Chapter 484

Chapter 484 Birthday Party

In the following days, my mother did not contact me again and mention a single word about the matter, probably because I had made my stance clear in the hospital. The sudden change in her demeanor had gradually put me at ease.

Soon, it was the red-lettered day of Amaury’s birthday party. Since I was clueless about whom I should invite, I was more than willing to let the Shaw family be fully in charge of the occasion.

Gazing at my son in my arms, I could not resist wondering how fast time had flown by. It was as though he had turned one in the twinkling of an eye!

Many were invited to attend the birthday party, and most of them were the Shaw family’s collaborators in the business industry. In other words, there were hardly any relatives among the guests.

Needless to say, it was an exceptionally grand birthday celebration that reflected the prominence of the Shaw family.

Nevertheless, I was not very particular about how grand the birthday celebration was, as long as I had all of my beloved family alongside me.

I thought I would never cross paths with Nicholas again after leaving Nifty Group. However, it never came to my mind that he would show up during Amaury’s birthday party.

At the same time, I was aware of the competition between him and Michael that became more intense after I left the group. In fact, I heard he had poached a few of Michael’s clients. On the other hand, Michael had seized a piece of land from him in an auction.

The moment the clients heard about the land falling into Michael’s hands, they made up their minds to collaborate with him again. Technically, it seemed like Michael was taking the lead then.

Nevertheless, I was not happy. After all, I still treated Nicholas as a friend. Not to mention, I regretted acting impulsively one year ago before getting to the bottom of the matter.

If only I had waited patiently for two more days at that time for Michael to return, I would not have followed Nicholas overseas. Thus, I could not help but blame myself for causing the two of them to be what they are today because of my impulsiveness.

My gut instinct told me that they were not solely competing with each other in the business industry. Nicholas was actually venting his wrath mainly because I had chosen Michael as my life partner. That explained why the former kept on stirring up troubles for Michael.

Undoubtedly, a strong-willed man like Michael would not easily raise the white flag in the face of his opponents. Prevailed by his possessiveness over me, he could not stand it after sensing that Nicholas had feelings toward me. Even if the latter did not get on his nerves by challenging him, I bet he would not easily let him off the hook too.

When the latter came into view at the birthday party, Michael’s face turned into a scowl in an instant.

At the sight of the sheer hostility when they looked intently into each other’s eyes, I felt a prickle of anxiousness. I could not fathom why Nicholas suddenly showed up. He had given me a few calls after I left the company. Nonetheless, I did not pick up any of his calls so Michael would not misunderstand.

In the meantime, Michael headed toward him and uttered coldly, “Why are you here? I don’t think I’ve sent you an invitation!”

“Well, Anna and I are friends. Since she’s celebrating her son’s birthday, why can’t I drop by and join in the fun?” Nicholas replied placidly. He only shot Michael a glance before fixing his gaze on me.

Sensing his subtle gaze, I was overcome by a sense of uneasiness. At the same time, Michael shot me a cold glare that sent an instant chill down my spine!

“Ah! Welcome to my son’s birthday party. Initially, I thought of inviting you, but I’d changed my mind later, assuming that you might be occupied with work. What a surprise to see you here!” I forced a bright smile to welcome Nicholas cordially.

Since he had expressed his intention of attending my son’s birthday party, it was inappropriate for me to chase him away despite Michael’s hostile attitude. Not only that, I had no choice but to put on a friendly facade in the face of all the other guests.

I expected Michael would comprehend my point of doing so after seeing the bigger picture. However, he glared at me with such wrath in his eyes. If looks could kill, I’d be dead by now.

I knew too well that he was infuriated because of my hospitality toward Nicholas. Heaving a resigned sigh, I could not help but snort inwardly. Hmph! I can’t believe he’s so petty! Why can’t he understand that I was just being polite?

If I tended to be swayed by emotions and treated Nicholas coldly, all the other guests would be perplexed. By then, I would attract unintentional attention and bring shame to the Shaw family!

A quick-witted Nicholas knew at once I was only being polite. Nonetheless, his lips contorted into a smirk when he caught a glimpse of the simmering rage in Michael’s eyes.

The next moment, Nicholas turned to gaze at me again. Flashing me a faint smile, he handed me a nicely wrapped present. “This is the birthday present I’ve chosen for your son. To be frank, I was racking my brain about what I should choose for him. I hope you don’t mind if it doesn’t suit him.”

“I’m more than happy that you can attend my son’s birthday party today. How could I look a gift horse in the mouth?” I responded earnestly.

Since Nicholas had turned up with a birthday present, I had no choice but to entertain him, although I knew I should avoid being closely acquainted with him. After all, he had helped me a lot throughout the year when we were overseas.

I accepted his gift and unwrapped the box right away. It turned out to be a pendant. Even though it was not an expensive item, it was an ideal present for my son. He had seemingly put effort into choosing it for Amaury.

“What a beautiful pendant! Thank you so much on behalf of my son. Why don’t you get a seat first? Please excuse me. I’ve to entertain other guests.” Sensing Michael’s penetrative gaze when Nicholas kept his eyes glued to my face, I had to give an excuse. I dared not talk much to the latter again, fearing that Michael would unleash his wrath on me at his peak of fury.

“Okay!” Nicholas replied blissfully. Even though the bright smile on his face never faded away, there was an unmissable hint of disappointment flashed across his eyes. No doubt, he was bottling up his emotions.

After Nicholas had left, Michael advanced toward me and hovered over me with a flicker of intense displeasure in his eyes. “It’s only a few days since you last met him and you’re all warm and fuzzy around him! Do you really miss him so much?” he questioned with a hint of jealousy in his tone. Apparently, he got all worked up when Nicholas showed up uninvited.

“Michael, could you please stop being so childish? Good gracious! How could you be green with envy over such a trivial matter at this age? He’s here to attend Amaury’s birthday party. How could I chase him out?” I rolled my eyes and was utterly speechless at his reaction. Nonetheless, I had to admit that I was tickled pink at his jealousy.

“Childish? Did you say that I’m childish? So Nicholas is a lot more mature than me in your eyes, huh?” he spat with burning rage in his eyes. I thought my words would be able to appease him, but I seemed to have added fuel to fire indirectly.

“Michael, are you not done yet? You intend to make a scene, don’t you?” I stopped in my tracks and glared at him furiously. My goodness! What’s playing on his mind? Nicholas is here to attend Amaury’s birthday party. Why is he acting up now?