AT THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

Elegantly yet flamboyantly stood an enormous villa in Kingston city, one of the best to be precise. Its designs and architecture were beyond breathtaking and so was its height and width.

The evening sun set beautifully over the Patterson's villa as guests went and came.

Decorations hung around high pillars and the tall walls within the villa as it was a very special day that day.

With men and women of different high status from the city filling the hall, some enjoying pleasant chats with each other while others filling their stomachs with wines of their choice.

Several delicacies floated about as both male and female servants moved around to serve the guests. Chicken, steak, pork pie, wiltshire ham, smoked salmon and different kinds of delicacies from all around the world!

The people were left with their mouths watering from the nose tingling aroma that the several delicacies mixed together to become.

Seth Rivera made his way into the hall with his eyes admiring the beautiful decorations and his nose tingling from the smell of the creative food.

His eyes lingered on a beautiful woman who stood with a collected crowd with a bright smile on her face.

Her brown eyes sparkled as she spoke with the small crowd that circled around an old woman dressed flamboyantly in a dress that probably cost an entire family's fortune.

Her name was Phoebe Patterson, known as the most beautiful descendant of the Patterson family.

Phoebe was guised in a red floor length dress that glittered flamboyantly and the slim fitted dress hugged her curves ever so perfectly.

A pair of silver oval shaped earrings dangled from both of her ears and a fat shimmering necklace to match hung around her neck.

The way she stood in her jimmy choo wedge heel that came in a color to match her earring exuded confidence in a beautiful way.

Her deep red plum lips curved into a wide grin as she spoke with a few of the guests.

A silver wrist watch with diamonds displayed on her thin wrist as she held her champagne glass close to her body and her tanned skin was as beautiful as a new born flower.

Even if he didn't want to stare, there was no way to avoid the sun when it rose in the morning or the moon when it shone brightly at night.

That day was grandma Patterson's birthday and she marked quite a special age. She was seventy that day. The oldest woman in the Patterson family alive.

She held onto the wealth of the entire family and was in control of the family business. At the end, she would get to decide who would take over as their heir after she passed away but the old woman didn't plan on doing so any time soon.

A bright smile played on her wrinkled face as her children and grandchildren surrounded her. A loud laugh escaped her mouth from what one of them had said and it left the others smiling.

Seth stood away from them and watched from afar how they married and joyed together but he didn't want to spoil the mood for anyone, especially Phoebe since she had told him to try to behave.

So he stood close to the food table and sipped on his wine while listening to the conversations they made.

"You have all done well to make today a happy day for me and I really appreciate each and every one of you." Grandma Patterson said with a bright smile on her face. "So tonight, I shall grant each of you a wish and remember to ask for your greatest heart's desire."

They were all pleased to hear her words and each of them started throwing their wishes into the wishing well.

"Grandma, I want a brand new car! A Lamborghini."

"I want my house remodeled, Grandma!"

"I want to travel to Paris for a week!"

"I want a brand new house!"

"Alright alright." Grandma Patterson calmed them down with a gesture of her hand. "Consider each and every one of your wishes granted!"

They all cheered happily at the words of their grandmother. They would all be getting new things and some trips to another city or country.

The loud cheers and celebration suddenly ceased at the sound of a young man's voice. "Grandma, could I perhaps have a new bike? The last one I had was stolen a few nights ago and it makes it quite difficult to carry out the chores that include me leaving the house."

All eyes were now on Seth. No one had believed he would be so bold enough to speak up while they were celebrating.

Seth, though, had summoned his courage to speak up. He felt as though grandma Patterson would be able to grant his wish since she was in such a good mood.

Three years ago, while Seth was on the verge of death, he was rescued by an old man who took him home and had him marry his most beautiful granddaughter and his favorite at that.

If it weren't for the act of kindness shown to him by grandpa Patterson that very day, he truly would have lost his life. So he was ever grateful to the man even after his sudden death a year after his marriage with Phoebe.

No one in the Patterson family ever liked him, not even his sister in law. He was treated like trash because he was poor and from husband, he was reduced to their house maid.

He was nothing but a useless live-in son in law to them. They made him do their laundry even though they had their personal dry cleaner. He did the dishes in place of the maids and prepared their daily three square meals.

Whenever they wanted a snack or to get a petty errand done, even his sister in law, Gloria, whom he was older than with more than three years, would make him do it and order him around.

Even their house dog received better treatment than he ever did.

But he never complained, he accepted every single insult that came with being their live in son in law all because he felt like he owed grandpa Patterson his life and he swore he would never leave the family no matter what.

The Patterson's, though, begged for a different fate. All they wanted was for him to get out of their lives already!

The old woman was smiling just a while ago but as the sound of Seth's voice caught her ear, the smile disappeared in an instant!

If only that wretched good for nothing boy knew how much she despised him then he really wouldn't have tried what he just did.

Grandma Patterson threw her glass in his direction and the wine in it splattered all over the floor and his legs, fragments of the cup flying at his legs.

If it weren't for the trousers he had on at the moment, the glass would have pierced right through his skin and his legs would be left in quite a bloody mess.

"What a fucking bastard!" She growled at him. "How dare you open your mouth and speak to me? You want what?!" Her eyes squinted as she stared at him.

"I am sorry, I just--"

"Please grandma," Phoebe immediately cut Seth off before he could say anything else. "He doesn't seem to be in his right senses at the moment, he must have lost his sanity on the way here, forgive him and just forget his presence."

Words of insult began to rain on Seth from the other grandchildren around while the children snickered about how shameless he was.

"You useless pathetic fool! How dare you try to bill our grandma?"

"Today is her seventieth birthday yet you came empty handed, like that isn't enough of an insult you still have the mind to ask her to buy you s what? A bike?!"

"It's such a shame that someone like you even gets to be in the midst of people like us, if it weren't for the fact that your husband was such a mindless fool, he wouldn't dare to speak in front of our grandma. Keep his loose mouth on a leash phoebe." A handsome young man said.

His name was Aidan Patterson, the favorite grandchild of grandma Patterson.

His looks were in contrast to Seth as his looks were defined while Seth was effortlessly handsome. That alone was more than enough reason for him to despise Seth.

He never liked Phoebe or her husband and it was the perfect situation to pour out his mind about how he really felt about Seth.

"I am so sorry everyone." Phoebe apologized.

She dragged Seth aside to nag at him but a young man walked into the hall and called for their attention as he announced.

"Grandma Patterson, a young man, has brought a gift for you to celebrate you on your special day."

Grandma Patterson ushered the young man in and it was none other than Marlin Murray. An appearance that brought surprised looks from the guests in the hall.

Marlin Murray was a big shot in the whole of Kingston city, having the fact that he was a project manager at chroma creative, a company owned by the richest family in the entire city.

His good looks also made it impossible for him to be ignored. So many women fell at his feet in adoration as he was rich and incredibly handsome.

His pride, though, made him irritable to a few not only a few that he felt was irrelevant.

"Mrs Patterson, I am extremely overjoyed to be here on your special day and I wish you a happy birthday. Please accept my humble gift." Marlin announced as he presented the old woman with a small box.

She accepted the box with a bright smile and impatiently pulled the lid off. Her eyes shone as she saw a written check of nine point nine million dollars. An amount that signified a marriage proposal in Kingston city.

She looked up at him with a look of slight confusion. "And which one of my descendants has caught your attention?"

With her question, quiet gasps and murmurs filled the hall.

Marlin stood proudly with his head held high as he spoke. "Mrs Patterson, I apologize for bringing a request rather than a gift on your birthday but I'd like it if you could give me Phoebe's hand in marriage."