proposal planning group from Kevin.
Kevin: [Wed’s Daphne’s bday. Where we celebrating?]
Benjamin hit pause and sent a question mark.
Kevin was shook to see Benjamin still up this late.
Then came the bombshell: [U don't know Wed's Daph's bday?]
Benjamin: [I know.]
She was his girl; of course he knew.
He already had plans to take her out and give her the birthday gift he’d been sitting on for ages.
That gift? Daphne was gonna love it.
Benjamin: [You guys can hang during the day. I’ve got plans with her in the evening.]
Sam: [What plans?]
Emma chimed in with a smirk: [Evening plans, huh? Wonder what those could be?]
Kevin: [Got it.]
Dominic: [Got it too.]
Seeing more and more people jumping in, Benjamin raised an eyebrow. These guys were still up? Out of the seven in the group, five were burning the midnight oil.
Only Evan and Zoey had a somewhat normal sleep schedule.
Seeing their messages, Benjamin shot back: [Do you really get it?]
Everyone hit him back with a "got it," like they were all in on some inside joke.
Benjamin typed slowly: [You guys need a special training session to really get it?]
Even though it was just text, everyone could feel the heat.
One by one, they claimed they were super sleepy and logged off, but not before reminding Benjamin to handle Daphne’s birthday plans, and they’d just show up for the food.
What if their plans clashed with Benjamin’s?
Benjamin’s eyes flickered. From downtown to the spot where he had the gift, it was over an hour drive, maybe more with traffic.
Knowing Daphne, she’d want to spend her birthday with her friends too.
Thinking it over, he worried he couldn’t make both things work, but then he had a lightbulb moment.
With his mind at ease, he finally crashed.
Next day, Daphne was up early.
Benjamin woke up at his usual time out of habit, but he was feeling the lack of sleep, a bit dizzy.
During breakfast, Daphne noticed he looked off.
Thinking about what she’d mulled over before bed, she brought it up, "Benjamin, should we move somewhere else?"
"Why?" Benjamin asked.
"I’ve got a villa not far from the company. Let’s live there," Daphne suggested, laying out her plan. "We can hire a couple of housekeepers to handle cooking and cleaning."
Benjamin paused, his voice low and raspy from lack of sleep, "Is my cooking not good?"
"It's great," Daphne said, "but I don't want you to be so worn out."
Benjamin had a ton on his plate at HorizonTech Group, and when he got home, he still had to go through stuff from Reynolds Group. Plus, he was the one cooking.
She’d thought about easing his load, but he shot her down, saying he wanted to keep work and home separate.
As for cooking, he was so adamant about it that he even joked about doing something bad to her if she stepped into the kitchen again.
"Living together?" Benjamin asked.
"Yeah," Daphne said, all serious.
"Are you sure about shacking up?" Benjamin asked again.
Daphne nodded. It was just living together, not sharing a room. No biggie, especially since the villa was huge.
"Alright." This time, Benjamin didn’t push back.
If nothing went sideways, he also had a villa in the area Daphne mentioned.
It was the only villa spot in a prime location, with just twelve villas. They were more like mini-estates, with a killer environment, tons of greenery, wide lawns, and all sorts of leisure stuff, including a golf course.
"Really?" Daphne asked, a bit taken aback.
"Would I lie to you?" Benjamin started planning again, throwing in casually, "But..."
Daphne pressed, "But what?"
"You wouldn’t be planning anything sneaky, would you?" Benjamin asked.
Daphne thought she misheard.
Benjamin’s face was all serious, but he teased in a lazy voice, "Just to be clear, we’re only cohabiting. You can’t make a move on me."
When had she ever made a move on him?
"Even if you want to, you gotta hold back," Benjamin added.
Daphne shot back, "Benjamin, you're really good at turning things around."
"Haven’t you been plotting something against me?" Benjamin said in a slow, lazy tone, "Giving me a house, inviting me to your villa, it’s hard not to overthink."
Daphne went quiet.
Emma was right; Benjamin was a handful, and she couldn’t keep up.
"This should be my line to you," Daphne countered, "You’re the one with ulterior motives."
Benjamin and Evan had been putting on a show for so long, and she’d bought it.
"I’ve had ulterior motives for you for a long time," Benjamin said, his lips curling into a charming smile, his face mesmerizing as he added, "You just figured that out?"
Daphne froze, all her words stuck in her throat.
"What are you standing there for? If you don’t eat breakfast soon, it’ll get cold," Benjamin said, flicking her forehead.
Daphne pursed her lips and shot back, "Disillusioned."
"What?" Benjamin asked.
"Nothing." Daphne didn’t dare to spill the truth.
If she said he was way different from before, he might give her some special training task.
She couldn’t handle it, but Benjamin had a pretty good idea of what she meant.
He didn’t push her further and let her eat breakfast first.
After eating, they planned to pack and move, but Daphne suddenly wanted to visit Daisy.
She hadn’t seen Daisy since New Year’s, and the baby was due next month. It was a good time to drop by.
Benjamin agreed, planning to drive her, but Daphne insisted on driving herself.
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