The next day.

Unsure whether it was because of the jet lag, Joanne had woken up really early, yet she refused to open her eyes, and clung onto Brian in a daze. Just when she was about to return to sleep, a gentle voice whispered into her ear,

"Happy birthday."

She had almost forgotten; it was her birthday.

That was the first birthday Brian was celebrating with her, or perhaps, she could also say it was the last one.

Joanne opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Brian's handsome facial features. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. "Thank you."

Brian caressed her head and asked, "Are you still sleepy? If you are not, then let's get up, and we'll head to Paris after breakfast."

An hour later, outside the hotel entrance-

Joanne's hand shielded over her eyes, and looked up. It was a clear blue sky, and the sun was shining more brightly and warmly than ever.

The weather that day was better than the day before. She should be happier.

At that moment, a car stopped right before the two of them. A young man got off and opened the door, "Mr. and Mrs. Lambert, please enter the car. We'll reach Bordeaux Airport in 30 minutes."

Joanne held Brian back, with a mysterious smile on her face. "It's my birthday today. You have to listen to me!"

Brian raised his brows, anticipating to hear more.

"We won't take the plane to Paris," Joanne was getting excited. "We'll take the train!"

"..." Brian furrowed his brows, withholding his response for the moment. He had never taken the train. Firstly, trains were slow, and secondly, the carriages would be full of people, and he had never liked noise.

"We're taking a high-speed train! It will take only about three hours, which is similar to taking the plane!" Joanne shook Brian's arm, trying hard to persuade him. "We've never taken the train before. Accompany me just once." She stuck up her index finger of her right hand, and said emphatically as if she were making the only wish of her lifetime. "Just this once!"

Finally, Brian submitted to her soft and persistent pleading, and ordered the driver to head to the train station.

People of all colors, speaking in all sorts of languages were coming and going at the train station. Some were carefree and leisurely; others were busy and rushing.

Joanne held onto Brian's hand tightly, while following him to purchase the tickets, getting through security checkpoints, and waiting for the train.

They were very lucky. They managed to buy the tickets to the next high-speed train trip. It was only ten minutes to boarding time.

Just after they had found their seats, Joanne was stunned.

She and Brian did not manage to get adjacent seats. They were separated by the aisle, on different rows!

"..."-Joanne's current state of emotion could only be accurately represented by these punctuations.

It was not what she had imagined! What she had imagined was her and Brian snuggling with each other by the window, her leaning on Brian's shoulder, and him looking gently at her as she watched the changing scenery outside the window!

Miserable...

Brian proposed, "I could exchange seats with the person sitting next to you?"

Joanne glanced at the seat next to her. It was a girl who looked close in age to her, who was dressed very casually. She was looking out of the window, wearing a pair of headphones, and looked like a tourist heading to Paris.

She immediately pushed Brian in that direction, "Go ask her!"

Brian was slightly surprised, "You sure?"

He had thought, given Joanne's clinginess of the past few days, she would not have given him any chance to interact with the opposite sex.

"Very sure!" Joanne nodded firmly. "You're handsome, she definitely won't reject you!"

Brian approached, first greeting the girl in French. She smiled while shaking her head, saying that she was from the United States.

Brian effortlessly switched to English, expressing politely that he needed very much to exchange seats with the girl.

The girl took off her headphones, and asked doubtfully, "Why, mister?"

"It's my wife's birthday today. She wished for me to take the train once with her," Brian looked helpless, "But it is a pity that our seats are not adjacent."

Perhaps Joanne was right about the irresistible quality of a handsome face. The girl very agreeably collected her bag and stood up. She said, "I wish your wife a happy birthday. May both of you have a great day."

Brian smiled saying, "Thank you."

Joanne also thanked the girl, and sat down happily. She propped her chin with her hand, watching Brian while remarking candidly, "I realized that your face is really useful during crucial moments!"

Brian grinned. Joanne could sense an air of wariness, and emphasized immediately, "Of course, I was not denying your other areas of performance!"

"Oh?" That someone stared at Joanne, suggestively and intrigued. "Other areas... What other areas?"

"Like-" Joanne poked Brian's head, "This area."

Brian,"..."

In that moment of speechlessness, the train had departed. The scenery during the journey was not exactly breathtaking, but it was fresh and novel enough for Joanne. She leaned on Brian's shoulder, occasionally chatting with him, and other times watching the landscapes. When she got tired of it, she would rest while cuddling with him. A few hours passed by unknowingly.

The high-speed train pulled in at the Paris station.

As compared to the train station at Bordeaux, the Paris station was much more modern and spacious. The human traffic flow was greater as well.

Joanne was very afraid of being separated from Brian, holding onto his hand tightly while he looked for an exit.

When she was traveling all over the place with Freya, she was the one booking the hotel, planning itineraries, and navigating, while Freya was dedicated to only enjoying and playing.

But that time with Brian, she could be a carefree idiot in life.

Following the signs, Brian very quickly led Joanne out of the train station. Soon, someone approached to welcome them, "Mr. and Mrs. Lambert, good afternoon. I'm the chauffeur from the hotel."

Brian turned to look at Joanne, "Do you want to eat first or should we go to the hotel first?"

"I'm not hungry yet, let's head to the hotel first."

Actually, Joanne was guessing-could Brian have arranged some surprise at the hotel for her?

For example, she would open the door to the room, to see an arrangement of fresh roses and heart-shaped candles.

Even though it was so incredibly cliched, she... did not reject the idea of it!

Once they were at the hotel, Joanne suppressed her inexplicable excitement when she pushed open the door to their room-oh, nothing special in the living room.

Ooh! There was still the bedroom!

She walked right towards it-Aish... nothing there, either.

Brian clearly knew it was her birthday!

Or could it be that he had other arrangements?

In the end, there was also no surprise at lunch. She changed into an elegant and presentable outfit for the visit to an incredibly classy restaurant. They dined while listening to a violin performance. Everything was per normal.

After leaving the restaurant, Brian asked, "Where would you like to go?"

Joanne pondered, but to no avail. She readjusted from her state of disappointment, and let Brian do the thinking, "What would you suggest?"

Not far from where they were, there was the world-renowned street of Paris. Brian turned down the chauffeur's offer to ferry them, and decided to stroll there with Joanne.

Even if it were the coldest time of the year, that street which was claimed to be "the most beautiful street in the world" was still lively and bustling. Joanne held onto Brian's arm, like an ordinary married couple on vacation, leisurely strolling along the shaded pathway.

After walking around 700 meters distance of a serene and shaded pathway amongst the bustling city, Joanne headed towards the commercial street of the western district in anticipation, while saying, "I don't feel like going back."

Brian asked, "You like it here?"

"Yeah," Joanne replied and nodded. "Don't you think it's nice here?"

Nobody here knew them, no gossips and scandals, no business crisis, no threats. Just them. Nothing could interrupt them. As long as they wished to, they could do anything.

"Let's visit here a few more times. If you still like this place so much, we can consider migrating," Brian said.

Joanne was stunned in her position.

Brian noticed that something was off, looking at Joanne. "What's the matter?"

Joanne quickly regained her senses. Concealing her heartache, she forced a smile, "Never mind about migration... Our family and friends are all in the country! I would probably not like this place anymore once the novelty had worn off." She momentarily indulged herself while imagining. "You just have to take me here once a year!"

Very soon, the two had reached the entrance of a famous shopping mall. Yet, Joanne did not spare it a look, seemingly not having the intention to enter. Finally, it was Brian who had stopped in his tracks, asking, "Shall we?"

"Are you buying anything?" She paused, then suddenly smiled. "Is it a present for me?"

Brian smiled faintly, "How would I dare to buy your present on the day itself?"

"Does that mean-you've already prepared my birthday present?" Joanne's eyes lit up instantly. "What is it?"

Brian refused to reveal more, "You'll know once you reach the hotel."

Joanne recalled Brian's birthday from a few months ago, when he had requested certain conditions from her. Therefore, she picked up the same thing from him, "A disclaimer, if it's not enough of a surprise, the present doesn't count!"

Brian smirked. It felt like there was something more behind it, which sent a chill down Joanne's spine.

As expected, he pressed his voice, saying, "Definitely comparable to your 'birthday present' for me."

"..."

They were right in front of the entrance of a shopping paradise which would drive women crazy, in the western district of Champs-lyses. Joanne's face instantly flushed red. She sprinted into the mall, and impulsively chose a scarf and a coat.

When she was about to make the payment, she calmed down as she was reminded of Lambert Group' current situation. She held Brian's hand, "Forget it, I don't like them that much."

Brian knew what she was worrying about, and smiled as he handed his card out, "It's just a scarf and a coat. We can still afford them even with Lambert Group' financial problems."

The tall, beautiful shopkeeper had packaged the coat and scarf, handing them to Joanne, along with a fresh rose stalk. She added, "Mrs. Lambert, happy birthday."

Joanne was so surprised by the shopkeeper that she had almost forgotten to give her thanks. The shopkeeper explained with a smile, "Our top designer had once designed a gown for you. We have your personal particulars, so we knew that it's your birthday today."

"Thank you all," Joanne smiled while receiving the rose. She placed it in the shopping bag, then left the shop while holding onto Brian.

Right after, the two visited the Eiffel Tower. Suddenly, Joanne recalled something important, and hurriedly opened the camera app in her phone, turning to Brian, "Mr. Lambert, ever taken a selfie?"

Brian,"..."

Faced with the predicted expression, Joanne shook her head, "I knew you wouldn't have done anything so trendy!" She hugged onto Brian with one hand, and raise her phone in her other hand, adjusting for a good angle. "Snap"- the image of her and Brian was captured on the phone.

Joanne inspected the result. She studied Brian's expression for a while, and concluded,"The Eiffel Tower behind us looks even happier than you are."

She must have a satisfactory photograph!

Joanne asked for help from a passerby. After handing her phone over, she excitedly suggested to Brian what poses to make. Brian did not speak, and just went ahead, holding the back of her head and he kissed her.

Just at that moment, the camera shutter went off,"Snap-".

The moment was preserved.