Evelyn looked at her husband, Graham, and saw something in his eyes she hadn't seen in years—resolve.
Her expression grew tense. She hesitated a long while before finally speaking:
"Don't do anything rash yet. Wait until we see Holly. I'm here—Dad won't dare touch you."
Graham didn't argue.He didn't have the energy anymore.
His decision was already made.
Edward Larson and the other elders had already booked their flights, so Evelyn and Graham booked seats on the same one.South Texas to Springridge was only a two-to-three-hour flight.
Back at the Villa
The Larson cousins were still kneeling in the corner, tied up.
They didn't dare cause trouble for now.Jason had calmly told their parents to fly over—meaning he clearly didn't fear them.
But they didn't plan to surrender either.
In their minds, once the Larson elders arrived, Jason would "pay the price."
Jason ignored them.
"Don't mind them," he said softly. "Let's continue the birthday celebration."
He squeezed Holly's hand.
"Mhm," Holly nodded, eyes sparkling.She knew the Larson elders were on their way, but strangely—she wasn't afraid anymore.
Jason was here.
Her father had her back too.
Why should she let anyone ruin her birthday?
Emily, Jasmine, Chloe, and the others glanced briefly at the tied-up cousins—then ignored them completely.
They couldn't help thinking:
Holly found the right man… the sense of security he gives is unreal.
Jason raised a hand toward the head housekeeper.
The housekeeper nodded and disappeared into the main kitchen.
A moment later—
Several pastry chefs emerged, slowly pushing out the birthday cake.
The second the girls saw it, they froze in place.
Then came the screams.
"Holy— is this the cake?!""Oh my GOD!""That's not a cake—that's a CASTLE.""This is literally the most beautiful cake I've ever seen.""Ughhh! I want my boyfriend to get me something like this too!""Don't make things difficult for him. A cake like this must be over $10,000.""Over ten? Girl, please. I've seen these online—I saw a black swan cake that cost 200,000.""This one is even more insane. This has to be around that price too!""Wha— two MILLION?! For a CAKE?!"
Everyone stared at Holly with glowing eyes, half envy, half awe.
Being with Jason wasn't just being protected.
It was being treated like an actual princess.
Holly stared at the enormous castle-shaped, three-to-four-meter-tall masterpiece—gold filigree, sugar-glass windows, edible gemstone accents, frosting towers—
Her eyes filled instantly.
Every trace of humiliation and sadness she felt earlier completely vanished.
All she felt was—
love. Gratitude. Belonging.
She hugged Jason's arm tightly, pressing her cheek to him as if she never wanted to let go.
Meanwhile, the tied-up Larson cousins watched from the corner.
"200,000? No way.""That's impossible. They're exaggerating.""I DID hear that Black Swan cake was really two million…And this cake does look… even more high-end…""But how?! Holly's dad's entire savings probably don't even add up to that much!"
They stared at the towering castle cake again—
and for the first time since arriving…
a flicker of fear crept up their spines.
"Look at how excited they are. Jason must've prepared that cake," one Larson cousin muttered."But isn't he just some pretty-boy Holly picked up?"
"Guess we misjudged him. He probably has some money. No wonder he acts so arrogant."
They were shaken—a 200,000 wasn't something a "kept man" could casually afford.
Even so, they stubbornly clung to their pride.
Our Larson family is more impressive anyway, they comforted themselves.
But then—
The nanny pushed another cart into the center of the room.
On it sat a small ornate table clock.
At first glance, it looked like a golden ornament.But as the lights dimmed and the "Happy Birthday" melody started…
it bloomed.
Hundreds of individually-shaped gold-foil petals unfolded, sparkling under the lighting.Every petal had its own unique curves, layers, and engravings, overlapping like a golden bouquet.
And then—
From the center of the flower,
a fairy rose into the air.
She twirled like a ballerina, graceful and delicate.
Her entire body shimmered with mixed metals: rose gold, white gold, yellow gold.Her wings glowed with painted enamel.Her dress was studded with multicolored gemstones.Her hair was sculpted from rose-cut diamonds.In her hand, she held a radiant sapphire the size of a grape.
The girls around the room went silent.
Then—
"Oh my GOD—this is the Van Cleef & Arpels Fée Ondine Automaton Clock!""A high jewelry masterpiece! I've only ever seen it in videos!""As dance majors, this is like… our DREAM art piece!""And Jason is… using it as a birthday candle?!""I've never seen this in person. This is insane."
Holly's arms tightened around Jason's.
Her eyes shone like stars—completely filled with adoration and love.
Meanwhile, the Larson cousins felt their stomachs drop.
A 200,000 cake.A Van Cleef & Arpels high-jewelry automaton clock worth several times more.
This wasn't "a bit of money."
This was terrifying wealth.
But it still wasn't over.
The nanny carried over another velvet box and opened it slowly.
Inside—
Twelve dazzling brooches lay arranged in perfect symmetry.Each one a unique dancer mid-pose, crafted from gemstones.
The room erupted.
"That's the Van Cleef & Arpels Twelve Ballerinas Collection!""The legendary set based on the Twelve Dancing Princesses!""People usually buy one brooch, at most. One piece costs tens of thousands or 100,000!""But the full set?! Who buys the entire set?!""That emerald ballerina alone is over 70,000!""The full set is worth at least two million!""I'm… I'm literally going to faint. I can't believe I'm seeing the full set in person!"
Holly couldn't hold back anymore.
Overwhelmed, moved, and overflowing with emotion—she threw her arms around Jason's neck and kissed him deeply.
Holly Larson: Favorability +1
Emily, Jasmine, Chloe, and the others didn't even blink at the kiss.If someone gave them $2+ million in birthday gifts, they'd marry him on the spot.Kissing was the bare minimum.
As for the tied-up Larson cousins?
Their scalps tingled.
Their pride shattered.
Their legs trembled.
A two-million cake.A multimillion automaton clock.A high-jewelry ballerina collection worth over twenty million.
All of it for one birthday.
Something was wrong.
Very, very wrong.
"Who… who the hell is Jason Carter?""What kind of monster spends this much on a birthday?""This is not normal wealth…""He… he can't be just some random boyfriend…"
For the first time—
they felt fear.
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