NovelUSAChapter 284 Citrine paused, momentarily stunned when she saw her eighteenth birthday present.
The gift sat on the table, hidden beneath a scarlet cloth, its shape a mystery.
Carefully, Citrine drew back the fabric, inch by inch, until she revealed the little creature inside the cage.
Almost as if it sensed her presence, the tiny animal looked up and let out a sweet, affectionate meow-like it was trying to win her over.
Citrine's heart melted instantly.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe reached for the card attached to the cage and read it quietly.
"Happy eighteenth birthday, Citrine. This kitten is for you. I hope that with her by your side, you'll find more happiness every day." Finishing the note, Citrine tucked it away, cherishing the gift. Only then did she turn her attention to settling in the kitten a little Maine Coon.
Citrine had always been powerless against adorable animals.
Thankfully, Raymond had already anticipated everything: there was cat litter and food ready, and he'd even gone so far as to remodel a spare room for the kitten, complete with a climbing tree, a plush cat condo, and a scratching post.
Citrine adored the kitten at first sight and named her Happy.
But Raymond soon found himself second-guessing this decision.
Lately, Citrine seemed to spend all her tat hplaying with the kitten or fussing over her, barely giving her doting father the tof day.
Was it possible he'd been upstaged by a cat? It wasn't just Raymond who felt this way; even Weston and Travis started to resent the new family member. How could a mere cat be stealing all their attention? Whenever Travis and Weston cover to hang out with Citrine, the kitten would flop lazily onto her back, shamelessly exposing her belly to lure her owner, or cling to Citrine's pant leg with her fluffy paws, meowing for attention-doing everything to keep Citrine's focus on her.
Raymond, Weston, and Travis could only look on, speechless as this devious little cat wormed her way deeper into Citrine's heart. One day, the three of them decided to lock the kitten in her room before Citrine got home, hoping to stop her from monopolizing all the affection.
But as soon as Travis picked her up, the kitten hissed and, with surprising agility, leapt up and swiped at him. Her claws caught him square on the nose.
The scratch wasn't deep-just enough to look ridiculous.
"You little brat! What's your problem? Do you want to see how mad you can make me?" Travis was seething, one hand clapped over his nose, the other jabbing at Happy as if ready for a showdown.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmBefore he could say anything else, Weston cut in, "Careful. That's Citrine's precious baby. If you so much as touch a hair on her head, she'll be heartbroken." Travis let out a long, defeated sigh. "So what, I'm not even as important as a scruffy, smelly cat?" Raymond didn't hesitate. "No, you're not." Weston nodded, deadpan. "He's right. In this house, Citrine comes first. The cat's a close second. She's basically our resident feline overlord."
"Fine, fine. She's the boss." Travis huffed and dropped onto the Gough, thoroughly annoyed and refusing to spare another glance at the so-called cat overlord.
That evening, Citrine chto find Travis sitting on the sofa wearing a surgical mask. She om couldn't help but ask, "Why are you wearing a mask inside? Isn't it uncomfortable?"
"No, not at all. It's just... perfect." Travis forced a dry laugh, absolutely unwilling to admit he'd been om scratched by the cat in a failed attempt to assert dominance. The last thing he wanted was for Citrine to find out he'd tried to bully her beloved pet. Weston and Raymond struggled to keep straight faces, but neither gave him away.
Citrine didn't press further.
It wasn't until dinner, when Travis finally had to take off the mask, that Citrine caught sight of the three neat scratch marks slashed across his nose.
She stared in disbelief. "What happened? Did you get into a fight with Happy?" Raymond glanced at Travis and replied calmly, "It wasn't a fight. He just got his butt kicked by Happy, fair and square."
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