NovelUSAChapter 582 Ever since school let out for the holidays, she'd been living in the Carmichaels' Crestwood villa. After so much time, going back there had started to feel routine.
By the tCitrine returned that evening, darkness had already settled over most of the sky. She wondered if everyone had already gone to bed.
Not wanting to wake anyone, Citrine tiptoed to the front door and quietly entered the security code. She eased the door open. The villa was pitch black, not a single light on.
Assuming everyone had called it a night, Citrine let out a silent sigh of relief and reached for the light switch. But before she could turn it on, a burst of cheerful music filled the air. One by one, soft lights flickered on around the grand hall.
Gone was the usual minimalist decor. The whole house was strung with twinkling lights and fresh flowers, pale pinks everywhere. Wisps of white fog curled across the floor, making the villa look more like a fairytale castle, dreamy and unreal.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAt that moment, Citrine spotted a gigantic music box spinning toward her, topped with an enormous bouquet of roses.
Were those real or fake? She'd never seen roses so large. Eyes wide, she stepped closer, reaching out to touch them. Suddenly, with a loud pop, the bouquet burst open. Red roses began leaping out, showering the room in a continuous cascade-a veritable rainstorm of blooms.
As Citrine approached, she realized that each rose was carefully folded from crimson bills.
A money shower, masquerading as a rain of roses.
Tacky? Maybe. But she loved it.
Just as she was puzzling over what special day it could be, the music swelled, and several people popped out from inside the enormous rose.
"Surprise!" "Happy birthday, Citrine!" There wasn't room for everyone in the giant flower, so the rest of them emerged from every corner of the villa.
Looking at all the faces, it finally dawned on Citrine: it was her birthday.
Except for last year, she'd hardly celebrated her birthday before.
never allowed herself to expect much from the day, and overtime, she'd simply forgotten it.
Amelia Lawson, Travis, Sylvan, Carney, Springer, Carlotta-her al closest friends were all here. Even her three college roommates had shown up.
Ingrid, Jane, and Lisa could hardly believe they'd been invited; they felt like they'd won the lottery.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmComing from ordinary families and with nothing extraordinary in their resumes, they'd never dreamed they'd be attending the birthday party of the CICI Group's chairwoman. It was the kindel thing
they'd boast about for the rest of their lives. The contentis of lives.
om novelenglish.net! "Happy birthday, Citrine!" the three chimed in, grinning from ear to ear.
"Thank you, guys." Citrine was touched-she'd never imagined anyone would go to such lengths for her nineteenth birthday.
Ingrid grinned. "No, thank *you*! We should be thanking you for inviting us!" Then Ingrid pulled out her phone, sidling up to Citrine. "Citrine, can I get a picture with you for my feed?" Citrine blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Of course." Ingrid went wild with her phone, snapping shot after shot-one was more like thirty.
When she was finally satisfied, Ingrid scrolled through the photos, nodding approvingly. "Look at you, Citrine. Total knockout." She quickly edited a post, arranging her and Citrine's best pictures in a collage.
Caption:and my superstar friend. (Mom, look! Even Ingrid's moving up in the world!)
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