A MAN NAMED ANDREW RAINE

It was exactly thirty minutes after nine when Andrew finished his last delivery.

He counted the money in his hands before revealing  a smile.

"Finally. I have been able to save seven months of this job's salary. I can get Karen a beautiful necklace and take her to that new pizza place for her birthday."

Andrew had a struggling marriage, and he was trying his best to keep it together.

His wife had once been madly in love with him, but she had grown cold over the years, so he thought he would excite her with a bit of surprise. 

Andrew arrived at the gates of the Winter's mansion. 

"Hey, get out of here! We don't allow beggars in here." A man dressed in uniform came out of the gate station and yelled at Andrew.

"Uhm. Ben, it's me." Andrew awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as he clutched the wrapped present in his other hand.

"Oh. Master Andrew. Welcome." Ben smiled softly at Andrew and opened the gates.

"Thank you, Ben," Andrew returned the smile. Ben was the only one who respected him in this house. 

Andrew turned his face towards the direction of the mansion, and he saw the faint projection of bright white light coming out of the house.

"What's going on, Ben?" Andrew asked the guard in confusion.

Ben replied with a raised brow "I thought you'd be the first to know, sir. Today is the mistress' Birthday."

"Not that, Ben. I mean, what's going on in the mansion?" Andrew asked. 

"The mistress threw a birthday party." Ben gestured towards the exclusive fleet of cars packed by the mansion.

Andrew furrowed his brows when he saw the cars of different styles and designs. 

"Karen threw a birthday party without telling me?"

He felt a dull ache in his chest, but he still had to find out why she didn't tell him. 

Andrew moved quickly to the entrance of the mansion. He wondered why Karen wouldn't inform him of such a big thing. 

Meanwhile, everyone in the mansion was happy as they celebrated the twenty-fifth birthday of one of the top businesswomen in the country, Karen Winters.

Karen was all smiles. She accepted the gifts and well wishes.

The guests loved her; the media was present to capture the moment, and even the president of the business world honored her invitation. 

Everything was going just as she had planned, and nothing could ruin it. 

At that moment, the doors to the mansion burst open with a loud bang and drew the guests' attention.

Andrew walked in to see a strange man placing a kiss on his wife's hand, and he was furious.

"You. Get your hands off, my wife," he said before pulling the man away from Karen, breaking the calm environment in the mansion. 

"Andrew! Leave him alone!" Karen immediately stood in between the two men and glared at him.

"Karen, what are you doing? Why are you letting another man touch you in such a manner?"

Andrew stood his ground. He couldn't understand what was going on with Karen.

"Shut up, Andrew! Why shouldn't I let him? It's my birthday, and I can do what I want with my life."

Karen had prepared for this. 

"And he isn't just another man. He is Mark Twain. He is a billionaire, Andrew. Who are you?"

Shock overwhelmed Andrew as he stared at his wife's face. 

He knew Karen no longer respected him, but she had never done it publicly.

This scene intrigued the guests as they watched the drama unfold. 

"Who is that scum?" One of them asked,

"I heard they are both married."

"Nonsense. The Winters would never let their beloved princess marry such a gutter worm." 

Andrew ignored their stupid words as he stared blankly at Karen.

Had she forgotten where he met her? 

"Look at you, Andrew. You came looking like a peasant to your wife's birthday. Don't you have any shame?!" She yelled at him with disgust in her eyes. 

"Karen, stop this behavior. I am still your husband." Andrew gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"What's going on here? What's all the ruckus?”

A woman stepped out. She had been attending to a guest when she heard the commotion.

"Mother. Andrew is embarrassing me. Look at him. He didn't even bring me a present." Karen’s eyes watered as she complained to her mother.

Mark came by her side and pulled her closer, trying to comfort her.

His wife’s dramatic behavior took Andrew aback.

"Karen, please, don't be like this. I got you a present."

Karen’s face scrunched up as she collected the poorly wrapped gift. 

"What is this trash, Andrew? Is this the best you could do?" Karen's waterworks came on full display as she cried and leaned closer to Mark.

Her mother looked at the necklace in disdain and threw it on the floor. 

"Albert. Bring the papers here." 

Andrew's brows furrowed together as he heard what she said.

'What papers were they talking about?'

The butler, Albert, came with the papers, and he handed them to Andrew.

Andrew's eyes darted across the paper, and his heart clenched in pain.

"Karen!" Andrew yelled, causing the lady'seyes to widen. He had never acted this way to her before. 

"What is this? You want to divorce me?!" he shouted. 

His mother-in-law immediately shielded Karen from his blazing fury.

"Yes. I told Karen to marry you because we thought you were the loyal son of the Grey family, but it turns out that you are just a useless bastard." Karen's mother said with a scornful look on her face.

“I don't want you anywhere near this family again." 

Her finger was poking his chest as she spoke. 

"Camela! Watch your tongue!" Andrew screamed at his mother-in-law. He had lost every iota of respect for them since they publicly insulted him. 

Camela drew her face into a frown, and just as she was about to retort, the loud sound of a slap resonated around the hall.

Andrew stumbled back, and his cheek stung with a sharp pain. It was James, his brother-in-law who had slapped him. 

"James. Don't hit him again." Karen pleaded to her brother.

"He has no right to talk to Mama like that," James said as he glared at Andrew, but Karen held him back.

Andrew was utterly stunned. These people were ingrates. 

They would be nothing without him. 

He had secured a brilliant spot for Karen’s business with his former connections and helped her grow.

How could she turn her back on him now because of some unfortunate events?

"Andrew. Sign the papers, and let me be. I'm pregnant with Mark’s child. I love him and want to stay with him." 

Karen said, with a step forward while she clung to Mark, who held his shoulders high. 

The hall became as silent as the grave, and Andrew's eyes shook.

He rubbed his hand over his face before letting out a laugh. He had been stupid, but no longer.

"I am not signing those divorce papers."

Andrew said with defiance in his tone. He would make every one of them pay. He didn't know how, but he would.

His phone rang, He picked it up, and the line quickly connected.

"Hello, am I speaking to Andrew Raine?"

The voice had a sense of urgency.

Andrew's heart quickened. "Yes, you are. What's wrong?"

"I'm calling from the Dickens General Hospital. Someone rushed your mother here, and we need to see you at once." The line immediately went off after that statement.

Andrew felt his world breaking into a million pieces.

His mother was in the hospital?

Andrew called out a taxi and rushed to the hospital. He met a nurse sitting at the reception.

"Excuse me, please. My name is Andrew Raine. Someone called me here because of my mother."

The nurse looked up, and her face scrunched up at the sight of the man in front of her. He was a little handsome, but what he wore revolted her.

"Follow me." She muttered and took him to the doctor's office.

The nurse led Andrew into the doctor's office, and he took his seat.

"Hello, doctor. My name is Andrew Raine."

The doctor looked up with an expressionless face.

"Mr. Raine, let's cut to the chase. Your mother is in a critical condition.”

Andrew swallowed hard. He understood where this was going, and he held his breath. 

“Her heart cannot function properly, and her two kidneys are on the verge of failure.” The doctor paused, letting his words sink in. 

"If you truly want to save your mother, I advise you to prepare the sum of three million dollars as soon as possible. We can only keep her alive for three days."

"Three million dollars???"