Chapter 851 Serious This Time
When Amelia and her family arrived at the Clinton residence, they saw Carol and Olivia conversing. To be exact, Carol was the one who kept talking while Olivia listened quietly. From time to time, she would nod in agreement.
Knowing that Amelia was rather unwilling to meet the Walkers, Oscar took her hand and squeezed it lightly. Amelia immediately gave him a smile to reassure him that she was okay.
Stephanie was now the daughter-in-law of the Walker family. Whether Amelia liked it or not, she would have to engage with the Walker family eventually.
Right after they entered, Tony wiggled out of Amelia’s arms and dashed to Olivia. He wrapped his arms around the latter’s neck sweetly and said, “Grandma, I missed you so much.”
As Olivia embraced him, she felt as if her heart was about to melt.
“My little sweet baby, you must be hungry. I’ll ask the housekeeper to serve the food right away. We can’t let you starve!” she said with a smile.
A vicious glint fleeted across Carol’s eyes as she watched the two interact with each other. She just couldn’t bring herself to like Tony. After all, she had suffered a lot because of him.
Just then, Tony glanced at Carol. “Grandma, I don’t like having outsiders with us while we eat together. Why do you always invite outsiders? It’s making me upset,” he whined to Olivia.
Carol’s expression stiffened at that.
Olivia hurriedly flashed her an apologetic smile. “Mrs. Walker, please don’t take it to heart. I’ve spoiled this child too much.”
Recomposing herself, Carol smiled gently and said, “Don’t worry about it. Tony is a lovely child. I can’t imagine anyone ever disliking him! Mrs. Clinton, you’re so lucky to have him. I could only hope that my grandchild would be half as adorable as Tony.”
Olivia was pleased to hear those words. To her, Tony was the best boy in this world.
She asked the housekeeper to serve the dishes before instructing someone to bring Isabella downstairs.
Soon, everyone settled into their seats and began eating. When Olivia noticed that Isabella only ate the mashed potato on her own plate, she asked, “What’s wrong, Isabella? Are you feeling unwell? You should try the side dishes.”
“Aunt Olivia, I will. Just take care of Tony. Don’t worry about me; I’m a grown-up now,” Isabella said, smiling politely.
Nevertheless, Olivia made the housekeeper place some food on Isabella’s plate. “Just treat this place like your home and feel free to eat up. Are you still feeling shy about what happened yesterday? It’s normal to date someone at your age. Stop overthinking now.”
“All right, Aunt Olivia.” Isabella nodded.
She glanced at the side dishes on her plate and forked some into her mouth. After chewing for a while, she wiped her mouth and took the chance to spit the food into the napkin. Then she continued to eat the mashed potato nonchalantly.
At the same time, she stealthily observed Oscar, who filled up Amelia’s and Tony’s plates before digging in.
Her lips curled up sinisterly. That’s right, Oscar. Eat as much as you can. When you’re done, we can visit Professor Zabinski.
The dinner went on for almost an hour.
Isabella had finished the mashed potato on her plate, but the side dishes remained almost untouched. “Isabella, are you really feeling unwell? You barely touched the side dishes. Do you not like them?” Olivia asked out of concern as she dabbed her lips with a napkin.
“Aunt Olivia, the food is great, and I enjoyed them. It’s just that I have some sores in my mouth, and it stings when I eat other food. That’s why I only ate the potato. I’ll have to apply some medicine later when I go home,” explained Isabella.
“I see. If it hurts too bad, you should go see a doctor. Don’t just endure the pain. Mouth sores are the worst,” Olivia remarked.
Isabella bobbed her head in response.
Since dinner was over, everyone moved to the living room. Isabella purposefully approached Oscar while turning the watch on her wrist. As her faint scent wafted into Oscar’s nose, his eyes glazed over.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, Isabella told him, “Oscar, drive me home later.”
Oscar nodded.
Isabella and Carol then sat on the couch next to each other, while Oscar, Amelia, and Tony sat across from them. Olivia, on the other hand, sat on the single couch on one side.
Olivia began, “Mrs. Walker, Isabella, it’s getting late. You guys should just stay over. I have asked the housekeeper to prepare the guest room for you.”
While fiddling with her watch, Isabella voiced somehow anxiously, “Will Oscar and his family stay here too?”
“Oscar has to go to work tomorrow, so they won’t be staying,” Olivia answered.
The next second, Oscar’s stiff voice sounded. “We’re staying.”
Upon hearing that, Olivia and Amelia turned to him, but he looked at Isabella instead. “If Isabella stays, I’ll stay too,” he added mechanically.
Olivia’s and Amelia’s faces fell.
“Oscar, what are you saying?” Amelia asked, forcing a smile.
Olivia also chimed in, “It seems that you’re learning to be funny now, Oscar. Jokes aside, didn’t you say you have to go to work tomorrow? Hurry and bring Amelia and Tony home before it gets too dark. Night driving isn’t so safe after all.”
However, Oscar simply glanced at Olivia before insisting, “Mom, I’m sleeping here tonight.”
Worried that the others might sense something amiss, Isabella prompted, “Aunt Olivia, I think Oscar is just worried about their safety since it’s so late already. Am I right, Oscar?”
Oscar looked at her and gave a nod.
Left with no choice, Olivia could only order someone to prepare the bedding in the master bedroom.
After making the Walkers head upstairs, she turned to Oscar and questioned, “Oscar, what was that about? Did you even consider Amelia’s feelings when you said that? What’s wrong with you? You were acting fine during dinner.”
Without a word, Oscar stared at Olivia coldly. She couldn’t help but feel shivers down her spine when she saw the look in his eyes.
At that moment, Amelia spoke up. “Mom, you should go to sleep first. Oscar has been busy with work these days, so he must be tired. I’ll talk to him. Don’t worry.”
Olivia gave it a thought and finally nodded.
Passing Tony to Olivia, Amelia said, “I’ll leave Tony to you tonight, then.”
Olivia took Tony into her arms. As she ascended the stairs and walked into her room, she gently coaxed the boy to sleep.
Meanwhile, Amelia raised her head and looked at the standoffish Oscar. She already had a hunch that this was Isabella’s doing. No wonder Isabella didn’t eat the side dishes earlier. There must be something wrong with the food. Why did I put my guard down? I should have been more alert.
Tentatively, she reached out to hold Oscar’s hand. To her relief, he did not shake her hand off.
“Oscar, shall we head upstairs and go to bed?” she asked in a soft voice.
Oscar’s eyes flickered, and he lowered his head to meet Amelia’s gaze. When Amelia saw something soften in his eyes, her heart skipped with excitement.
“Oscar, you know me, right?”
To her dismay, Oscar responded by brushing her hand off and going upstairs. He walked straight into his own room before shutting and locking the door.
A pang of pain hit Amelia’s heart as she stared at her empty hands. Since the time they had confirmed their feelings for each other, this was the first time he had shaken her hand off and left her behind. She had a feeling that she would lose Oscar before long.
Amelia was helpless. When Oscar had had a check-up in the hospital, the doctor had claimed he was very healthy. She had no idea what she should do about Oscar’s change of behavior.
Feeling at a loss, she stood there for a long time. When she finally gathered her senses, she exited the mansion and gave Jolin a call.
Although Jolin did not answer, she soon appeared before Amelia.
“What’s wrong, Mrs. Clinton?”
Amelia looked at her dazedly and stated, “Oscar has been drugged again. He doesn’t even know me now. Can you sneak in and force Isabella to tell you what she did to him?”
Jolin knitted her brows. “Please calm down, Mrs. Clinton. I’ll do that right away. That woman is too evil. Instead of waiting until now, we should have captured her and interrogated her when we noticed something off about Mr. Clinton.”
“Go now,” Amelia urged weakly.
Jolin nodded and left swiftly.
After locating the guest room Isabella was staying in, Jolin scaled the pipe nimbly and reached the window in no time. She opened it with little effort, but just as she was about to climb in, she was startled to see Oscar standing there.
“Boss, what are you doing here?” she gasped.
Oscar only stared at her indifferently.
At that moment, Isabella walked over in a thin nightgown.
“Oscar, she’s super annoying. Teach her a lesson for me,” she commanded coldly.
The look in Oscar’s eyes hardened, and he reached out to grab Jolin. Fortunately, the latter was quick to dodge. Without further delay, she scrambled down the pipe.
When she finally reached the ground, she heaved a loud sigh of relief and wiped off the cold sweat on her forehead.
“Mrs. Clinton,” she called out dejectedly as she returned to Amelia with her head hung low.
Amelia glanced at her and questioned, “Where is she?”
Looking at Amelia, Jolin couldn’t bring herself to tell her that Oscar was in Isabella’s room.
If Mrs. Clinton finds out, she may get hurt and overthink. Mr. Clinton’s behavior is way too strange. What in the world did Isabella do to him? He turned into a completely different person for no reason. This is so eerie.
“Mrs. Clinton, she’s not in her room. Since I couldn’t enter the rooms to search, I came back down. Why don’t you head back first? I’ll ask Hugo and Kurt to help me find her,” Jolin said.
Amelia nodded quietly before walking back to the mansion. As Jolin watched her back, she couldn’t help but sympathize with her.
Upon returning inside, Amelia was alarmed to discover that Oscar was nowhere to be seen. She immediately walked to Isabella’s room and knocked on the door.
Isabella opened the door and demanded, “What do you want, Amelia?”
“Where is Oscar?” Amelia snapped in return.
Snickering, Isabella said, “This is ridiculous. He’s your husband. You can’t even keep watch over him properly, and you’re asking me where he is?”
Without another word, Amelia shoved Isabella aside and stormed into the room, but she could not find Oscar anywhere.
She then shot Isabella a glare before walking back to the door. The latter stood in her way and scoffed, “Amelia, didn’t you claim that you and Oscar have an unbreakable bond that no one else can break? Yet now, you’re suspecting him for having feelings for me. Is your relationship that fragile?”
“Isabella, I don’t care about what you did to Oscar. Just keep in mind that love won’t last long when it is obtained using underhanded ways,” Amelia enunciated as she looked Isabella straight in the eye.
“That’s none of your business. If I can make Oscar fall for me, I can also have him under my control for life,” Isabella claimed smugly. “So what if I won his heart with tricks? As long as he wants me, then I’m the winner here.”
Amelia raised her hand and slapped Isabella’s cheek. “You’re despicable.”
With that, she turned around and left. Isabella remained in her spot, holding her sore cheek. “Hit me all you want, Amelia. You might not be able to do that anymore in the future.”
She strolled over to the closet and opened it, revealing Oscar.
“Let’s go, Oscar. You need to go somewhere with me. By the time you truly belong to me, I will stop drugging you. We will be a sweet couple, and I’ll be your dutiful wife.” She took Oscar’s hand gently and led him to the window. “Oscar, can you bring me down from here?”
Oscar nodded at her before carrying her and climbing down the pipe.
With her arms hooked around his neck, Isabella stared at his side profile obsessively. She was utterly mesmerized by him.
I went through so much trouble and spent so much money to get near him. Soon, he will be mine and only mine.
She curled her lips, feeling extremely pleased.
When they reached the ground, Isabella voiced, “Oscar, the bodyguards who are protecting you in secret are so annoying. Can you make them leave?”
Immediately, Oscar tightened his grip around her and began sprinting. In just a few minutes, they reached the car. This was Isabella’s first time being carried by someone running at full speed, and it was a thrilling experience.
“You’re so amazing, Oscar. I admire you so much,” she praised.
After setting her down in the front passenger seat, Oscar walked to the other side and got into the driver’s seat.
The moment he slammed on the gas pedal, the car turned around in the same spot before zooming forward at full speed. Since Oscar did not fasten Isabella’s seatbelt for her, she plunged forward and almost hit the windshield.
“Oscar, slow down! I haven’t fastened my seatbelt yet,” she exclaimed.
Oscar slowed down a little, but he continued to speed forward. Upon seeing the scene, the bodyguards who were hiding in the dark rushed to their car in the forest and chased after Oscar.
Hugo and Kurt also trailed behind them. “What’s wrong with Mr. Clinton?” The former couldn’t help wondering out loud.
Kurt stayed silent, but his face was grim.
Watching the car far ahead of them, Hugo sighed in his heart.
He felt that Oscar was really serious this time. His change was way beyond everyone’s expectations.
