The lights were off in the bedroom. Isabelle pushed open the bedroom door and went to reach for the light switch on the wall. Before she even pressed the switch, there was already light in the room. She furrowed her brows and was about to walk in when she stopped, dazed, in her tracks...

There were two rows of candles at her feet with about a meter-wide pathway in between the rows. The candles wound around the bed and sofa and out towards the balcony, where the light was even brighter.

With the light from the candles, Isabelle saw that the walls were covered in light pink and purple balloons. On the wall directly facing the television, the two words "Happy Birthday" were spelled with the balloons..

The whole scene looked familiar. Isabelle stood there for a long time, before she strode over to the pathway formed by candles. She walked towards the balcony, and when she went around the sofa, she saw the entire balcony densely covered with candles. The orange glow from the candlelight radiated non-stop, accentuating the unlit red candle in the center, making it particularly eye-catching. It clearly spelled out the three words.

Isabelle, Happy Birthday.

This was clearly the surprise she had originally prepared on Alexander's birthday.

While Isabelle was in a deep trance, and before she could even register what was happening, the familiar sounds of footsteps came from behind her.

She instinctively turned her head and saw Alexander, who still wore the formal suit from the conference, holding a cake with lit candles in both hands. He calmly and elegantly strode towards her, as he emerged from the candlelight pathway.

The glow from the candles all over the floor brought about a romantic atmosphere. A layer of creamy yellow light highlighted the compelling handsomeness of Alexander's face. The reflection of light in his eyes made them particularly bright.

Isabelle's heart was transfixed by Alexander, who drew closer to her one step at a time. She thought it was all an illusion.

When Alexander was half a meter away from Isabelle, his feet stopped. He pushed the cake in both hands in front of her, and looked into her eyes with a rare seriousness and concentration. He said with magnetism in his voice, "Because there wasn't enough time, I wasn't able to personally bake you a cake like you did, so I had to ask my assistant to order a cake from Black Swan."

Isabelle, who had just walked into this scene, was already full of suspicion as to whether Alexander knew about the preparations she had made on his birthday, but now, hearing it from his mouth, she was absolutely sure of it. She stared at it, and asked with a slight tremble in her voice, "You... know?"

Alexander knew what Isabelle was asking about. He blinked lightly, and gazed into her eyes. Keeping his cool, he first gave a slight nod before saying, "Yeah, I know."

Isabelle moved her lips, wanting to ask him how he knew, but before she could ask, he spoke again. He told her everything he wanted to tell her when he came back to York Garden on the day after his birthday, and found out that he'd missed the surprise she'd prepared him. "I'm so sorry. That night, because of my own reasons, I was in a bad mood and hurt you. I'm also sorry that I missed out on your surprise for me.

"I want to say sorry for that night." Alexander paused for a moment, and then added, "And I want to say thank you for that night."

With only the glowing candlelight lighting the room, Isabelle stared at the charmingly handsome and noble man who left people breathless.

The bottom of her eyes welled up.

The wetness at the bottom of Isabelle's eyes grew heavy. In the end, her vision became foggy, and the tears hung in the corner of her eyes, about to give way.

Isabelle couldn't quite see, but through the blurriness she made out that there were many candles. She tried her best to curve the corner of her lips to say "Thank you", but just as her lips moved, tears uncontrollably flowed down her face.

Alexander held the cake with one hand, and with his empty hand, he reached out to wipe her tears. Then he said as though to lightly remind her, "Okay, make a wish."

Isabelle hurriedly nodded her head, and a few drops of tears fell. The corner of her lips curved up even more when she closed her eyes to make a wish. After she made a wish, she opened her eyes and a single tear fell. Taking in a deep breath, she blew out the candles, and gave Alexander a beaming smile with a face full of tears. She opened her mouth to speak, and said, slightly choked up, "Thank you..."

She wanted to say something, but the words didn't come out, and her tears fell even more intensely.

For all the years she'd loved him, she only cried in front of him once, and that was only a single tear. At the time, he glanced at her, then turned around and left. Ever since then, no matter how he treated her, even if she wanted to cry, she would hide away and secretly cry alone.

The night of his birthday had clearly happened so long ago. She didn't even cried this hard that night, when she felt so wronged, but now, she didn't know what was wrong with her; the tears just wouldn't stop.

Alexander looked at Isabelle, who was crying like a child, and his heart felt a little flustered. He put the cake aside, onto the coffee table. Even though he seemed calm and composed as he wiped her tears away, but his fingertips were trembling, which revealed his panic. In the end, his tone was tense when he said, "Don't cry..."

From the bottom of her heart, Isabelle also felt that her crying was a little bratty, but sometimes women can be weird like that. When they encounter something heartbreaking, they're meant to cry but they don't shed a tear. When they should laugh, they're a sobbing mess.

Isabelle tried her best to control her tears, but in the end, she just laughed. Then ended up suddenly hugging Alexander's waist with her head in his chest.

His body froze, until he felt her tears soak into his shirt. When he felt lines and lines of trickling of tears, he reached out to gently stroke her back. His strokes were a little stiff.

Isabelle gradually composed herself. Deep in Alexander's arms, she raised her head, and with a pair of red eyes from the crying, she gave him a beaming smile. "Sorry, my emotions are a little out of control..."

As she'd been crying, her eyes were particularly bright. When she smiled, there was a slight childish air about her tearful face.

She smiled again. "I didn't want to cry..."

Alexander watched her, mesmerized. He originally wanted to wipe her tears with his fingertips, but his hand held her face still instead. Isabelle didn't finish speaking. She suddenly stopped, opened her big bright eyes, and stared innocently and bewitchingly into his eyes.

The two of them held their gazes for a long time, their expressions transfixed. The atmosphere in the room surged with an air of romance.

Isabelle's intuition told her that the events that were about to follow had last happened the night of Alexander's birthday. Unconsciously, she bit her soft tongue in anxiety and anticipation.

Alexander's gaze turned tender and deep as he raised his hands to caress her face. Bending his head slightly, he covered her lips.

Alexander's actions were abrupt, only when Isabelle felt moisture and numbness on her lips did she realize what was happening. Her lashes quivered and her hands gripped onto his collar. When she shut her eyes, she felt his tongue enter her mouth, sending her mind ablaze.

The night was dark, the candles burning silently. The windows weren't closed, and the cool wind blew in, sending the balloons on the balcony flying and bringing in a breath of fresh air.

The world seemed to have stopped. Their frantic breaths, rapid heartbeats, and soft moans filled the air.

Gradually, the hand Isabelle had used to grip his collar turned limp with sweat.

As their kiss deepened, they became intoxicated by each other's body, trying desperately to tighten their bond.

Alexander placed a hand behind her head, deepening their kiss, and with the other, he started searching for the zip on her dress.

Isabelle's dress had a complicated zip. After searching desperately for a while, he still couldn't find it. He started to feel impatient, tugging her dress upwards in frustration. The suddenness caused Isabelle to stumble backwards, kicking over two candles.

The glass cup that held the candles shattered, sending a shrill noise through the air, startling their senses back into them. Alexander struggled to force himself away from her, his breathing rugged and breathless.

He almost forgot that her abortion was less than a month ago, her body was not going to be able to take it.

He took in several deep breaths, before lowering his head once again to kiss her lips one last time. Mustering up all the self control he possessed to suppress his inner flames, he said in a hoarse voice, "Do you want some cake?"

Just a second ago they had been kissing passionately, now he had asked her if she wanted cake? Isabelle wasn't able to process the abruptness of the situation; her brain was left in a daze. After a long while, she shook her head.

"Let me get Madam Mary to put it in the fridge, you can have some tomorrow." Alexander spoke in a low deep voice that was almost a moan. He shut his eyes for a while more before pushing Isabelle away, creating a safe distance between the two of them. He gazed at her before tidying her clothes and instructing her to take a bath.

Just a moment ago there had been a fiery situation and now it had been put to an abrupt stop; Alexander wasn't the only one feeling unsatisfied and frustrated. With low spirits and a heavy heart, Isabelle hesitated slightly but decided to hold on to her dignity. In the end, she was just not able to harass him to continue what he had started... Unwillingly, she turned and dragged herself to the bathroom.

Alexander waited till the bathroom doors were close before bringing the plate of cake downstairs. He passed the cake over to Madam Mary before heading out.

The night breeze blew comfortably against him. Instinctively, he touched his pockets for his box of cigarettes. He took a stick out and brought it to his mouth, but just when he was about to light it up, he remembered the words that Isabelle had said to him in the hospital: Smoking is bad for health, you should quit.

He paused for a while before removing the stick he held in his mouth. He stuffed it back into the cigarette box and hesitated once more. Walking over to the trash bin at the side, he threw in both the entire box of cigarettes and the lighter.

He was out for about ten minutes, and after calming his heart, he turned and re-entered the house.

The moment he pushed the bedroom door open, he heard the shower running. The sound started to frustrate him, stirring the flame within him that he had desperately tried to suppress. He walked to the changing room, grabbed a fresh set of clothes before walking to the next room to take a cold shower.

When he returned to the bedroom, Isabelle was standing by the vanity, preparing to blow dry her hair.

Her hair was starting to get long. Even if she had done hair treatments, it would still tangle when it was wet, so she was using her fingers to untangle them.

Alexander threw the towel that he held aside and walked over. He picked up a comb and combed her hair silently.

Isabelle froze slightly, turning to look at him through the mirror. She observed him for a while before lowering her lashes.

Alexander untangled her hair before blowing it with the hairdryer seriously.

The buzzing from the hairdryer continuously sounded in Isabelle's ears.

After making sure that her hair was dry, he didn't forget to comb it once again. Only then did he put the comb down and said, "It's done."

Isabelle looked at him through the mirror once again. With a trace of a smile, she started to apply her facial lotion.

Alexander remained silent, ruffling his hair as he blew it dry before lying on the bed.

After applying her facial products, Isabelle climbed onto the bed as well. Once she was properly tucked in, he stood up to off the lights.

The candles on the floor were still burning, sending a soft warm glow through the room.

They both lay in silence. It was already late, but Isabelle was wide awake, the image of the moment a while back flashing in her mind. Why didn't he touch her in the end?

She kept replaying the image in her mind, feeling frustrated, while Alexander, who had just taken a cold shower, was ruffled by her constant tosses and turns. When she finally turned once again, he could no longer keep it in any longer, grabbing her wrist, putting an end to her restlessness.

Isabelle had originally thought that he was about to continue from where they left off, but instead, he just held onto her wrist, without any signs of movement. Disappointment and sadness clouded her, and she flipped over once more.

"Can't sleep?" Alexander turned and looked into her face with the faint glow from the candle.

Isabelle glanced at Alexander wordlessly. Finally, he sighed in defeat and pulled her into his arms, preventing her from moving. "It's late, let's sleep."

Alexander's embrace miraculously calmed Isabelle's ruffled heart. Even though they were separated by a thin layer of clothes, she could still feel his warmth. The candles cast a faint warm glow on the room, and as she rested her head on his arm, she could hear the strong thud of his heart, giving off a sense of security.

In her mind, she couldn't help thinking of what had happened recently. Even if he still possessed the same nonchalant demeanor, his care for her was apparent. When they had gone to Resplendent for dinner, he had held onto her hand , carried her back home, and had even celebrated her birthday... He would never have done that in the past.

What caused the sudden change?

After thinking for a while, she suddenly came up with a wild conjecture... Did he fall in love with her after their time together?

She started feeling confused and anxious, opening her eyes to look at him.

He had his eyes shut, his expression calm as though he was on the verge of falling asleep.

There was a hint of indifference and loftiness etched on his face.

As she glanced at him, she couldn't help feeling an impulse. That impulse started to feel stronger and stronger, and when she could no longer keep it in she whispered his name. "Alexander?"

With his eyes shut, he replied with a murmur instinctively before opening his eyes.

The moment she caught his gaze, she started to feel anxious. She had wanted to ask if he liked her, but the question was stuck in her throat. When her brain started to clear, she remembered that he had once told her that no matter who he liked, it would never be her, so could she just be thinking too much?

When he realized that she wasn't going to react, he frowned, asking, "What's wrong?"

When Isabelle finally came back to her senses, she looked at him, her mind confused. She randomly found an excuse. "Are you tired?"

With the woman he loved in his arms, how would any normal man be able to fall asleep? In a clear voice, Alexander said, "No." He asked again, "What's wrong?"

"Hmm." After a moment of silence, she asked again, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Ask," Alexander replied instantly.

Isabelle started to feel her heart quicken. She gripped onto the the blanket before asking, "In what ways am I not good enough?" Her question threw Alexander off guard, leaving him speechless.

In his heart, she was the most perfect being in the world.

Isabelle started getting more nervous from his silence, hence she decided to explain herself, relieving the tension. "It's like this... James once told me that you have someone you like."