Chapter 86

Days passed by quickly, and before they knew it, Christmas had arrived. Since it was an important holiday, the festive atmosphere was strong on the streets. Stella had made plans to go shopping with Kate and Layla, but Natalie didn't come because she had something else to do. After an afternoon of shopping, the three of them found a dessert shop in a mall to take a break. When the desserts arrived, Kate was scooping ice cream from her bowl as she began talking about the last banquet. "You can't control the guests' gossip. Although Avery isn't with Aiden, Jonathan has already given his approval, so the wedding is probably off," Kate said. What happened at the birthday banquet was no longer a secret in the elite circles. Kate knew Avery well and certainly wouldn't naively believe that Avery had anything to do with Aiden, but she couldn't stop the rumors from spreading. As for who had framed Avery, she had a good idea. After everything that had happened, Avery had finally forced her brother to give up on her completely. Now, Avery had nothing left. Others might not understand Avery's mindset, but Kate, having known her since childhood, knew very well why Avery had done what she did. Before Stella returned to the Carlson family, Avery was the only princess of the Carlson family. Given the relationship between the Malone and Carlson families, it would have been a matter of course for her to marry Aaron. Avery had never expected that Stella would one day return to the Carlson family. One by one, she lost the things she once had, and the envious gazes from others gradually shifted to someone else. Kate knew very well that Avery, who had competed with her for Aaron's attention since they were young, couldn't let go of her vanity. Desperately trying to regain what she had lost, she ended up where she was now. Kate thought things had already settled, but even though the engagement was called off, Aaron was still unhappy. He left early and returned late every day, occasionally asking about Stella's recent situation, which troubled Kate. Hearing Kate's words, Layla rested her chin on her hand and said, "Lionel has been arrested. If Avery could see the reality, she should sever all ties with the Fletcher family." Dean's mistress had already returned to the country with her illegitimate child; the Fletcher family was full of parasites. Avery's company had gone bankrupt, and if she didn't wake up, she would only suffer more. "Forget it, let's not talk about her. Let's chat about something happy. Isn't your birthday coming up? What do you want?" Kate asked with a smile as she looked at Layla. "What I want now is a man," Layla sighed, thinking of Luke, who was still angry with her for her 'player' behavior. That was something Kate couldn't fulfill. Kate turned to Stella for help, only to find her staring quietly at the dessert in front of her, lost in thought. "What's wrong?" Kate asked. Stella snapped back to reality and smiled. "It's nothing. I just suddenly remembered that Layla and Ethan's birthdays are only a day apart." Not only that, but in their second year of high school, Ethan had once thrown a fit over a birthday gift. It was right after the Christmas, and when they returned to school, everyone was still in a relaxed holiday mood, making the evening self-study sessions feel less intense. Since Layla's birthday was over the weekend, Stella had prepared a gift early on. It was a CD signed by Layla's favorite singer. The singer was an artist under Luminary Entertainment, and Kate had gotten the autograph. Stella had bought a beautiful gift box and wrapping paper and was busy wrapping the gift after the first evening self-study session. It was then that Jason entered the classroom and approached Ethan, who was leaning by the window. "Want to play basketball this weekend?" Jason asked. Ethan, leaning there with only one earphone in, casually lifted his gaze and gave a perfunctory reply, "No." Jason wasn't annoyed. He pouted and continued, "Oh, I almost forgot. It's your birthday this weekend. Will your father be back to have dinner with you?" The young man's expression flickered slightly. He glanced at Stella, who was focused on wrapping the gift, and nodded nonchalantly. "Maybe." Birthdays didn't matter much to Ethan. If Jason hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten about it. "What do you want for your birthday this time? How about a Messi jersey?" Jason asked with a smile, throwing an arm around his shoulder. Ethan silently curled his lips, his gaze drifting sideways as he looked down and twirled the earphones around his long fingers. He replied lazily, "I prefer practical gifts. Like, occasionally listening to some music." As he finished speaking, a notebook fell from his desk to the floor near Stella's feet, who was still busy wrapping her gift. She turned her head in confusion. Ethan slowly withdrew his gaze, casually picking up the notebook, as if he had accidentally knocked it off the desk. Then, Friday arrived. After school, Ethan stopped Stella, who had just packed her bag and was about to leave. "Ethan, what do you want now?" Stella wasn't clueless; she had noticed him staring at her all day. She still hadn't finished the practice test she was working on during evening study, and now being stopped, she frowned and looked up, her tone a bit impatient. Ethan's expression faltered slightly as his eyes swept over her empty desk space. He then pressed his lips into a straight line and then asked, "Where's the thing from your desk?" Stella looked puzzled. "What?" "The gift box," he said, deliberately looking away. "Oh, I gave it to Layla." Ethan frowned. "You gave it to her?" "Yeah, it's her birthday today." Ethan didn't say a word. After that, he didn't speak to her for about half a week. Later, when their relationship improved the following year, he made her give him two birthday presents. Thinking back now, that Ethan was really serious yet adorable.