As soon as I picked up the call, he spoke in a commanding tone again, "Evelyn says it's her birthday today. Hurry up and make a cake and bring it to the restaurant later! I'm giving you just an hour, don't be late!" After saying that, he hung up without waiting for me to agree.

As if his command was all it took for me to act on it. In the past, to show my care for them, I had spent a long time learning to bake cakes, just so that every one of their birthdays would be an unforgettable experience. But now, it seemed like all my effort was just a joke.

When I got home, I ignored Patrick's order. I lay on the sofa, watching TV idly.

It wasn't long before Neil came in and seeing that I hadn't made the cake, he pulled me up from the sofa and scolded me, "What's wrong with you! Didn't my brother tell you to hurry up and make the cake? It's Evelyn's birthday today, don't spoil it! Hurry up!"

Then he went into the kitchen, grabbing all the baking tools I'd used to make cakes before and pulled them out all at once. In an instant, he made a mess of the entire kitchen.

"Is she really that important to you two?" Watching him so anxious, I couldn't help but ask.

"Of course! If Evelyn's not important, then who is, you? Stop wasting time! Get on with it! Don't mess things up for us! If we offend Evelyn, none of us will have it easy!" Neil pulled me to the countertop as if he were supervising me.

"So, what exactly am I to you two?" When I asked this, Neil paused for a moment, then sneered. "What are you thinking? These past years, our kindness to you didn't make you think we like you, did it?"

"We only see you as a sister, don't get any ideas! So you don't need to compete with Evelyn for attention, you can't compare to her!" Neil said this to my face without any hesitation, completely disregarding my feelings.

I held back my tears, trying not to let them fall.

Neil continued gathering cake ingredients, muttering to himself beside me, "You've got shares in the company and when it goes public, you'll be a millionaire! Honestly, you're getting off easy! You should be grateful to Evelyn. Without her, you wouldn't have what you do today!"

Haha. They want me to thank her? Treat her well? Fine!

I took a deep breath and forced a smile. They want to eat my cake, right? Then let's see if that little vixen has what it takes.

Once I finished the cake, I quietly piped a '20' in cream on top. The exact number of times my mother slapped her last year!

After placing the cake in a gift box, Neil grabbed it and was about to leave.

But just as he reached the door, his phone rang. He hung up, then looked at me impatiently and said, "Evelyn is just too kind. She said you made the cake for her and she invited you to join us. Hurry up and change, but don't wear anything too flashy, you don't want to steal her spotlight!"

Though I had no intention of going to this gathering, after a moment's thought, I agreed.

While changing, I sent my mom a message. After all, the restaurant they'd reserved was part of my family's business.

So tonight, I decided to give them a little surprise.

When I arrived at the revolving restaurant, I realized that they had actually rented out the entire place just for Evelyn.

The restaurant was decorated in an incredibly romantic style, filled with flowers and balloons. They really spared no expense!

"Why are you so slow? Do you know how long you made Evelyn wait?" As soon as I entered, Patrick started scolding me harshly.

Neil looked at me with disdain and said, "If I hadn't been watching you, we wouldn't have had a cake to eat tonight! Ruby, you just don't appreciate what you're given! Evelyn wanting to eat a cake you made is an honor for you!"

Evelyn put on a fake smile and said sweetly, "Oh, you two! She went through all this trouble to make a cake for me and you're giving her a hard time. She's your childhood friend, after all. You should treat her better."

Though Evelyn said this, anyone could hear the sarcasm in her tone, especially with the way she emphasized the words 'childhood friend' in front of Neil and Patrick.

"What childhood friend? She's just one of the guys to us. We don't have any feelings for her." As expected, Neil seemed bothered by the term 'childhood friend' and quickly explained.

"We only feel sorry for her, that's all. Evelyn, don't misunderstand." Patrick spoke even colder, not even glancing in my direction.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow with interest, looking at me as she asked, "You two just don't understand a girl's feelings. You may pity her, but she might not see it that way. Isn't that right, Ruby? Be honest, which one do you like more, Patrick or Neil?"

Hearing Evelyn's question, Neil and Patrick both sneered. "She's been hanging around us, so she probably wants both of us. She should take a good look at herself. With her, does she even deserve to be with either of us?"

Hearing their response, Evelyn immediately covered her mouth and laughed in satisfaction. After that, she stopped pretending.

She looked at me smugly and with a superior tone and said, "Now, do you believe me? I told you, those two have no interest in you at all. Childhood friend? What a joke!"

From what Evelyn said, Patrick immediately assumed that I must have confronted her at the company earlier.

He became furious, slammed the table and yelled, "Ruby, what did you say to Evelyn at the office? Who do you think you are? You think you have the right to confront Evelyn? Hurry up and apologize!"

Evelyn giggled and said in a soft voice, "Don't worry, I'm a very forgiving person. I heard you're allergic to alcohol, so as long as you drink this bottle of wine on the table, I'll pretend nothing happened. To be honest, I've never actually seen what an alcohol allergy looks like."

I couldn't help but look over at Neil and Patrick. They knew all too well how severe my allergy to alcohol was.

Back when we graduated, just one glass of red wine had landed me in the ICU.

However, Patrick didn't care at all. He pursed his lips and urged, "What are you waiting for? Since Evelyn is giving you a way out, you'd better take it!"

Neil hurriedly opened the wine bottle and handed it to me.

"Hurry up and drink! Then get lost! Otherwise, you won't get a single penny. My brother and I will kick you out of the company!" Their response made my heart go completely cold.

"Why the rush? I haven't even given my birthday blessing yet!" With that, I put the cake onto the table and opened the box.

As expected, when Evelyn saw the number on the cake, her face turned pale and she looked at me with fear.