Chapter 56

Elsie shot him a look and muttered, "You're nuts." "Yep, confirmed again at 12:10 on New Year’s Day—totally crazy," William said with a mock-serious nod. "All thanks to you. If you ditch me now, you're officially a heartless jerk." "..." Oh great, now he's playing the moral guilt card too? William casually reached over, unwrapped the silk ribbon around the cake with unhurried movements, lit the candles, and stuck them on top. He picked it up, looked up slowly, the flickering candlelight dancing in his dark eyes. "Happy 26th, Miss Elsie. You didn’t get a chance to make a wish earlier—now’s your shot." There was something so soft in his gaze. And even though Elsie had built up walls inside, the warm glow of that candlelight still managed to sneak through and shine straight into her heart. Her eyes fell on the cake. It was stunning—elegant, almost too perfect to eat. Like a piece of art. "You know the rule—one extra cake, one extra wish," William smiled gently, the candlelight making his