Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 156

Chapter 156

Chapter 156

Jessica’s POV

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The morning air in Suzhou was unusually clear, the kind of day that made the ancient city look like a freshly painted watercolor through the floor-to-ceiling windows of our penthouse.

Inside, however, the minimalist luxury of the living suite was a whirlwind of colorful streamers and silver balloons.

Meiling was perched precariously on a designer step stool, her tongue poked out in concentration as she tried to tape a “Happy Birthday” banner across the marble archway:

“Higher on the left, I called out, adjusting the stack of hand-painted party hats on the counter.

If I go any higher, Jess, I’m going to need a pilot’s license,” she teased, though she adjusted the string anyway.

We were setting up for Adrian’s birthday celebration.

Initially, I’d suggested waiting until the 25th of July so we could have one massive blowout alongside Aaron’s birthday, but Aaron wouldn’t hear of it.

The kid deserves his own spotlight, Jess, he’d told me with that em, fatherly set to his jaw. I’ve had enough birthdays. Let him have his day!

I’d sent out invitations to his new friends from the international school. As I straightened the tablecloth, a familiar pang of guilt pinched at my chest.

Adrian was barely into double digits and he’d already moved across oceans, changing schools three times now,

Most kids his age were worried about soccer practice or video games; my son had to worry about learning how to say “hello” in three different dialects just to fit in at recess.

But then I thought about how he’d come home yesterday, chattering away about a boy named Bo who liked the same robotics channel he did.

Adrian was resilient. He had this way of making friends that seemed effortless.

He didn’t just meet people; he left an imprint on them. I knew that in the long run, even if these friendships faded into distant childhood memories, the ability to walk into a room of sangers and find a brother-in-arms would be his greatest strength.

“The gifts are set.” Meiling announced, hopping down from the stool and dusting off her hands.

“The room looks like a toy store exploded in it. He’s going to lose his mind.”

“Thank you, Meiling. Truly, I couldn’t have pulled this off without you.”

“Don’t get mushy, Just make sure there’s an extra slice of that chocolate cake for me.”

The party unfolded in a sweep of movement and light. I moved through the clusters of guests, my heels clicking softly on the marble as I navigated the sea of children and their parents.

I stopped by a group of mothers standing near the refreshment spread. Most were expatriates or high-level professionals from the local tech district, and they looked as polished as the surroundings.

“Is the tea to your liking?” I asked, offering a warm smile to a woman named Lin, whose son was currently in a heated debate

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Chapter 156

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with Adrian over a comic book.

“It’s wonderful, Jessica,” Lin replied, her English near-perfect. “Al your home is breathtaking. My son hasn’t stopped talking about Adrian’s sketches since they met. He says Adrian is the best artist in the third grade.”

“That’s so kind of him,” I said, feeling a flush of motherly pride.Adrian was so nervous about the move, but seeing him with his friends like this… it makes everything feel right.”

I leaned down to a little girl named Mei who was tugging on my dress, her face dusted with chocolate frosting.

“And how are you enjoying the party, Mei? Did you get enough ke?”

She nodded vigorously, her pigtails bouncing.

“The chocolate one is the best in the whole world,” she declared solemnly.

“I’ll tell the baker he has a new fan,” I laughed, patting her shoulder before moving on.

I caught Aaron’s eye across the room. He was leaning against the window frame, silhouetted against the city skyline. He wasn’t talking much, but he didn’t need to.

He was watching Adrian with a look of such profound, unfiltered peace that I had to catch my breath.

In that moment, he wasn’t a billionaire or a man on the run; he was just a father witnessing his son’s happiness.

It was so raw and beautiful that I had to look away toward a stack of napkins, blink hard, and swallow the lump in my throat before I actually started crying.

As the afternoon wound down, the energy began to shift from high-pitched excitement to a sleepy, satisfied glow.

One by one, the classmates were gathered up.

I stood at the heavy entrance door, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with the parents as our security team coordinated the elevator runs.

“Thank you for coming,” I told a father as he led his exhausted-looking son away. “We’ll see you at the school gates on Monday.”

When the last guest finally departed, the penthouse fell into that specific, comfortable quiet that only follows a successful celebration.

The air still smelled of vanilla frosting and expensive floral arrangements, but the silence was absolute.

Meiling gave me a tired but triumphant thumbs-up, promised to check in tomorrow to help with any lingering details, and headed out.

That left the three of us. Aaron, Adrian, and me, surrounded by the glorious, colorful wreckage of a six-year-old’s dream.

Wrapping paper was strewn across the rugs, and the dining table was a graveyard of half-eaten cupcakes and crumpled napkins.

Adrian flopped onto the sofa, his hair messy and his cheeks flushed from hours of excitement. He looked completely drained.

“You’ve had enough sugar to last you the rest of the month, young man,” I said, eyeing the half-eaten cupcake in his hand with a playful sternness.

“For the month, Mom?” he asked, his eyes wide with tragic disbelief. He turned a hopeful gaze toward his father.

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10:39 Sat, Feb 21

Chapter 156

“Dad? A whole month?”

Aaron raised his hands in a gesture of total surrender, a small smile playing on his lips.

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