The mafia boss is my classmate

Chapter 16: Midnight Confessions and Golden Rules

At the gift shop counter, the cashier scanned the giant plush bear and the box of

premium chocolates. Glancing up at the fierce-looking young man, the cashier smiled

warmly. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, who are you getting all this lovely stuff for?"

Allen's expression hardened into a classic, cold glare. "For a friend."

The cashier instantly smiled, catching the hint, and quickly packed everything into

large shopping bags. Allen snatched the bags, marched out to his motorcycle, and

kicked the engine to life. He sped down the streets, eager to get back to the estate.

Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Regina was sitting cross-legged on the guest room

bed, wondering exactly what "personal work" was keeping him so busy. As her eyes

wandered around the beautifully decorated room, they suddenly landed on a small

silver frame resting on the corner of the desk.

She stood up and walked over, picking it up. It was a photo of Allen.

A soft, genuine smile broke across her face as she studied his expression in the

picture. "Ah... Allen's photo frame is in the guest room?" she muttered to herself,

letting out a small giggle. "At least in pictures he actually knows how to pose. He's

really not that bad-looking, haha..."

Suddenly, the heavy click of the doorknob echoed through the room. Allen had

arrived back home, and without knocking, he pushed the door wide open.

"Gina! Regina—"

Panicking, Regina instantly shoved the silver frame behind her back, trying to look

completely natural. "Y-Yeah?! What is it?!"

Allen stopped in his tracks, his sharp eyes narrowing as he looked at her stiff posture.

"Gina... are you hiding something from me?"

"No! Of course not!" she protested, taking a step backward.

Allen took a deliberate step forward, leaning down until his face was just inches from

hers, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper. "Gina, do you honestly think I am a

fool?"

"Yes!" she shot back.

In her rush to move away from him, her foot caught on the edge of the rug. She

tripped backward, losing her grip on the object behind her. The silver photo frame

slipped from her fingers, clattering loudly against the hardwood floor.

Regina rushed to steady herself, checking on him immediately. "Aster! Are you okay?!"

But Allen wasn't looking at her. His gaze was locked entirely on the floor, staring right

at the fallen photo frame of himself. A slow, knowing smirk played on his lips. "Were

you seriously hiding that from me?"

Regina's entire face turned an absolute, brilliant shade of crimson. "No! I wasn't—I

mean, it's not what you think—"

Before she could finish her frantic excuse, Allen crossed his arms, a rare, gentle

softness in his eyes. "Keep it."

Regina blinked, completely caught off guard. "What?"

"I said, keep it," Allen repeated smoothly, his voice dropping. "I would actually like it if

you kept it."

An intense, breathtaking silence fell over the room as Regina stared at him, her heart

hammering wildly against her ribs. Seeing her completely frozen and blushing, Allen

suddenly chuckled, breaking the tension. He rubbed the back of his neck, whispering,

"I was just kidding, silly. Now don't overthink it."

With a final, teasing grin, he turned around and left the room, shutting the door

behind him.

Regina stood there, her face burning like fire. The moment the door clicked shut, she

squealed, jumped onto the bed, and began aggressively beating her pillow in sheer

embarrassment. "Dummy! Absolute dummy!"

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur as everyone went about their regular duties.

Before long, night fell over the estate, and the family gathered around the grand

dinner table.

The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful. Regina, exhausted from the emotional roller

coaster of the past twenty-four hours, felt incredibly sleepy. She quickly finished her

food, excused herself, and headed straight back upstairs to her room.

Allen watched her retreating figure until she disappeared up the stairs. Once she was

completely out of earshot, Allen leaned over to his father and whispered, "Dad... don't

come upstairs at all tonight. It's her birthday."

His father's eyes lit up, a massive, proud smile breaking across his face. "Oh! My son

has finally grown up, I see! Alright, alright, I won't disturb you two."

Allen's face instantly flushed red, and he groaned in frustration. "Dad, just stop it! Ah!"

Embarrassed, Allen quickly left the table and headed up to his own bedroom. He

immediately opened his balcony doors, expecting to see Regina standing outside in

the cool night air, but the balcony was completely empty.

Walking across the shared stone floor, he reached her side of the balcony and

knocked gently on her glass door.

A moment later, Regina pulled the door open, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Aster? Come

on in."

"No, I'm fine out here," Allen said, standing tall. "I just came over to tell you one thing:

don't go to sleep yet."

Regina tilted her head, confused. "Why?"

"Gina, can't you just stay awake for a little while?" Allen pressed, crossing his arms.

"Okay... but I am feeling really sleepy," she murmured, letting out a tiny yawn.

"Then control it," Allen commanded bluntly. "Anyway, bye."

Without giving her a chance to argue, he quickly turned on his heel and walked

straight back to his room. Regina stood there, utterly baffled by his strange behavior.

She let out a long sigh, closed the glass doors, and sat down on her bed, pulling out

her phone to pass the time and fight off her drowsiness.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the balcony, Allen was working at lightning speed. He

transformed his entire bedroom, carefully hanging up beautiful decorations, setting

up a small table, and placing the premium chocolates, the giant soft teddy bear, and a

beautiful birthday cake right in the center.

He checked his watch. There were only five minutes left before midnight.

Stepping back out into the cool night air, he walked across the balcony and knocked

on Regina's glass door once again. She unlocked it, looking up at him.

"Gina, come with me," Allen said directly.

"Aster, seriously, what is this all about?" Regina asked, but she followed him out onto

the balcony anyway.

As they reached the entrance to his room, Allen stopped her, his hands gently resting

on her shoulders. "Close your eyes."

Regina huffed, but she complied, shutting her eyes tight. "You are honestly so

irritating, you know that?"

"Okay, now open them," Allen whispered.

Regina opened her eyes, and the breath completely caught in her throat. The entire

room was beautifully illuminated, with a stunning birthday cake glowing under the

soft light, surrounded by the giant teddy bear and her favorite chocolates.

Allen looked down at her, his voice unusually soft. "Happy birthday, Gina."

Regina stared at the room, then looked up at Allen, her eyes wide with complete

shock and disbelief. "You... you did all of this for me? How did you even know it was

my birthday?"

"I saw it on your student ID card earlier," Allen muttered, suddenly feeling incredibly

self-conscious. He quickly looked away, trying to regain his tough exterior. "And don't

go thinking I did this because I care about you or anything! I just did it because... well,

even enemies can celebrate things sometimes—"

Before he could even finish his rambling excuse, Regina took a swift step forward and

threw her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face into his chest.

She whispered against his shirt, her voice trembling with emotion. "Thank you, Aster...

I really, really love it."

Allen froze completely, his arms hovering in the air. His entire face turned a deep,

intense shade of crimson, his heart stopping for a fraction of a second. "G-Gina..."

"No one has ever celebrated my birthday like this before," Regina wept softly,

tightening her grip on him. "This is the first time in my entire life. It makes me so

incredibly happy... I know we are supposed to be enemies, Allen, but somehow... I just

don't feel that way about you anymore."

Allen's breath hitched. The walls around his own heart completely crumbled. Slowing

his racing thoughts, he gently brought his arms down, wrapping them securely

around her shoulders as he hugged her back.

"Why...?" Allen murmured softly into the darkness. "Because... I feel the exact same

way."

Regina looked up from his chest, her tear-stained eyes locking directly onto his deep,

intense gaze.

"I wanted to ask you something, my bodyguard Aster..." she whispered softly, a

beautiful smile breaking through her tears. "Can we... be real friends from now on?"

Allen went completely still. He had never seen Regina act so vulnerable, so sweet, and

so genuine before. Looking down at the girl holding onto him under the midnight

moonlight, he cleared his throat and said—

[Chapter Ended .

To Be Continued]..