Canary drove Lisa to her place that evening. After parking outside, neither of them rushed to leave.
"Actually, next week is my birthday," Canary finally said. "I would like to celebrate with you."
Lisa immediately turned to him with surprise. "Really?"
He nodded and smiled softly. "Yes. I want to spend my big day with you."
Lisa felt honored. "I'm looking forward to it then."
Canary leaned closer and kissed her goodnight before she opened the door.
"Goodnight, Canary."
"Goodnight, Lisa."
She walked inside while Canary waited until she disappeared through the gate before driving away.
When Canary reached home, Ketra, Joel, and Lucy were already having dinner together.
"Good evening everyone," he greeted.
"Good evening," they replied.
Canary continued toward the stairs. Lucy quickly got up and followed him.
"Won't you have dinner with us?" she asked.
"I'm a bit tired, Mom. And I already ate."
Lucy nodded. "Alright then. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Mom."
He continued to his room while Joel quietly watched him disappear upstairs.
The next day, work continued normally at Andersons Group. Around midday, Joel secretly called all the designers into one of the unused conference rooms. After everyone entered, he closed the door.
"Thank you for coming," Joel started. "I need all designs finalized faster than planned because the launch will be held next week."
The designers exchanged confused looks.
One designer asked, "Shouldn't Mr. Canary know about this? He usually approves these timelines."
Joel smiled. "It's my nephew's birthday next week. You all know he has been through a lot recently. We want to surprise him."
"A surprise launch?" another designer asked.
"Yes," Joel replied confidently. "Imagine how happy he'll be seeing everything completed earlier. This is with good intentions."
One senior designer nodded slowly. "If it's for Mr. Canary, then we can do it."
Joel continued, "I need extra commitment this week. Longer hours if necessary. But this conversation must not leave this room. Not managers, not assistants, not even Michael."
Everyone looked at each other before agreeing.
"This stays here," one designer said.
Joel smiled at them all. "Perfect. Let's make this the best surprise he has ever received."
——
After work that day, Lisa decided to visit the orphanage. The moment she entered through the gate, children ran toward her excitedly.
"Lisa is here!" one of them shouted.
The kids hugged her tightly while Stella walked over smiling warmly.
"It's been a while," Stella said.
Lisa laughed softly. "Work has been keeping me busy recently."
They sat together while watching the children play nearby.
"How is Canary doing?" Stella asked.
Lisa smiled. "He is doing great, though he has been going through a lot in the past month."
Stella nodded slowly. "I hope everything will be fine."
"It will," Lisa replied confidently before hesitating slightly. "Actually... I wanted your help with something."
Stella raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Lisa smiled shyly. "Next week is Canary's birthday and I want to prepare a gift for him. I came to ask you for ideas."
Stella laughed quietly. "So things are serious now?"
Lisa looked away shyly. "Maybe."
"What were you thinking of making?" Stella asked.
Lisa looked at her hands before answering. "I thought of knitting him a sweater."
Stella looked surprised before laughing again. "A sweater? After how much you struggled to learn knitting when you were little?"
Lisa laughed too. "I remembered those days. You kept forcing us to practice."
"You kids hated it back then," Stella said proudly, "but now you can see its importance."
She stood up and stretched. "Come, let's go to the workshop."
The two walked into the small workshop at the back of the orphanage. The familiar smell of fabric and yarn immediately brought back memories.
Lisa looked around and smiled softly. "I remember sitting right there trying so hard not to ruin everything."
"You ruined many things," Stella teased.
Lisa sat down in front of the table and smiled. "I should start on it today."
Stella nodded before walking toward the shelves and bringing colorful yarns together with the knitting machine.
"Then let's make sure this becomes something worth remembering," Stella said.
***
Days moved so fast and before Lisa realized it, there was only one day left until Canary's birthday.
She had spent days working on the sweater after work and late at night. After completing it, she carefully folded it and took it home. On her way, she bought a large gift box and neatly placed the sweater inside.
Looking at it, she smiled to herself.
"I hope he likes it," she whispered.
Soon enough, the day of the launch arrived. Canary still had no idea what everyone had been secretly preparing.
That morning, he was still asleep when soft voices slowly pulled him out of sleep.
"Happy birthday to you... happy birthday to you..."
Canary slowly opened his eyes in confusion before sitting up quickly.
Lucy stood beside his bed holding a small cake with a candle on top while Ketra stood behind her, both smiling brightly as they continued singing.
For a moment, Canary simply stared at them in surprise.
Lucy carefully sat at the edge of the bed and handed him the cake.
"Happy birthday, my son."
Canary shook his head slightly, almost in disbelief.
"Thank you, Mom," he said softly. "I didn't know that you remembered my birthday."
Ketra immediately frowned.
"How could your mom forget? You know how much she loves you."
Lucy smiled warmly.
"I know a lot has been happening lately but my dear, I love you so much. I couldn't forget your day."
Canary smiled and looked at her.
"I love you too, Mom."
The two hugged while Ketra smiled happily beside them.
"Now make a wish," Ketra reminded him.
Canary closed his eyes for a second before blowing out the candle.
Lucy stood up afterward and fixed his blanket.
"You should dress up well. We have a surprise for you"
Canary looked confused.
"A surprise?"
Lucy and Ketra exchanged looks before smiling.
"You'll see."
—-
Lucy and Ketra also returned to their rooms to dress up while Canary stayed behind. Since he thought it was only a small family surprise, he casually wore a clean shirt and black pants.
After getting ready, he walked downstairs expecting breakfast or maybe a small celebration.
Instead, the living room was empty except for the maid arranging flowers.
Canary looked around in confusion.
"Where is everyone?" he asked.
The maid smiled politely. "They are all in the gardens already, sir."
Canary raised an eyebrow and smiled to himself.
Maybe this surprise is bigger than I thought.
He slowly walked toward the glass door leading to the gardens and pushed it open.
The moment the door opened, he froze.
The gardens had completely transformed.
Elegant decorations covered almost every corner. Lights were hanging across the trees, tables were beautifully arranged, and dozens of guests filled the compound dressed for what looked like a major event rather than just a birthday party.
Soft music played in the background while workers moved around serving drinks.
Canary looked around in shock.
"What is all this...?"
Before he could even process everything, a group of guests spotted him.
"Oh look!" one guest shouted excitedly.
"The birthday man is finally here!"
Several people moved toward him smiling and greeting him.
"Happy birthday, Mr. Canary!"
"You kept us waiting!"
Canary forced a smile while still trying to understand what exactly was happening.
From across the garden, Joel stood quietly watching him with a satisfied smile.
Everything was going exactly according to plan.
Canary's expression shifted the moment he spotted Lucy across the garden. He pushed through the crowd politely as guests kept stopping him with cheerful smiles and birthday wishes.
"Happy birthday, sir!"
" We are honored to be here today!"
" Such a beautiful event, Mr. Canary!"
He nodded politely to each one, forcing a smile, but his eyes stayed fixed on Lucy. Eventually, he reached her and gently touched her arm.
"Mom, can I talk to you for a second?"
Lucy turned immediately, still smiling as if everything was perfectly normal. "Of course, my dear."
They stepped aside near a quieter corner of the garden where the music was softer and fewer guests could hear them. Canary folded his arms, his voice calm but strained.
"Can you tell me what is going on?"
Lucy smiled warmly, almost proudly. "We wanted to surprise you. So we decided to celebrate your birthday together with the launch. It makes everything more memorable."
Canary blinked, processing her words slowly. "Memorable?" he repeated. His tone dropped. "Mom… are you for real?"
Lucy tilted her head slightly, still calm. "Why? Look around you. Important guests are here to celebrate you. Businessmen, influential families… this strengthens our company relationships."
Canary's jaw tightened. "But Mom, this is my day. My birthday." His voice rose slightly as he gestured toward the decorated garden. "You didn't celebrate me… you turned it into a business platform."
Lucy reached for his arm gently. "Canary, you are looking at it the wrong way. Everything here is for you. This is growth, this is opportunity—"
He stepped back, shaking his head. "No. This is not what I wanted."
A nearby guest laughed softly while clinking glasses, unaware of the tension. Another voice could be heard saying, "This is going to be a powerful launch."
Canary's eyes flicked toward them, then back to Lucy. His disappointment deepened.
"I am so disappointed," he said quietly, before turning away and walking off.
"Canary—wait," Lucy called after him, taking a step forward, but he didn't stop.
Before she could follow him further, Joel appeared from the crowd, his timing almost deliberate. Beside him stood a well-dressed middle-aged man and a young woman in elegant attire.
Joel placed a hand on their shoulders, smiling confidently as if nothing had just gone wrong