Chapter 3 Andrew's Birthday

A little about Andrew: the boy is the result of Richard and Ellie's wedding night. That night, while drunk, Richard mistook Ellie for Martha and had sex with her. Ellie did not intentionally seduce Richard; she resisted very much, but how could a weak girl resist a strong man, 1m90 tall?

In just one night, Ellie became pregnant. She did not know if it was lucky or unlucky, but Andrew's presence caused her six-month marriage contract to be canceled. Richard did not let her take the child with his blood and leave; she could not leave her child behind, so she agreed to stay. However, when Andrew was born, Ellie was only allowed to raise him for the first month, after which Minerva forced her to leave Andrew because she thought that a lowly person like Ellie could not raise a child to adulthood.

Ellie first opposed Minerva because she wanted to get her son back, but all her efforts failed before Minerva's power. It is unknown whether Ellie's feelings for Andrew touched Richard; at that time, he helped her. However, she did not regain custody of her son but was allowed to visit him whenever she wanted. That's why Andrew stayed in the Winthorpe mansion while Ellie stayed in another house.

Andrew was still young, and the Winthorpe family wanted to protect his information, so they did not invite guests; they only held a birthday party in the family. However, the Winthorpe family's business partners sent gifts to show their respect. So, as soon as she entered the main hall, Ellie saw the gifts piled up into a small mountain.

A maid saw Ellie and quickly ran over, taking the cake and gift from her hand.

It was still early; Andrew had not returned from school yet, so Ellie joined the maids, decorating the party and cooking.

Almost everyone except for Andrew and Richard was present at seven o'clock in the evening, so the party had not started.

Ellie could not sit still; every now and then, she looked towards the door, waiting for her son.

Minerva sat on the sofa chatting with her husband; seeing Ellie fidgeting, she could not help but tease.

"Who are you showing that gloomy face to? Andrew will run away when he sees you."

Minerva's husband, Brian Winthorpe, pulled his wife's hand, meaning she should not argue.

Ellie ignored Minerva's words because Andrew's figure appeared in her sight. The boy was holding a robot dog in his arms, with a bright smile on his lips, calling out "Mommy" as he ran towards Ellie.

She spread her arms, hugging the boy. Her heart became warmer than ever.

Andrew raised his head, held up the robot dog in his hand, and said to her childishly, "Mommy, look at it! Miss Martha bought it for me. I named it Nicky. Do you think it's strong? It's also perfect, and it can do a lot of things."

Ellie was stunned because the gift Andrew held in his hand was like the one she had prepared for him. Before, she knew that Andrew wanted to raise a small dog as a friend, but Minerva didn't like animals, so she didn't allow him to raise one; she came up with the idea of giving him a toy dog, but she didn't expect her gift to be the same as Martha's.

She was confused, her eyes darting around, thinking about how to exchange for another gift, she saw Martha and Richard walking side by side.

He was tall; his dark blue suit was exquisitely tailored to hug his figure, combined with a white shirt and an elegant tie. His body reflected success and power, making everyone around him pay attention. Next to him, the girl had a delicate beauty and long, flowing hair. She wore a graceful white dress adorned with simple but sophisticated accessories, exuding a gentle and charming look. They were like an ideal companion, creating a picture full of harmony and understanding.

"Mommy, mommy!"

Andrew's call pulled Ellie's mind back. She quickly hid the disappointment that flashed through her eyes and smiled at the boy, "Nicky is so smart, just like Andrew. Andrew must cherish Nicky!"

Andrew laughed out loud, nodding vigorously, agreeing with Ellie's words. His actions showed how much he loved this gift.

Everyone was present, and the birthday party began.

All the lights in the mansion were turned off, leaving only the flickering light of the candles on Ellie's birthday cake. Andrew closed his eyes and clasped his hands in prayer; no one knew what he wished for, and then he blew out the five small candles in one breath.

When the candles went out, the lights came on, the sound of confetti cannons rang out loudly, and everyone shouted in unison: "Happy Birthday to you, Andrew."

Only on this day of the year did the mansion have such a lively and cozy atmosphere.

Next was Andrew's gift unwrapping. Ellie didn't intend to give him the same gift as Martha's, but the maid brought her gift before Andrew before she could do anything.

When the robot dog was revealed to everyone, the atmosphere was a bit stagnant; Ellie was highly embarrassed and was about to explain when Andrew excitedly said, "Wow, so I have two dogs. This one will be named Lucky!"

Andrew's innocence resolved the awkward situation; Ellie breathed a sigh of relief, feeling happy that Andrew loved her gift.

If Andrew opened everyone's gifts, it would take until tomorrow morning, so he would only open the gifts from his family; the rest would be handled by the maid and arranged in his toy room.

"I want to eat cake!" Andrew said excitedly.

"No! You have to eat dinner before you can eat cake." Ellie reminded.

Martha suddenly spoke up, "Let Andrew eat cake first; today is his birthday; you have to make him happy!"

Andrew ran towards Martha, "Miss Martha is so nice; I like you the most!"

The interaction between the two made Ellie's heartache; she pursed her lips and was about to say something when Minerva's voice rang out.

"Let Andrew eat cake! Can you be a mother and not indulge your child?"

Ellie looked at Richard. She needed someone to stand by her side and protect her, but Richard disappointed her.

He said, "It's Andrew's birthday party anyway; let him do as he pleases for a day!"

Ellie pursed her lips, suppressing her disappointment, and went to cut the cake for Andrew.

Everyone started to eat dinner, but no one noticed Andrew eating the cake until Ellie looked at him; his body had some strange signs.

Red rashes appeared on his smooth skin, it made him itch intensely.

Ellie panicked and cried out: "Andrew, what's wrong?"

Andrew also didn't know what was wrong with him; he felt itchy all over his body, and no matter how hard he scratched, the itch wouldn't go away.

It was visible to the naked eye; every part of his body started to blister, and his face became red and swollen, especially around his eyes, causing his eyes to be obscured, revealing only a panicked look.

The feeling of difficulty breathing began to appear; each breath became rapid and choked; his chest tightened, making it painful to breathe. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and his lips gradually turned purple while his tongue and throat began to swell, creating the feeling of a belt-tightening around his throat.

Andrew's whole body trembled; he felt like he was sinking into a nightmare, unable to control his body. Despair was evident in Andrew's eyes as he tried to call out his mother's name, but the sound that came out was only a heavy, wheezing sound. Everything around him gradually became blurry, and there were only panicked shouts from everyone.