For My Birthday, I Was Gifted Five Husbands - Chapter 167

When Carter opened the door, the face he hated most in the world was waiting for him. It was worse than any member of the dreaded Schroder family Richard had warned him about.

“Well, excuse me.”

Carter flashed a sly, serpentine grin at the man across from him.

Magnus’s eyes had gone cold and dead, his jaw clenched, and his focus sharpened with a barely suppressed rage.

“Where’s Norton?”

Magnus fought to keep his disgust in check as he took in Carter’s current state—shirt missing, red marks gouged down his shoulders and forearms, evidence of fingernails, sweat-damp hair, and a loose, languid face.

Anyone could tell at a glance what had just been happening in that room.

And worst of all, Carter had only cracked the door enough to show himself—clearly, to prevent Magnus from seeing who or what was inside. That alone made Magnus’s fury spike.

“Move, Livingston.”

“Oh. No, I don’t think I will.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself—step aside while I’m still being civil.”

“Can’t do that. I was just making Eugenie very happy, you see.”

Carter’s smile widened as he watched Magnus’s face. There was something almost primal in this competition and obsession with winning.

“Are you going to start something like you did back at the academy? Not that I’d mind, but tonight I think I’ll pass.”

“…”

“Sometimes, a man just wants his wife to himself, you know?”

With his arms crossed and head cocked, Carter leaned against the door, openly taunting him. Magnus’s face didn’t twist with anger, but the hand gripping his cane trembled with the effort of holding back.

So Eugenie had come to him after all, forgetting Magnus entirely?

‘That’s her right.’

He told himself. It was always possible. Eugenie had always had a soft spot for Carter Livingston. Maybe, in the end, this was just proof of who she truly preferred.

But… Even if that were true.

“I’m the one with a prior engagement with Norton, Livingston.”

Crack. Magnus forcefully grabbed the closing door and kept it from shutting. He wasn’t going to leave until he heard it from her own lips—even if it meant making a scene unbecoming of himself.

Even if Eugenie Norton treated everyone fairly, or even had a special place for Carter in her heart, there was no reason he couldn’t still give her the new ring he’d brought.

“…Tch.”

Seeing Magnus about to break down the door, Carter’s brow furrowed. So, the man wouldn’t back down with a bit of mocking. Of course not.

“Napier, did you know?”

He flexed his palm behind his back, where a faint blue crystalline shard pulsed in his hand.

“You’ve always been the biggest thorn in my side.”

It was the same divine power he’d used on Eugenie, but this time, his intent was very, very different.

* * *

Eugenie felt limp, as though her limbs had been turned to taffy. It wasn’t the ache of muscle soreness—on the contrary, she felt strangely energized, like her magic reserves were overcharged.

“Ugh…”

But, as always, too much of anything was worse than just a little too little. She let out a labored groan, feeling as if someone were sitting on her eyelids, keeping them closed.

What had just happened? She’d been waiting for Napier when she got called away to check on Carter, who was supposedly injured. And then…

“Why do you suddenly act like someone who can fall in love?“

Recalling what Carter had said made her throat tighten, even in her hazy state. It was like a crack in her heart had been filled with molten iron—searing and raw.

She’d never heard anything that hurt so much.

‘Well, except maybe that tree pervert said something similar.’

But that tree pervert was just some random stranger she could ignore. She’d been more annoyed at being seen through than genuinely hurt.

‘Carter, how could you say that to me?’

Maybe it was different when it came to love and romance. But there was never a time when Carter wasn’t precious to her.

Carter had always known exactly what she liked, even from when they were children. In fact, a few of her favorite things were because of his influence. He was just that important to her.

‘Does he even remember he was the first to ever bring me daisies?’

When they’d first met, Carter had woven a flower crown out of white daisies for her.

“Here you go, Eugenie. A present.”

“What kind of flower is this?”

“Daisy. Cute, right?”

“Hm.”

She remembered reading somewhere that flowers were just the reproductive organs of plants. As a child, she didn’t even know what ‘reproductive organ’ meant, but she’d wanted to act smart.

But she hadn’t.

“Thanks for being my friend, Eugenie.”