**Chapter 106: Happy Birthday**

The next day was Eve's birthday.

In the afternoon, on Atlantic Street, high-rise apartment.

Luca arrived at Ed's house with a gift.

*Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~*

He rang the doorbell twice. A slender, elderly Black man opened the door. He was wearing a jacket and metal-framed glasses, giving him a scholarly appearance.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Dominic!"

This elderly man was Ed's father, Sam Dominic, a retired lawyer.

"Good afternoon, Luca. Please come in!"

"Thank you!"

Luca followed Old Sam into the house.

"Brother Luca!"

Little Eve stood up from the sofa. It was her birthday today, and she had her hair in two fluffy pigtails, wearing a white dress with red polka dots. Her big blue eyes blinked as she looked up and down at him, as if searching for something.

"Eve, is your dad home? I have some important work to discuss with him."

Luca asked seriously, with his hands behind his back.

"Brother Luca, did you only come to talk about work today?"

Eve wrinkled her brow like a little bug.

"Of course, why else?"

Luca asked, puzzled.

"Hmm~"

Little Eve pouted, and her tiny face, no bigger than a palm, was filled with disappointment.

"Haha, of course not! It's Eve's tenth birthday today. How could I forget?"

Luca couldn't bear to tease the little girl any longer and took out the gift he had prepared: a half-meter tall yellow kangaroo plush toy.

"Wow~! Thank you, Brother Luca!"

The little girl's eyes lit up as she jumped and hugged the plush toy. She even grabbed his arm and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Haha, thank you, Eve! But this is actually a birthday gift from Sister Miranda. Miranda couldn't make it back, so she asked me to bring this big kangaroo to Princess Eve. It's a special product from her hometown."

Luca smiled.

"Thank you, Sister Miranda!"

Eve smiled sweetly, then looked up with her sparkling eyes and asked, "Brother Luca, where's your birthday gift?"

"Find it yourself!"

Luca patted the plush toy with a smile.

"Is it inside?"

Eve quickly put the plush on the sofa and searched all over. Finally, she found a big pouch under the kangaroo's neck. With a gentle pull, five, six, seven, or eight gift boxes tumbled out.

"Wow, wow~!"

Eve was ecstatic. "Brother Luca, how come there are so many gifts?"

"Haha, this one's from Sister Kate."

Luca picked up a big gift box.

"Thank you, Sister Kate! When will Sister Kate come back? I miss her... and I miss Mom too."

Eve, holding her gift, lowered her head, her face showing unmistakable sadness.

Luca sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "Mom will come back once she finishes her work in Paris. Eve, guess who this gift is from?"

He picked up a red gift box and asked.

"Is it from you, Brother Luca?"

Eve looked at the gift box from all angles and even shook it, her curiosity growing.

"No, this one's from Aunt Gina. Aunt Gina says thank you for sending so many toys to Yaya. When Yaya gets them, she'll be so happy."

"I wish Yaya could come to New York too! When she does, I'll finally be a big sister!"

The little girl giggled.

"Yaya will definitely come."

Luca ruffled her hair, then pointed to the other gift boxes, naming them one by one.

"This one's from Sister Lima. This one's from Sister Britney. This one's from Sister Fanny. And—"

"Wow, wow~! Brother Luca, how do I have so many sisters?"

Luca thought for a moment. "Isn't it nice to have more sisters?"

"Of course! The more sisters, the more gifts! Haha~ I'm so happy!"

The little girl hugged all her gifts, laughing in delight. After a while, she blinked her shining eyes and asked, "Brother Luca, are all these sisters your girlfriends?"

"Of course not."

Luca tapped the tip of her nose. "They're all my friends, and your friends too, not girlfriends. My girlfriend is only Sister Lima."

"Really?"

The little girl tilted her head, thinking. "But... but the news says you're dating both Sister Lima and Sister Britney, and that you secretly went out with Sister Britney while Sister Lima wasn't home."

Luca's mouth twitched. "Entertainment news is mostly fake. They make stuff up to fool people. You can't believe it."

"Really?"

"Yes, yes."

Seeing that the little girl was still curious, he quickly tapped the pile of gifts. "Hurry up and open your presents! See if you like them!"

"Okay!"

Her excitement for opening presents overcame her curiosity. The little girl started unwrapping the gifts one by one, letting out happy squeals as she went through them. Soon, there was a pile of gifts, and Eve couldn't have been more thrilled.

"Luca, you're here!"

Ed walked out of the dining room, wearing an apron.

"Ed, you're not planning on cooking, are you?"

Luca asked in surprise.

"Why not?"

Ed glanced at him.

"I'm worried about food poisoning."

Luca bluntly replied.

"Haha~ You! Your cooking skills aren't much better than mine."

Ed shook his head. "Most of the guests today are kids, so I ordered takeout: pizza, cake, and fruit. I was just heating it up."

"That sounds much better!"

"Brother Luca, Brother Luca!"

The little girl, having finished unwrapping her gifts, was flushed with happiness. She pointed at the pile of gifts and asked curiously, "Brother Luca, with so many presents, which one is from you?"

Luca smiled. "Haha, my gift isn't here."

"Where is it?"

"Ta-da! The gift is here!"

Luca laughed, unzipped his jacket, took off his hoodie and sweatpants, revealing a plush bear costume underneath. All he had to do was put on the hat, and he'd look just like a stuffed bear.

"Wow~! Brother Luca, is this gift for me? It's amazing! But it's so big, how can I wear it?"

Eve scratched her face, a little troubled.

"Don't worry, this one's for you."

Luca pulled out a smaller plush bear costume.

"Yay~!"

Eve clapped her hands excitedly and ran to her bedroom with the plush bear suit.

After a while, a little brown bear came running out of the bedroom, hopping around the living room.

"Grandpa, Dad, Brother Luca, do I look good?"

"Haha, Eve, you look adorable!"

Old Sam laughed heartily, his eyes filled with affection.

"Haha, Brother Luca, let's dance! Let's do the little bear dance!"

"Okay! I don't know how, you'll have to teach me."

"Hehe, sure!"

The little girl pulled him along, bouncing around the living room, doing the cute little bear dance.

Ed glanced at them, his mouth twitching slightly. Two bears, one big and one small—it almost felt like they were the real family here.

*Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~*

The doorbell rang, and when Ed opened the door, he saw his old rival Andrew Fegan and his youngest son standing there.

"We're here to celebrate Eve's birthday."

Andrew said bluntly.

"Haha, welcome, welcome!"

(End of this chapter)