Sweet Hatred
Chapter 176: Birthday Surprise

But that was exactly why I picked this.

He didn’t know it, but I’d spent all night and morning agonizing over what to get him. A man like Kael Roman didn’t need watches or cars or anything that could be bought with a swipe. Hell, he literally signed my paychecksb and bonuses. What was I supposed to get the devil for his birthday? A new pitchfork?

It wasn’t until Olivia texted me out of the blue at dawn, asking if I could transfer money for the amusement park tickets for Kaleb and Lily’s little weekend outing later this week, that the idea slapped me in the face.

He never got to be a kid, did he?

Not really.

Even now, when he laughed, it felt rusty, like something someone taught him, not something that came naturally. I didn’t know if Kael Roman ever held a cotton candy stick. I doubted he ever stood in line, palms sticky with sugar, waiting to go on a dumb ride that might make him puke from joy. I didn’t know if anyone ever bought him a silly souvenir just because.

But he was going to get that today. From me.

A small, stupid, chaotic corner of the world that didn’t care how powerful he was.

It felt right.

Even if my thighs were screaming murder and my ribs still ached every time I shifted. My new top clung to my neck like a damn collar, covering the disaster Kael left behind last night. He’d ripped the buttons off my favorite shirt like he had a personal vendetta against cotton. So now I was stuffed into the soft, luxurious torture that passed as "replacement clothes" in his word.

The bastard.

I clicked my tongue loudly, glaring ahead at the road like it offended me. Beside me, Kael smirked.

"Shut up," I snapped without looking at him.

"I didn’t even say anything."

"Then don’t breathe."

His smirk deepened. "We could’ve stayed indoors, you know."

"Nope," I gritted. "If we did that, I might kill you before you try to kill me."

He chuckled, dark and low. "isn’t that the point?"

I glared at him, cheeks heating.

He looked so casual behind the wheel, wearing another black turtle neck and a leather trench coat, his hand relaxed on the gear. Like he hadn’t absolutely destroyed me twelve hours ago. Or two, really. Because of course we had to go again before we left. Of fucking course. Like goddamn rabbits.

I shifted uncomfortably and clenched my thighs tighter. Big mistake. I hissed quietly.

Kael raised an eyebrow. "You alright over there?"

I gave him a sugary smile. "Keep driving before I throw myself out this window."

"Noted," he said, amused. "Mood swings. Check."

But the truth was, I felt...light. Like I’d peeled off a layer of that bleakness I’d been walking around in for months. The storm inside me had screamed and raged and broke last night and now, somehow, there was just... silence. And blue sky. And Kael, annoying and infuriating and beautiful in the sunlight.

Maybe things wouldn’t be perfect. But maybe they’d be okay.

And then we turned the final corner, and I pointed at the bright, loud, chaotic wonderland ahead of us. Ferris wheel spinning slowly in the distance. Children running past the colorful entrance. Popcorn and sugar in the air.

Kael pulled up to the curb and blinked.

"What the?"

I grinned.

"Happy birthday, Roman."

We stepped out of the car and Kael just... stood there.

Like actually stood still. As if he was waiting for the damn park to introduce itself properly.

I turned to him, one hand on my hip, the other shielding my eyes from the sun. "Close your mouth, Kael. You’re gonna catch flies."

He blinked slowly, eyes scanning the noise, the crowds, the chaotic color explosion that was the amusement park entrance. "What... is this?"

I beamed, bouncing on the balls of my feet. "This," I declared, "is a once-in-a-lifetime experience I’m about to bless you with."

He cocked a perfect brow. "Seriously?"

That tone. Like I’d just said we were going bungee-jumping off a cardboard box. My eye twitched.

"Okay, Mr. Skeptical," I snapped, grabbing his hand and yanking him toward the ticket booth. "Let’s go."

He followed with a bemused grunt, barely avoiding running over a toddler wielding a balloon sword. I could practically feel him scanning for hidden whatever. The man walked through gunfire like it was Tuesday but you drop him in the middle of screaming children and funnel cake stands and he short-circuits.

I got the tickets, two of them. Adult. Full experience. No mercy.

He hovered behind me like a confused security guard, eyes narrowed at a man in a hotdog costume. I grabbed a mini fan too from the souvenir shop incase the weather decided to switch up on us and become hot as hell and I wasn’t about to be a sweaty mess beside this expensive bastard.

"Here," I said, handing him the fan with a sweet grin.

He looked at it like it was a weapon. "You bought me a toy."

"It’s self-defense against heat. Be grateful."

"Aria—"

"Nope," I cut him off, slapping the tickets into his chest. "You’re going to have fun whether you like it or not."

He exhaled like a man on the edge. "You really planned all this?"

I leaned in. "You think it’s normal to spend your day stuck in some cold boardroom with your equally dead-inside business buddies?"

"I happen to like my boardroom."

"I bet it’s the most fun you’ve ever had," I said flatly, grabbing his wrist again. "C’mon, let’s start strong."

And by strong, I meant suicidal.