Chapter 438

Chapter 438 Giselle looped her arm through his and led him to a corner of the living room where a bar counter stood. She pointed to the large box resting on the counter. "Here it is. Go on, open it." Donovan wasn't particularly interested. After all, it was just a cake. Still, out of courtesy, he tugged at the ribbon and lifted the lid. What he saw inside made him pause. It was a cake, yes, but nothing like the usual layered desserts. This one was crafted into a miniature landscape. Undulating mountains, stretches of blue sea, ships sailing across the waves.

The whole scene was vivid, three- dimensional, so realistic it looked as though it had been sculpted from clay rather than buttercream. As Donovan stood silently taking it in, Joanne stepped forward with a bright smile. "Mr. Kane, this is an artisanal landscape cake made entirely by Mrs. Kane herself. She spent ages on it. "To finish in time for your birthday , she stayed up working until five this morning. She wouldn't even let us help. And look how it turned out. It's better than anything you'd find at a professional bakery.

Isn't it incredible?" Giselle had known his birthday for a while and had racked her ---- brain for a gift. Aman like Donovan already had more than enough luxury in his life. Another watch, another car, another rare collectible- none of it would mean anything. So she decided to give him something money couldn't buy. Something made with her own hands. She settled on the challenge of the artisanal landscape cake. The process was grueling . It wasn't just baking. It required artistry, precision, and the patience of a sculptor.

Using nothing more than flour, cream, and sugar, she had to create a sweeping, lifelike scene. Even professional pastry chefs would hesitate at such a task. And Giselle was no natural cook. In fact, she was notoriously bad in the kitchen. But determined to have it ready before his birthday, she had spent the past two months quietly learning how to bake. She'd gone to bakeries, training under professional pastry chefs for weeks, starting from the very basics. Gifted as she was, Giselle picked up new skills quickly.

In less than two months, her baking had advanced enough that she could create work fit to sell. While Donovan was away on his business trip and his birthday drew near, she stocked the villa with ingredients . Each day after finishing her work, she returned to the kitchen, piecing together the creation detail by detail. She even worked through an entire night, and by this morning, at last, she had ---- completed it. Staring at the masterpiece before him, Donovan could hardly believe it came from her hands. This fiery, reckless woman had built it herself, painstakingly, piece by piece.

The thousands upon thousands of intricate details -it would take a painter hours, even days, to capture them on canvas. Yet here they were, rendered flawlessly in flour, sugar, and cream. He didn't need anyone to explain the magnitude of the work. He could see it in every curve and contour. The effort it demanded, the skill it required, the relentless focus-only someone who had poured her heart and soul into it could have achieved such perfection. Donovan drew in a long breath. Though his chest swelled with emotion, his face betrayed almost nothing.

Instead of praise, he rubbed his nose with a feigned casualness and teased, "A cake with mountains and seas. What's next-some kind of epic fairy tale blessing?" Giselle couldn't help but laugh. "Of course not." "Remember the first time we met?" she said. "It was in Haleona. I was surfing alone in the deep water when a shark came at me. You just happened to be out ona speedboat , and by pure chance, you pulled me out and saved my life."