Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

Chapter 1356: A greeting would be nice

"Thank you all for coming to my 32nd birthday!" Grace stood at the end of the table, gazing at everyone seated around it, their faces alight with smiles. Her lips curled up as she looked at her friends and a few close co-workers.

"I know you're all aware that I am not actually 32, but still, I appreciate that you've humored this crazy idea of mine," she said, raising a glass of champagne. "Cheers to all of you."

A soft round of applause filled the private dining space as glasses clinked together in a toast. With that, the feast began, and the food was served, a spread Grace had carefully prepared for them. As she sat down, Lily quickly approached her, tossing a sash over her and placing a small crown on her head.

"Grace, if you're hosting a party, you should never forget that the host is the star of the night," Lily giggled. "You're going to learn."

Grace chuckled, adjusting the tiara on her head. "Well, you're right. I am learning. Thank you."

Over the years, Grace could count on one hand the times she had actually celebrated her birthday. Most of them had been her mother's doing either a small surprise or just the two of them sharing a special meal. Even with the Bennet Family's support, Grace and her mother had always preferred to stand on their own, even for something as simple as a birthday. An intimate celebration had never felt like a bad thing.

Even now, with the means to throw a lavish party, Grace often found herself too busy for such things.

"I hope you're all enjoying the food." After a while, Grace's eyes drifted to her left, where Penny and Zoren sat. Next to them, Hugo was eating to his heart's content.

Penny, her mouth already stuffed, nodded enthusiastically. "It's so good."

Grace chuckled, watching as Zoren's plate remained full-only for him to silently transfer food onto Penny's plate. He didn't say a word about it, nor did he stop eating himself. It seemed he filled his plate just so his wife wouldn't have to worry about refills.

"How sweet," she murmured before shifting her gaze to her right. Seated there were Lily and Nina, along with a few others close to her. Ginnie had been invited as well, but unfortunately, she couldn't make it due to a conference.

"I haven't heard of this restaurant before," Lily remarked, a surprised look flickering in her eyes. "I think I just found my new favorite spot."

Nina laughed. "The food is really great."

into

finished unpacking. It's kind of weird-so much space, yet for some

"Huh? Why's that?"

"Let's just say... they

slap on the back. "Just throw his things

"Finn already cleared out a lot of space and even set up a few rooms for my things. He vacated them so I could design them however I wanted. The thing is, I'm a designer, and the house's color palette doesn't match any

"Ahh..."

Finn promised we could repaint

open. "That's kind of romantic." Nina blushed slightly.

lucky girl!" Lily shrieked, slapping the table. "I

room?" At the same time, Zoren turned to his wife- just in time to see Penny

said flatly,

chest with his fist.

of water as well. His wife and second brother-in-law looked like they had been starved. Or... were

defeat, feeling a bit competitive now. It seemed Finn was going all out. And if anyone deserved to be the happiest woman in the world, it was

nodded to himself, convinced he needed to up his

didn't mind; what mattered was that the people close to her were enjoying themselves

all,' she thought, still wearing a small

Still, her birthday

celebration though simple-was

lively chatter

friends from

mingling with those within. As the evening wound down, they all handed her small gifts despite her insistence that they

Grace's 32nd birthday celebration came to an end. Haines didn't come, even though Grace had secretly