It took a lot of pleads and effort for Bruno to get Beauty back there.
As soon as they arrived at the dining table, Bruno noticed his uncle's face suddenly darken, followed by his aunt's, but neither of their reactions bothered him.
As long as Beauty was there with him, nothing else mattered.
"You should cut your cake already, Bruno. Let's take pictures, Couz," Korra, his second cousin, immediately said upon seeing them.
They returned to their seats, and his mom served food to Beauty herself, something that surprised Bruno.
She hardly ever served food to anyone, so this must have been influenced by Grandma.
"Thanks," Beauty whispered to his mom.
Bruno could tell Grandma had probably done a lot of talking to make this happen.
"She needs more plates, though," Nathan muttered—not loud enough to be unnoticed, but Bruno overheard him anyway, his attention focused on Nathan.
"It's my birthday; I don't know why a cow was invited," Bruno announced.
"Where is it? Moo moo?" Jack, his little cousin, asked while mimicking the sound of a cow.
"Right beside you, Jack, in a white polo," Bruno replied with a mocking smile.
Jack glanced at his side and saw only his sister's husband in white.
"Uncle Nathan is Moo Moo?" Jack asked, confused.
His mom cleared her throat, intentionally interrupting before things got worse.
"Valentina, the cake, please," she ordered the main chef in charge of the bakery and food.
A few minutes later, the maids pushed the large cake into the dining room.
"That's a huge cake!" Jack exclaimed in excitement.
Everyone was distracted by the cake, and Bruno saw it as the perfect time to talk to his sister.
He quickly turned to Abigail.
"I just received the package I ordered an hour ago. They're fast," he whispered.
"What package?" Abigail asked airily.
"From the precious jewelry store. I ordered a diamond engagement ring. Remember I told you before you went into the room?" he replied, a little disappointed.
"You want to do it already? Are you sure?" she whispered back.
"Yeah, I want to show that cow that she's mine now. He pisses me off. Also, I think today is the perfect day to do it, with Mom and Dad here," he replied with finality.
"Well, she's yours, but that's actually after the wedding," Abigail stated.
Bruno frowned at her.
"Just take it and put it in her glass of wine. I'll distract her with maybe a kiss," he suggested.
Abigail raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in agreement. Bruno handed her the ring discreetly. His hands started sweating, his nervousness mounting.
What if she says no, especially after everything that happened earlier?
His heart wouldn't be able to take it.
"We're waiting, Bruno. Go cut the cake. What are you two doing?"
His mother snapped, interrupting his thoughts.
She had noticed their movements and exchange of glances.
Sighing nervously, Bruno stood up to deliver a speech before cutting the cake.
"Thanks, everyone, for your love and care. Your presence means everything. Well, I won't say I love the surprise... to be honest..."
His cousins laughed.
"Thanks a lot, Fam."
They applauded loudly.
Bruno went to blow out the 26 candles, but Abigail interrupted.
"Make a wish first, silly," she said tartly.
Bruno chuckled, embarrassed.
"Oops, my bad, a wish first..."
Looking up, his eyes met Beauty's, and she blushed before looking down.
He saw Abigail slip the ring into Beauty's glass of wine.
Bruno closed his eyes slowly, nervously, and made his wish.
"I wish Beauty would say yes to me, and I wish my family would accept and treat her as one of their own."
Opening his eyes, he started blowing out the candles. Afterward, he cut the cake, and everyone came up to get their slice, except Nathan.
Bruno asked the chef to cut out a huge slice for Beauty, which she did and gave to him.
He walked back to the table.
"Here you go," he handed it to her.
"Thanks," she replied with red cheeks. He smiled softly in return.
His younger cousins, aged 7 and 11, played roughly with the cake, but everyone ignored them.
"So, Beauty, when's your next visit?"
Mom suddenly asked, catching everyone off guard.
Beauty didn't know what to say, and neither did anyone else at the table.
"I... I..."
She glanced at Mr. Hathaway, who hadn't said a word about their relationship since Grandma talked to him.
He seemed uninterested in anything concerning them, which Bruno didn't mind; he didn't need his approval.
"Why not stay over tonight? The party will continue all night," his sister added.
Beauty simply nodded, though Bruno could tell she didn't want to stay any longer than the dinner.
"To my little Bruno, we wish you a very happy birthday and all the best in life. Happy birthday, baby!"
Grandma called, making a toast.
"Cheers!"
Everyone chorused.
They stood up, clinked glasses, and settled down into their seats.
Bruno's heart raced as he stole a glance at Beauty.
She took a sip of her drink, and Abigail was winking playfully.
He frowned at her. His heart was racing, and she was making a joke out of it.
Bruno took a sip of wine, his hands shaking nervously.
Then, suddenly, the sound of shattered glass filled the air, making him spill his drink.
Everyone looked at him, confused, but then he realized they were actually looking at Beauty.
"What's wrong, dear?" Grandma asked, concerned.
Nathan and his wife were amused, hoping Beauty would embarrass herself more.
Mr. Hathaway looked up with a tight frown.
Beauty looked at Grandma, confused. She opened her mouth slowly but couldn't speak.
"What happened, dear?"
Mrs. Hathaway asked, curious.
"It's... there's..."
Beauty was too shocked and embarrassed to even explain.
Bruno leaned over to her and whispered.
"What happened, love?"
"Something's in my wine," she whispered back nervously.
"What is it?"
Bruno asked, trying to hide his amusement.
"I don't know, it's shiny. I almost swallowed it, so I dropped the glass unintentionally. I'm sorry for the embarrassment," she explained.
Everyone stared curiously, except Abigail, who was trying not to crack up.