After all, Joshua had just saved Ste and Keen.


    Joshua epted everyone''s gifts with a smile, thanking each of them. Abby sidled up to him, a mysterious glint in her eyes. "Come on, Joshua, let''s go see what Star got for you. She prepared something really special this time."


    Joshua nced at Ste, but her expression was as calm as ever. Haynes and Neville exchanged a look, equally curious to see what she had in store for him.


    Abby stopped in front of a closed door and turned to Joshua. "Go on, Joshua. Open it."


    He stepped forward and pushed the door open. Inside, warm-toned fairy lights cast a soft, gentle glow. The room was decorated in a cozy, romantic style, but the most striking feature was the floor, which was covered in a sea of candles. Arranged neatly among them were over twenty gift boxes, eachbeled with a number from ''1'' to ''27''.


    Joshua froze in the doorway.


    Abby exined from beside him, "Joshua, Star knows you never really celebrated your birthdays before. So, she put together gifts for every single year, from the day you were born until now! They may not be expensive, but she made each one of them for you by hand."


    At that moment, it wasn''t just Joshua who was stunned; everyone who had followed them was awestruck by the room full of presents.


    Ste was incredibly thoughtful.


    Haynes and Neville stood silently, their expressions unreadable as they stared at the gifts. Only Keen and Marvin were excitedly urging Joshua to start opening them.


    The room was lit only by the


    flickering candlelight, casting a hazy, dreamlike glow. Joshua, standing in the shadows just beyond the light, kept his expression hidden. Prodded by Keen and Marvin, he walked to the boxbeled ''1'' and opened it.


    Inside was a simple gift: a small gold medallion, elegantly designed and engraved with the initial ''J.'' The


    second box contained a hand woven good luck chart. The third held a custom Funko-style figurine made in his likeness.


    Each gift was perfectly suited to the age it represented, yet timeless enough not to


    feel outdated. Every choice was clearly made with immense care.


    By the time Joshua reached the tenth gift, his hands had begun to tremble. These were the same hands that had been stained with blood that had held knives and guns without a tremor. But now, for some


    reason, they refused to obey him, fumbling with the gift box.


    Keen and Marvin, who loved watching presents being unwrapped, were waiting eagerly for the next surprise.


    Seeing him struggle, they urged him on softly. "Mr. Joshua, hurry up and open it!"


    After a moment of silence, Joshua said, "Keen, Marvin, you two can open the rest for me."


    "Yay!" they cheered. Forgetting their differences, they began opening the gifts, taking turns with each box.


    From a distance, Leonard lowered his binocrs and let out a soft sneer. "Pathetic."