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nAsher called Cassidy as he made his way to the kitchen of the diner.

nThrown into panic, she turned off the oven in a haste and rushed to the entrance. She then stood there and stretched her hand out, preventing him from stepping inside.

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"Cassie, what's that smell? It smells so good! What are you making at this hour? Are they cookies?

"

nShe only smiled at him nervously, not moving from her spot. He was supposed to be busy with his own restaurant around this time. But as soon as evening fell, he decided to hang around there and pay an unannounced visit.

nWhether Asher is there or not, though, Cassidy is planning to go to Adrian no matter what.

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"Yeah, they're cookies. But you can't have any...

" she lied, still not prepared to disclose her intention to settle things with her husband.

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"It's for the children at the orphanage.

"

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"Oh, really...?

" he blurted out while closing his eyes and sniffing the mouth-watering aroma.

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"If you have extras, you should leave me some! Bryan and I would love to have a taste of your baking.

"

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"I don't know if I'll have enough.

"

nCassidy silently asked Asher to forgive her for lying. She hates lying to him, but she has no choice. He'll most probably not let her go and do what she's planning. Then again, his resentment against the Millicent's still persists up until the present.

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"Well, if you need anything, just call me. I'm gonna drink with Bryan for a bit. Don't burn down the kitchen, okay?

" he teased and smirked at her, much to her annoyance.

nCassidy pouted and placed her hands on her hips. Asher only chuckled at her and patted her head before he finally left her alone. She then waited for a moment longer before she went back to what she was doing and opened the oven.

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"So then, let's get this finished!

"

nPutting on her mittens, Cassidy pulled out the birthday cake she had made for Adrian.

nShe placed the cake pan on the counter and looked at her creation with pride. All that was left to do was to let it cool for a while. Then, she could add on the frosting.

n'I never really made a cake that looked better than this one. Baking is not my thing, after all.'

nShe doesn't doubt that it's the smallest one that Adrian will receive today, but she still put all of her feelings into it.

nShe hoped he would like it - she did make it because of his birthday. At first, she hadn't believed what Aira told her yesterday. And she hesitated to make him anything. She kept pondering about it until she found herself rushing to the store before she knew it.

nShe went ahead and got all the ingredients she would need.

n'I was going to get an instant cake mixer. But I figured that it would make the cake lose emotion if I did that. I wanted to make it special for him. And I wanted him to like it.'

nWhile Cassidy was thinking about how Adrian would probably react, she could not help but blush and smile to herself.

nIt took her this long to remember all the feelings she used to hold for him before - but this time, they are much stronger and more passionate than ever. Everything about him made her feel special. And for once, she wanted to return the favor to him. After everything he had done for her, this was the least she could do.

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"I think it's time for the last touches!

"

nAfter waiting for the cake to cool down, Cassidy pulled out the frostings. She had two of them - one to cover the cake with and another one to write 'Happy Birthday' on it. She slowly began to put the frosting all over the cake, a little tempted to have a spoonful of it while she's at it. With a small knife, she painstakingly spread the frosting on the cake and made sure not to miss a corner.

nEven though Cassidy had little to no patience, she was determined to make it perfect.

nOnce she was done, she grabbed the pastry bag, feeling a bit nervous. She's been told more than once that she doesn't have the best handwriting, but she hopes her letters will at least be readable. Gulping, she then started with the first one.

nShe really tried her best, but her letter 'H' still ended up looking like a square.

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"Should I go back to grade school or what?

"

nSighing with frustration, she only continued on with the next letters. And when she was finally done writing them down, she was disappointed to see that they looked like a complete blob of letters.

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"For the first time, I feel awful for not having a good handwriting.

"

nCassidy had the right ingredients to start over, but she didn't have much time left. It was almost midnight. She really didn't want to get any later than that.

nWith that, she made haste to place her failure of a cake in a box before she put it inside a bag. She then cleaned up the kitchen, throwing away any evidence that she made a cake. After everything was back in order, she took off her apron and started to put on her coat.

nShe carried the bag with utmost care, making sure that it would not get tossed around.

nAs soon as Cassidy came out of the kitchen, she was surprised to see Asher and Bryan sitting around the counter and staring at her with curiosity. She tensed up but still smiled at them, wondering if the smell was too obvious. No matter what, she can't let them know where she's going.

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"Hey, guys...!

" Cassidy greeted a little too blithely.

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"I'll be going out for a bit. I have to go and bring something to... uhhh... the orphanage!

"

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"Don't you think it's too late for you to go there? And alone...?

" Asher asked and pointed at the clock.

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"I don't like that. Why don't you wait until tomorrow? If it's that important, I can take you there. I have time to spare.

"

nAt that, she grimaced and gripped her bag tightly. Not wanting to show her frustration, she then looked around and tried to think of an excuse.

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"It's fine, Asher. It won't be long. I'm just going to leave something and go straight home. I can just use my motorbike too.

"

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"Well, if you say so.

"

nAsher stared at Cassidy for about a minute more or so until he finally let out a sigh. He was making things much too difficult for her liking. Bryan, on the other hand, kept silent through it all.

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"Promise you'll be fine on your own?

"

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"Yeah!

"

nShe could not help but beam at them, looking like some little girl who just got her father's permission to hang out late. With an ear-splitting grin and an ecstatic leap on each of her steps, she bid them farewell and headed to the door. They only watched her and smiled in return the whole time.

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"I promise I'll be back in an hour. See you later~!

"

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