Chapter 872
Chapter 872
Perhaps it was due to the alcohol and the fact that the two had a common topic—Amelia and Tiffany— they were able to converse smoothly for once.
As Derrick took another sip of his wine, he said, “Mr. Clinton, how much of what happened between me and Tiff do you remember? What kind of person do you remember Amelia as?”
Of course, Derrick was not all that interested in someone else's relationship. He was planning to help amend the relationship between Amelia and Oscar so that Oscar would be able to put in a few good words for him. Moreover, Amelia was not one to sit on her hands. Once Derrick dealt with the obstacle that was Amelia, he reckoned it would not be impossible for him to reunite with Tiffany.
After all, Tiffany would heed some of Amelia's words.
Oscar took a big sip of his wine as he lowered his gaze in silence. After a beat, he finally told Derrick his answer.
“Mr. Clinton, you're kidding with me, right? Amelia's family is just an ordinary family, and they're living in the family house. In fact, they rarely interact with the Clintons. If you don't believe me, you can check it out. I really don't know what Ms. Walker has done to change your memory, but I'm impressed. You really have to be careful of her.”
Oscar turned to look at Derrick suspiciously.
Derrick shrugged and uttered honestly, “That's what it is, Mr. Clinton. You can always check it out if you
don't trust me. No one will tell you that you love Ms. Walker. In fact, just a month ago, you were still a man who was terrified of seeing Amelia upset. Yet, in such a short period of time, I'm hearing news about issues with your marriage with Amelia. Even if no one else is surprised about it, I am. It's true that Ms. Walker has courted you for many years, but everyone could see how much you despised her. That's the answer everyone in the company would give you.”
Oscar tilted his head back to drink another mouthful of his drink. “I'll look into this matter. If you're lying to me and have accused Isabella, I'll make sure you'll have a hard time living here.”
Derrick shrugged, unfazed. “Do whatever you like. In any case, Tiff's gone, and it's not as if I'm living a fantastic life. Maybe getting taught a lesson by you would be a good change for me. Still, Mr. Clinton, for you to come to me about this means that Isabella isn't too important to you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have looked into this at all. Dare I say that Amelia's still in your heart?”
Something flashed past Oscar's eyes at that, and a voice in his mind said, Is that the case?
Oscar wanted to deny it, but he did not know how to anymore.
Panic crept into his veins, and he hastily rose to his feet. “I'll be going now.”
Derrick stared at his retreating figure in silence. Just as Oscar was about to reach the doorway, Derrick uttered, “Mr. Clinton, let me give you a small piece of advice. Don't let go of Amelia again. She has left you once previously, and this is the second time now. A third time would be too much. Do hold on to her tightly.”
Oscar halted in his tracks, but he soon opened the door and left.
Derrick curled his lips, but the smile on his face faded away in no time. A look of bitterness then crept into his eyes.
After lifting his head to drink another glass of wine, he mumbled under his breath, “Tiff, will you really come back?”
Derrick continued drinking away gloomily until he collapsed on the couch, drunk.
Meanwhile, after leaving, Oscar sent his men to look into Amelia's family situation. As it turned out, it was just like what Derrick had told him, and it was vastly different from what he remembered. At that, Oscar began speculating that only his memory about Amelia was faulty while his memories of others were not.
He narrowed his eyes as several thoughts danced across his mind.
Then, he stood up and went to his office. Upon arriving in his office, he called and asked his secretary, Linda, to come in.
“Mr. Clinton,” Linda greeted when she reached the center of the room.
“Linda, you have been working for me for a while now. Be frank with me, am I good to Mrs. Clinton?” he asked. The employees in the company did not know about his divorce from Amelia yet.
Linda lifted her head to glance at him. She then started hesitantly, “Mr. Clinton, didn't you get a divorce from Mrs. Clinton?”
Oscar's expression darkened, and his voice took on a menacing tone. “Who has been spreading rumors in the office?”
Linda gulped. “Well, that's what Ms. Walker said, Mr. Clinton. She also said that she'll be Mrs. Clinton soon and told us to get lost as soon as possible since we've offended her in the past.”
Linda was wracked with anxiety. She had crossed Isabella a while ago. If Isabella were to become Oscar's wife, she would be the first to go, and she truly did not wish to lose her great job.
“When did she say that?” Oscar asked, starting to feel a little irked.
“Just this morning. Ms. Walker came to the office to look for you, but you weren't around, so she said that to us.” Linda then took a deep breath and asked in a worried tone, “Mr. Clinton, did you get a divorce from Amelia? Weren't you both fine a while back?”
Oscar looked up at her and asked, “Am I nice to Amelia?”
Without dwelling on the strangeness of Oscar's question, Linda answered, “Of course! Everyone in the office knows how nice you are to Mrs. Clinton. Your two-year search for Mrs. Clinton after your first divorce had been a relentless one, and everyone knows about it. In fact, it's almost like a legend in the office. Everyone secretly thinks of you as the most faithful man.”
Catching a keyword, Oscar asked, “The first divorce?”
Linda gave Oscar a confused look and queried, “Did you forget about it, Mr. Clinton?”
Oscar waved his hands dismissively and said, “No. Go on.”
Linda inclined her head. “If I had a say in this, I'd say I've never seen anyone being as nice to Mrs. Clinton as you. Every time Mrs. Clinton comes with packed lunch, you'd put aside your work to eat with her. Then, you'd walk her downstairs before coming back up to work. Sometimes, you'd even sweetly ask for a kiss before sending her into the elevator. The others in the secretary's room always talk about how they have to find someone as loving as you. Of course, we'd never thought about actually pursuing you, Mr. Clinton. We'd be murdered several times over with how icy your looks can be. Everyone says that your gentleness is reserved for Mrs. Clinton and Mrs. Clinton only.”
Oscar lowered his gaze, falling deep into his thoughts.
“You may leave now.”
Linda halted in her speech and gave a careful glance at Oscar. “Mr. Clinton, you haven't gotten a divorce from Mrs. Clinton, right?”
As he fixed his gaze on his document, Oscar said indifferently, “No one's allowed to say anything about this unless they've heard it from me. Go out and tell them that I'll terminate anyone who continues to talk about me getting a divorce from Amelia.”
At that, Linda let out a sigh of relief and said, “I got it, Mr. Clinton.”
She then left the office merrily and conveyed Oscar's message to the others. The others were as delighted as Linda about the news, and they returned to their work with renewed vigor.
“I knew it. Isabella's simply dreaming. Mrs. Clinton is such a nice woman, and she never abuses her
power around us to lord us around. If Isabella ends up being Mrs. Clinton, I'd be first to quit the company.” NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.
“Count me in!” the others chimed in.
It was evident that Isabella was not popular in the company as everyone hated her arrogance.
Back in the office, Oscar took out his phone to look at the intimate photo of him and Amelia. As he brushed his finger across Amelia's face, he muttered, “Who are you, Amelia Winters? Why do I hate you so much in my memories? But if that's the case, why do I have photos like these with you?”
Oscar's head pounded as his memories and reality dissolved into a chaotic mess. He could not figure out whether the people around him were deceiving him or if his memory was the one lying to him.
Right then, his phone rang, and the sound of the ringtone dragged him back to his senses.
When he picked it up, he saw that it was a call from Isabella.
He placed his phone back down, for he did not wish to talk to Isabella at the moment.
However, Isabella was relentless as she continued calling him. Annoyed by the incessant ringing, Oscar reached out to switch off his phone. Yet, a thought flashed past his head, and he changed his mind. In the end, he picked up the call.
“Oscar, what are you doing? Why took you so long to pick up the call?” Isabella queried.
Despite the grim look on Oscar's face, his tone was gentle as he said, “I just came back to the office,
and I'm about to go to a meeting. What's the matter? Are you bored? Why don't you invite a few of your friends to go shopping? I'll come to you once I'm done with work.”
“Oscar, you make it sound like I only know how to have fun!” Isabella teased. In the next second, she dropped the sweet voice and said, “Oscar, I'm thinking of coming back to Clinton Corporations to work. I used to work there, anyway. I don't wish for anything; I just want to be with you all the time. You have no idea how much I miss you despite not only seeing you for half a day, so please say yes!”
A dark look crossed Oscar's eyes. Judging by how much he doted on Isabella, it would only be natural to say yes to her. Yet, somehow, he did not quite like the idea of Isabella working in the company.
“Can't I work in the company, Oscar? Do you not want me by your side at all times?” Isabella asked miserably.
Oscar lifted his hand to rub his temple. “Isabella, you weren't like this before. I told you before that I don't like women who jump to conclusions easily.”
The Isabella he remembered had been considerate and easygoing. She would have never intervened in his work. Could this be because of my faulty memory too?
Perhaps Isabella sensed Oscar's growing displeasure, for she quickly put a pause on the topic. “Oscar, I'm on my way to the office to look for you. So I'll be hanging up now. Bye-bye.”
After swiftly ending the call, Isabella glared at her phone. She then took in a deep breath and called Bernard.
The moment the call went through, Isabella growled, “Professor Zabinski, why is he still acting hot and
cold toward me after you have hypnotized him so many times? I didn't invest so much money in you just to have you try to fool me. I want a man who loves me entirely and thinks of me as his entire world.”
In a frigid tone, Bernard uttered, “Isabella, I've told you before that his willpower is too strong. The more hypnosis he undergoes, the more resistance his mind would provide. He doesn't believe you now, so appear in his line of sight more often. Learn how that Winters woman treats him. Let him see a match between the current you and the you in his head instead of complaining to me. You're useless if you can't even win over a man's heart.”
Rage seized Isabella, and she ended the call.
Amelia, Amelia, Amelia. I've already forced a divorce between Oscar and Amelia, but why is she still in the way of my relationship with Oscar? This woman's destined to be my nemesis! No, this won't do. It took me so much to win over Oscar's heart. I'm not going to give up halfway. Regardless of everything, I'm going to let Oscar see how good I am for him.
A determined look surfaced in Isabella's eyes.
She then drove to a supermarket and bought a cart full of groceries. She was going to cook for Oscar.
All I have to do is mimic Amelia, right? I can do that. I'll do anything for Oscar.
Once she was done cooking, she brought the packed food to the office. The moment she stepped out of the elevator, everyone in the office turn to look at her in contempt.
Linda walked over and said, “Ms. Walker, Mr. Clinton is in the middle of his meeting. It'd be for the best
if you go back first. You know, a person shouldn't be too shameless. Mr. Clinton has told us that the security guard will kick out anyone who tries to spread rumors in the company.”
Linda shot her a glare. Then, as everyone watched on with wide eyes, she slapped Linda.
“Who the hell do you think you are to stop me?” Isabella snapped. “Just you wait. I'm going to tell Oscar to fire you!”
With that, she shoved Linda aside and entered the office.
Linda, who was covering her aching cheek, ran after Isabella. “Ms. Walker, please leave! I'll have to call for security otherwise!”
Isabella huffed, “Get out. If you dare stop me again, I'm going to fire you. I'm the future Mrs. Clinton, and you are nothing but a trivial secretary.”
At that, Linda's expression darkened, and she dialed the internal line to get the guards to come upstairs.
When the two security guards arrived, they said, “Ms. Walker, please come downstairs with us. This isn't a place for you to kick up a fuss at.”
Isabella dodged the guards' hands and fumed, “I'll call the cops on anyone who dares to touch me. I'll say that you were harassing me!”
Hearing her words, the two guards shared a look with each other before turning to look at Linda in hesitance. Linda was at a loss too. After all, Isabella was the daughter of the prestigious Walker family
and the goddaughter of Olivia. If they crossed her, they reckoned they would get in trouble.
Right as Linda was stumped by the situation, a low voice rang out, “What are you all doing?”
Linda's heart lurched. She spun around and gave a slight bow before greeting, “Mr. Clinton.”
Isabella instantly dropped her haughty demeanor. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and the look she had on her face said she had been wronged.
“Oscar, you're back! It's nothing. Linda and the guards were just messing with me. They didn't want me to go into your office. I didn't know that you were the one who gave the orders for that. I'll go out now. I don't think you'd want to eat the food I've brought for you, right?” Isabella said, pretending to back down from the situation.
The look on Isabella's face made Oscar's heart skip a beat, and that was a feeling all too familiar to him.
For a moment, the image of Isabella overlaid with a figure in his memories.
Despite himself, he reached out to hold her hand and said to his employees, “Get out.”
The three of them had no choice but to obey.
Oscar then pulled Isabella to the couch before opening the container she had brought. When he saw the home-cooked food, he smiled and asked, “You made these?”
Isabella lowered her head a little as delight danced past her eyes. When she raised her head again,
she had a tender look in her eyes. It was almost as if the person who had lost her temper at the guards earlier was not her at all.
“Oscar, I made these for you. But ever since you married Amelia, I rarely cooked. My skill in cooking must have deteriorated, so I don't know if it'll taste good or not.” Isabella then took some food for him and said, “Here you go. Open your mouth. You can't say it's bad, or else I won't cook for you anymore.”
It was rare to see her say something childish like that, and Oscar's mood lightened up. It was then he felt that reality was not too far off from what he remembered.
Isabella used to bring him food, and the two of them would feed each other.
He thought that they had finally gone back to their usual way of interacting.
That was the result of Isabella mimicking Amelia.
She was glad that she had seen much of their interaction when she went to the Clinton residence with Stephanie in the past. Otherwise, she would not have known how to act like Amelia.
My hard work is paying off. Amelia, you're destined to lose to me.