Chapter 517: The Birthday Party (part two)

"Yes, thank you." Kevin followed Louisa and walked in. Because every house in the residence had a garden, it was much warmer inside.

The commander paused for an instant when he saw Kevin show up at the door. But he suddenly burst into laughter. "Kevin, I didn't know you had the time to attend. I didn't invite you because I knew you're quite busy these days. I didn't expect you to be here, what a coincidence!"

Didn't you call your bodyguard and ask me to come here?" Looking at the guests in the house, Kevin frowned. He didn't understand what the commander meant.

Dad, I invited Kevin. It's my birthday today, so I invited him to be here and attend the party in your name." Louisa giggled and walked to the commander. She held his arm and turned the charm on her father.

"Naughty girl. Kevin is too busy, and you tricked him into coming here. You're making me worry." The commander doted on his little daughter. Her way of dealing with things was quite unique and he couldn't control her at all. So he just let her be and didn't restrict her so much as long as she didn't go overboard. The corners of Kevin's mouth twisted unhappily at the realization that he was tricked into attending a party. He had only met this girl once a few years ago. Why did she want him to attend her birthday party? He hadn't prepared a present for her birthday at all.

Kevin, I'm sorry. I haven't seen you for a long time. I wanted to invite you for dinner or something when I graduated and came back to the country, but I couldn't find a reason. Today is my birthday. You won't blame me for doing this, will you?"

Louisa explained so smoothly that Kevin didn't have the heart to reject her. She looked at Kevin hesitantly, as if she was a child who did something wrong. Even if Kevin wasn't happy about it, he didn't show his displeasure. Kevin had no choice but to smile politely.

"Happy birthday! Unfortunately, I didn't prepare any present for you because I didn't know that today is your birthday. I'll make up for it another time." Kevin smiled gently. His warm smile was quite inconsistent with his identity as a soldier. It was the reason that Louisa fell in love with him instantly back when she saw him in the army base years ago. She never forgot about him after all these years.

Thank you! Kevin, your attendance is the best present for me, but I won't mind accepting another present as well." Louisa deliberately blinked her eyes coquettishly at him. The action seemed natural and graceful.

Okay. Let's sit down! These are Louisa's friends and classmates. They're nearly the same age as you. You may find something in common to talk about." The commander kept his kind smile the whole time. He patted Kevin on the shoulder in sympathy. Louisa constantly gave him a headache, so he knew how Kevin felt.

Kevin, come here. Let me introduce you to everyone." In Louisa's eyes, Kevin was her future boyfriend. She wanted to show everyone that Kevin was special to her during the party.

Kevin smiled politely in response to Louisa's deliberate affections. He didn't turn her down on purpose to avoid humiliating her. But deep down, he detested her actions. He hated it when a woman was too familiar with him. It wasn't because he was married, it irritated him in general.

Kevin, would you like a drink?" The commander didn't know about his daughter's feelings for Kevin. He thought that Louisa regarded Kevin as her elder brother, so he didn't find anything odd with her affectionate behavior towards him.

No, thank you. I need to drive home later. Let me fill your glass! May I substitute wine with tea to toast you?" Kevin poured a glass of wine for the commander as he spoke. He had a smile on his face but his eyebrows were furrowed tightly. He felt quite uncomfortable at all because of the women's attention on his face.

The commander chuckled. "You won't get drunk with one glass of wine! Come on, Kevin. Let's have some wine." The commander ignored his refusal and filled Kevin's glass with wine.

"Dad, I want to drink too! I need to toast Kevin to thank him for attending my birthday party. And we're going to the bar for another round. Do you think Kevin can be our escort?" Seeing Kevin smiling the whole time, Louisa was encouraged and took it as confirmation that he must like her back.

"Louisa, Kevin is kind enough to have dinner here. You can't demand more of him. You can go and enjoy the bar on your own. Kevin was busy at work the whole day. He's too tired to go with you. Besides, he's wearing his military uniform. It's not proper for him to go to a bar like this."

Though the commander berated Louisa, his voice was still gentle. He was gratified by Louisa's change these past few years. Because no matter what, she was no longer the party girl that she used to be. He hadn't expected her transformation at all. Despite her obstinate behavior, it was still much better than before. Because of this, the commander wasn't too harsh on her.