He Wouldn't Claim Me — Another Man Did

Chapter 177 - 163: Cake

Luna Langley shook her head.

"I’m not celebrating. I’m just another year older, that’s all. Nothing worth celebrating."

Silas Lockwood could tell she genuinely didn’t want to celebrate her birthday.

He understood. After all, today wasn’t just her birthday. Her twin brother, born on the same day of the same month in the same year, shared this birthday, but he would never celebrate another one in this lifetime.

As his older sister, she must feel a deep sense of regret and heartache for him.

Silas Lockwood didn’t say anything more and simply left the nursing home with her.

On the way back, Luna Langley sat quietly in the back seat, her gaze fixed on the receding scenery. Her eyes were listless, like a doll frozen in place.

Silas glanced at her from time to time. For a moment, it was as if he saw a reflection of his former self in her.

When his own father had passed away suddenly, he too had often stared blankly at the world, just as she was doing now. The coveted positions others vied for... they had both been forced into them, trapped in a world of fame and fortune where they had no control.

When they returned to Sutton Gardens, Luna Langley went straight upstairs.

She had some work to deal with, but her mind was in turmoil today. She didn’t want to look at a single email, so she took a shower and lay in bed, flipping through an old design manual.

A few moments later, there was a knock on her door.

The housekeeper rarely came upstairs to knock on her door.

"Who is it?"

"It’s me." Silas Lockwood’s voice came from the other side.

Luna hadn’t locked the door, but she still got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and walked over to open it.

"What is it..."

She opened the door to see Silas standing outside, holding a small, square cake.

"You don’t have to celebrate your birthday, but you can’t skip the cake." Silas held the cake and a spoon out to Luna. "Eating something sweet when you’re in a bad mood helps."

Luna stared at the cake, silent and still.

Before the car accident that took her father and brother, she had spent every birthday surrounded by friends, her living room filled with cakes, flowers, and gifts. After the tragedy, she had closed herself off, focusing solely on studying business management. Her old friends gradually drifted away.

For the past three years, she hadn’t eaten a single bite of cake.

The cake in Silas’s hands was small, but it filled her heart with a wave of regret, emotion, and warmth.

"What’s wrong? You don’t like it?"

"No, that’s not it. Thank you."

"It’s lychee rose flavored," Silas said. "I saw some air-freighted lychees at home a while ago and guessed you might like them, so I took the liberty of choosing this flavor without asking."

"I like lychees."

"Good. Give it a try." Silas handed the spoon to Luna.

Luna scooped up a bit of frosting and put it in her mouth. The sweet taste made her eyes unexpectedly well up.

"Happy birthday. I hope that from now on, you can be a little happier each day," Silas said.

In the soft light, his handsome features seemed to be veiled in a tender warmth.

"Aren’t you having any?" Luna looked at him. "Try some. The cake is very sweet."

"Okay, I’ll go downstairs and get another spoo—"

"Don’t bother."

Luna suddenly stood on her toes and kissed Silas.

It wasn’t a light peck; she directly pressed the sweet taste of the frosting into his mouth, against his lips and tongue.

Silas’s eyes widened, and he stared blankly at Luna.

He lost his grip on the cake, and it fell to the floor with a SPLAT.

"You said before that I’m your benefactor." Luna’s hand caressed Silas’s jaw. "Does that mean you’ll do whatever your benefactor asks of you?"

"Yes. As long as it’s not illegal or immoral, I’ll do whatever you ask," Silas said.

"Then let’s have sex."

--

When Silas Lockwood woke up, the master bedroom was empty.

The tangled sheets were proof of what had happened last night.

Last night, Luna’s words had been both an invitation and a command. Upon hearing them, Silas had felt as if he were possessed, following her into the master bedroom and locking the door.

They had been entangled all night.

This would be a normal occurrence between a husband and wife, but for them, last night felt more like a frenzied indulgence. It wasn’t just their bodies that were intertwined, but their souls as well.

Silas got out of bed, went back to the guest room to shower, and came downstairs after changing his clothes.

Luna Langley was not downstairs.

Seeing Silas come down, Aunt Sinclair hurried over. "Sir, breakfast is ready. Would you like to eat?"

"Where’s Luna?"

"Miss Langley went to the cemetery." Aunt Sinclair assumed Silas didn’t know. "Today is the death anniversary of her father and brother. Her mother isn’t well enough to go, so Miss Langley goes to the cemetery to pay her respects every year on this day."

"Did she go alone?"

"She took a driver."

"Where is the cemetery?"

"In the Southern District."

When Silas arrived at the cemetery in the Southern District, Luna was sitting alone in front of her father’s gravestone, drinking as she faced it.

"Are you okay?" Silas crouched down beside Luna.

Luna didn’t look at him, her gaze fixed on the photograph on the tombstone. "When my dad was alive, he’d have me and my brother join him for a drink during holidays. My grandparents always favored boys, and even my mom doted on my brother more, but my dad never did. He adored me. Whenever my brother and I fought over something and he couldn’t be perfectly fair, he would always side with me."

"That’s wonderful. Favoring boys over girls is an archaic, feudal custom anyway," Silas said.

"Yes, my dad was a really good person. That’s why I can’t bear to see his company fall into the hands of those with malicious intentions."

Silas heard the implication in her words. "’Those with malicious intentions’ refers to...?"

Luna didn’t answer.

She took another drink and said to her father’s gravestone, "Dad, that’s all for today. I’ll come see you and Finn another time. Wait for me. I hope I can bring you both good news one day."

The two of them walked out of the cemetery.

Luna’s driver was waiting for her in the car. She didn’t get in right away, instead turning to look at Silas. "You came all the way to the cemetery. Was there something you wanted to say?"

Silas was at a loss for words.

There wasn’t really anything to say. This wasn’t the right place to bring up what happened last night.

"If there’s nothing you need to say, I should get going. I still have to go to the office."

"Work after drinking? Why don’t you... go home and get some rest?"

Seeing his cautious expression, Luna’s lips curled into a slight smile. "Can’t I work after drinking? What you’re really worried about is that I didn’t sleep at all last night. You’re afraid I won’t have the energy for work, aren’t you?"

Images of their wild night flashed through Silas’s mind. They had indeed lost control, failing to hold back as they wore each other out all night long.

"Regardless, you should get some proper sleep first."

"It’s fine. Pulling an all-nighter once in a while won’t kill me." Luna raised her hand and patted Silas’s shoulder. "Next time, I’ll have to ask President Lockwood not to be so wild."

’She’s being so blunt.’

Silas instinctively glanced around.

Luna’s expression was indifferent. "Don’t worry. Everyone here is dead. It doesn’t matter if they hear."

Silas: "..."