The General Who Hates Me Chapter 290 - The Greetings

Zach was totally taken by surprise. He could only stare at the female cadet, who was still standing before him, without even blinking. The cadet had to snap her fingers and repeated, "General Lim, Sir! Wake up! It's your birthday. Please make your way to the Meteor Den now."

Zach was still confused, but he quickly recovered from his state of stupor and nodded. He turned around to head toward the Meteor Den, and with each step, he realized what was happening. His wife hadn't forgotten about his birthday at all! She was preparing this surprise birthday event for him. His mouth curved into a smile, and it only got broader as he was approaching the den. 

When he arrived at the foot of the stairs leading toward the den, he saw familiar people standing in a line formation, blocking the way. Most of them were his loyal men in their formal uniforms.

Each one of them saluted and greeted him with a birthday wish and a personal message they wanted to convey to him. They left the formation as soon as they were done congratulating him.

Then Zach saw Cobra. He smiled, hearing Cobra clear his throat before he said, stammering, "General... I'm actually not good with this kind of thing. But... I want to wish you a Happy Birthday. And I want you to know that I'm really thankful to meet someone like you."

He was about to leave when Zach grabbed him for a hug and whispered, "Thanks, man..."

"General!" Riley called out. He was grinning broadly at him. "Cobra, could you please move? It's my turn now," Riley added when Cobra did not leave.

Cobra shook his head and bid his farewell to Zach. "See you around, man," Zach said before he turned to Riley.

"You know I admire you so much, General. You're my idol, my role model, my hero! I thank the heavens for letting me meet a man like you. I will always pray for your good health. And more blessings. More babies… More..." He stopped when May poked his side from behind and whispered, "There are still a lot of people waiting, including the elders. Make it short."

Riley let out an awkward smile and ended his speech, "Happy Birthday, General..." Then he gave Zach a quick hug, to which Zach responded with, "Thank you, Riley. May only good things happen to you now." Riley left with glistening eyes.

Next, May and Lana greeted Zach. They wished him a happy birthday and thanked him for taking good care of their beloved friend. Zach thanked them back for always having been there for Keira to support her through thick and thin.

Then Drey was next in line. He cleared his throat before he said, "General Lim, Happy Birthday. You are such a lucky man to have a wonderful woman like my dearest friend Keira. I hope that you two will continue to be one team and remain strong in your relations.h.i.+p. You're going to be a dad soon, so please make sure you are healthy and safe so you can protect your family." Then he extended his hand to Zach for a handshake.

Cielo, who heard it wanted to hit her husband's back because it sounded more like he was preaching than giving her friend a birthday greeting.

Zach laughed and nodded as he accepted Drey's hand and said, "Got it, Drey. Thank you. I surely will."

Then it was Cielo's turn. She hugged Zach and kissed his cheek before saying, "Happy birthday, my friend. I am such a lucky person to have you as a friend, and I will always be there for you. May G.o.d always bless you."

"What's this? How many of you exactly are blocking my way to the Meteor Den?" Zach asked, half protesting, half joking, when he saw Jeru was next in line. 

Jeru grinned and said, "You mean blocking your way to your wife? Anyway, we started off on the wrong foot, but I'm glad we got to know each other well in the end. Thank you for not holding a grudge and for treating me as a friend, despite everything that I've done before. Happy Birthday, Zach."

After a quick hug that startled Zach, Jeru quickly left his spot, which was immediately replaced by Thea. She was crying as she hugged Zach and whispered, "Sorry, it's not supposed to be emotional, but these are tears of joy. We both have been through a lot. And I want you to know that I am so very grateful to have met someone like you in my life, who became a brother, a lover, and now a great friend. Happy birthday, Zach."

Zach was really moved by everything that everybody said to him, and now Thea. He smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Thea. I'm glad everything worked out well for you. Only let good things into your life from now on, because you deserve it." 

Then it was his mother-in-law's turn. Tears shone in her eyes as she hugged him and said, "Zach... I can't even begin to explain how happy and grateful I am, as a mother, that my daughter had chosen someone as reliable and outstanding as you to be her life partner. Thank you so much for taking good care of her, protecting her, and loving her. I love you. Happy birthday, son..."

Zach was holding back his tears, feeling so touched by his mother-in-law's words. He hugged her back tightly and said, "Thank you, mom. Thank you for giving birth to Keira, and for raising her to be such an amazing woman, whom I'm so lucky to have to accompany me in my life journey..."

Field Marshal Chan couldn't wait any longer for his turn, so he interrupted them, "Happy birthday to my son-in-law, who is just like me! That's why my daughter fell in love with you!" He chuckled and continued as he patted Zach's shoulder, "Well, I'm so proud of you, son, and you know that. I wish you all the best, and may you give us more grandchildren to play with in the future…"

Zach laughed and said, "Thanks so much, dad. We will try our best."

Then it was Grandma Terry's turn, who was already crying as she kissed, hugged and greeted her grandson. Grandpa Shen was beside her, who also blessed Zach with good wishes.

Rizie was next in line. She hugged Zach as she told him how thankful she was for having a capable brother like him and for all the things he had done for her and the family.

"Big bro, Happy Birthday. I love you so much, and thank you for everything," Josh murmured, and Zach laughed, seeing Josh teary-eyed. "Hey, steel yourself! Don't cry on me!" Zach jested as he messed up his brother's hair. 

Lyra was next. She hugged Zach tightly and said, "Thank you, big bro. For everything that you've done for us. I love you, big bro!" 

Zach raised an eyebrow when he saw Torin was next in line, grinning widely at him. So he whispered, "how come Torin is last?"

Lyra laughed and said, "He requested it badly, and sis-in-law agreed. You know how much she likes him…"

"Bro!" Torin interrupted and pulled Zach and Lyra for a group hug. Zach pulled Lyra away from him and instructed her to leave. Torin was not bothered at all, he was still smiling widely and said, "Happy Birthday, my brother-in-law!"

"I'm not yet your brother-in-law, Torin," Zach answered as he tried his best to hide his smile.

"Oh? You said 'yet'! So you've accepted the fact that sooner or later you will be! Come here, bro…" Torin said as he grabbed Zach for a tight hug.

Zach laughed as he said, "We'll see about that…"

Torin frowned and added, "I really want to become a part of your family not just because of Lyra, but because you're the best brother I've ever had. I love you so much, bro. Happy Birthday." Then he kissed Zach's cheek and immediately ran away, which left Zach astounded.

"The heck! That…" Zach grumbled, but his face brightened as soon as he saw his mother as the last one in line…

"Mom...:" He whispered as he felt his mother's warm hug...