NovelFinishChapter 759 The mood in the room shifted instantly after Citrine finished speaking. The guests who'd been hostile a moment ago suddenly changed their tune.
Mrs. Black's face was ashen with anger. She shot a furious look at her youngest son, who had just stopped crying, and scolded him sharply. "This is what happens when you don't listen! You ruined your brother's birthday party." But that wasn't enough to vent her frustration. She stormed over and slapped the chubby boy several times. He let out a wail. "Mom, how could you hit me? I hate you!" With that, he turned and ran out of the room.
For a brief moment, a flicker of regret crossed Mrs. Black's eyes as she watched her son disappear. But when she turned back to face Curry Black, her expression hardened, her eyes colder than ever.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe snapped at him, "Are you happy now?" Curry's face went pale. He looked at his mother, opened his mouth, and said with pain in his voice, "Sometimes I really wonder if I'm actually your son." Mrs. Black let out a cold, humorless laugh. "Frankly, I wish you weren't. Both of you are my children, but when I was pregnant with you, nothing ever went right. When I was expecting your brother, that's when our family finally prospered. Face it, Curry-you've always been nothing but bad luck." The words "bad luck" seemed to strike Curry like a blow. His eyes darkened, and he clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. He tried to speak, but no words cout.
That's when Citrine stepped in, her voice bright and easy. She smiled at Curry. "Hey, it's your birthday. Let's cut the cake." Wade Saunders chimed in, grinning. "Yeah, con! I've been waiting all day for this." Their voices seemed to thaw the ice in Curry's heart, if only a little. He managed a grateful smile and reached for the knife.
Citrine and Wade exchanged glances, each waiting for the other to make the first cut. The moment hung in the air-until it was shattered by a booming announcement from the hall: "Mr. Griffin has arrived!" From across the room, Bartley Black could be seen hustling toward a young man with an air of deference, practically bowing as he greeted him. Bartley ushered the newcomer inside, his voice raised for the entire room to hear.
"Mr. Griffin, it's a true honor to have you here for my son's birthday. When I sent the invitation, I never dreamed you'd be able to make it, considering your busy schedule. I can't thank you enough-it really means a lot to us." He was practically shouting, as if worried someone might miss the point.
Mrs. Black, quick to switch gears, hurried over to Bartley's side, her face split by a fawning grin.
"Mr. Griffin, if only we'd known you'd be joining us, we would have waited for you to start. Of all our guests today, you're by far the most distinguished." She glanced at Citrine with a sly, mocking smile.
Watching Bartley and Mrs. Black falling over themselves to impress the guest, Wade almost burst out laughing. "Jonah Griffin? He must be here just to stir up trouble." He muttered to Curry, "After losing toin the last match, he still has the nerve to show his face here." Wade leaned closer, lowering his voice. "I always knew your folks played favorites, but this is the first tI've really seen how far they'll go." "Man, you've got it rough at home." Curry gave a small, bitter laugh. "The Griffin family has a lot of weight in Crestwood and more importantly they're second-in-command in the Shadow Syndicate. My parents have been trying to get in with the Syndicate for years. Today, they're just using my birthday as an excuse to cozy up to the Griffins. You can bet they'll cling to any chance they get-especially since Jonah's the apple of the Griffin family's eye." He smiled wryly. He'd seen through his parents' schemes a long tago. This party wasn't his idea-they'd forced him into it.
Wade snorted. "Your parents sure are ambitious."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmCurry's smile turned sour. "You have Lonto no idea. They even tried to latch onto Citrine to get To get into BloodRafn, But after seeing how untouchable she is, they've put all their hopes on the Griffins." Wade rolled his eyes. "Hah. As if my sister would ever give your parents the tof day."
Meanwhile, Citrine watched the Blacks fawn over Jonah Griffin from a distance, her expressionupreadable. Bartley and Mrs. Black couldn't stop grinning and bowing, while Jonah ignored them completely. He gave a subtle nod to his bodyguard, who handed Bartley a small box.
"My father askedto bring this," Jonah said indifferently, already scanning the room.
Bartley and Mrs. Black looked at each other in confusion. "Is there someone you're looking for?" they asked.
Jonah ignored them, his eyes still searching. "Where's that idiot Wade?" he muttered. He'd chere for one reason to challenge Wade to a rematch.
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