NovelEnglishChapter 457 The Celestial Aerie was the only seven-star hotel in all of Northcrest City.
To celebrate Claire's birthday, the Tempest family had reserved the entire place- every glimmering suite, every chandelier-lit ballroom, all for her.
Today, Mrs. Tempest had taken it upon herself to dress Claire up for the occasion. The little girl wore a powder- pink, hand-tailored princess dress that billowed around her like spun sugar. With her fair skin and cherubic features, she looked every bit the porcelain doll.
The Tempests arrived together, a picture-perfect family of four, stepping into The Celestial Aerie's grand entrance.
Mr. Tempest crouched down to meet Claire at eye level and couldn't resist ruffling her soft hair.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Sweetheart, there are a lot of important guests outside waiting for me," he told her gently. "I won't be able to stay with you right now, but I promise I'll check in as soon as I can." All the city's movers and shakers had been invited tonight, and as the head of the family, Mr. Tempest was expected to greet them personally.
Claire, in her previous life, had never celebrated her own birthday she'd only ever watched from the sidelines as the Linwoods threw lavish parties for Vanessa. Still, she'd seen it all enough times to know exactly how these things worked.
She nodded obediently. "It's okay, Daddy. Go ahead." Her maturity tugged at Mr. Tempest's heartstrings, filling him with both pride and a bittersweet ache.
To outsiders, Mr. Tempest was always reserved and imposing. But in front of his sweet, delicate daughter, he melted.
He gave her a comically forlorn look. "Don't you even missa little, Claire? I can't bear to be away from my precious girl, not even for a minute!" He even pretended to wipe away a tear, putting on a show of mock heartbreak.
Claire couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Her father's affection could be a bit overwhelming at times.
She cupped his face in her small hands, exaggerating her childlike innocence as she tried to comfort her "crying" dad.
"Daddy, you're a grown-up now," she said solemnly. "You can't cry like a little kid, or you won't look handsanymore!" Mr. Tempest sniffed theatrically. "Then how about a great big hug to cheerup?" There was simply no winning with him. Ever since she'd joined the Tempests, her parents and brothert had showered her with endless requests for hugs and kisses-sometimes Claire wondered if, were she any bigger, they'd ask her for piggyback rides too.
She sighed quietly, but dutifully threw her arms around her father and gave him an extra kiss on the cheek for good measure.
"There, there, Daddy. Now go greet the guests, okay?" Bolstered by his daughter's affection, Mr. Tempest straightened up, suddenly restored, and handed Claire off to Mrs. Tempest.
Once he'd gone, Mrs. Tempest pointed to a pair of magnificent double doors. "When the party starts, walk you through those doors she explained. "Everyone will be waiting for you, and our darling Claire will be the star of the whole night." Those doors meant something very different to Claire than they did to anyone else.
In her past life, she'd dreamed countless times that the Linwoods would throw her a birthday party-take her by the hand, walk her through grand doors like these, and introduce her proudly as their daughter.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmBut every hope had cto nothing.
With the Linwoods, she'd never once felt loved or important. But here, with the Tempests; every ounce of affection she'd been denied before was given to her in abundance. The more she received, the more she pitied her former self.
If only, in that past life, she hadn't stayed behind at the orphanage for Vincent's sake. If she'd let herself be adopted by the Tempests, she would have known happineneat sooner, and wouldn't have fallen prey to the Linwoods' им schemes-wouldn't have ended up crippled, or forced to drink poison in despair.
Her own misery would've been bad enough, but she'd dragged Mandy down with her, turning her into a murderer.
But in this life, Mandy wouldn't witness her suffering. She was sure Mandy would grow up healthy and safe.
Claire made a silent vow: when she was older, if she ever got the chance, she would visit May and Mandy, and do whatever it took to make up for all she owed them in her past life.
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