Chapter 874 The Encounter
“Don’t overthink it, Isabella. I saw the video a year ago. If I were angry, I wouldn’t have agreed to marry you. Don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with it properly,” Oscar said on the other end of the line.
It was then Isabella became at ease. “Thank you for believing me, Oscar. I love you, and I never was and would never be unfaithful to you,” she said in order to win his sympathy.
“I know. Be good and rest at home. Don’t come to the office for now; come back only when the topic dies down,” he uttered in a gentle voice.
Isabella mulled over his words and agreed in the end.
After ending the call, she beamed with bliss, under the impression that Oscar was truly in love with her. Unbeknownst to her, the man had a cold countenance as he stared at his phone.
“Boss, do you want me to delete the video?” a beautiful woman asked solemnly.
Oscar put down his phone and shook his head.
“We’re in no hurry. Let it trend on the internet for a while longer. Have you made any progress on the IP address I asked you to track?” he calmly inquired.
The woman gave him a confused look, for she could not figure out what was on his mind at that moment.
Technically, Isabella was his fiancée, and the video trending on the internet would ruin her reputation, as well as Clinton Corporations’. Yet, instead of removing the video and countering the scandal immediately, he wanted to add fuel to the fire by letting the video gain more exposure.
It’s getting harder and harder to figure out Boss’ thoughts.
“What’s wrong? Do you find my actions strange?” Oscar asked, arching a brow.
The woman quickly lowered her head and said with a tint of panic, “No, Boss, that isn’t what I’m thinking about.”
Still, he only spared her another glance before waving his hand at her to dismiss her.
The woman could only heed his order.
In the meantime, Isabella waited at home for the video to be deleted. However, not only was it not removed, but the situation was also worsening. In fact, photos of her partying in bars and being intimate with foreign men overseas in the past were emerging on the internet. The netizens took in all the information like ants to sugar. Every one of them was more than delighted to hurl terrible comments at her from behind their screens. Some even felt indignant on behalf of Oscar, stating that the woman he was about to marry was not a daughter from a prestigious family but a promiscuous woman who would take any man.
One video and various photos were enough to stir up an uproar on the internet.
Compared to Jennifer’s obscene photos in the past, Isabella’s video gained much more attention, surpassing the former even.
Isabella’s face paled as she read the appalling comments written by the netizens. Even her fingers trembled nonstop.
She could not stay still in the house anymore, so she drove straight to Clinton Corporations’ office. Just as she stepped into the building, the employees began whispering remarks about her.
Already frustrated, she swept her gaze across the nosy people and snapped, “Get out of my sight!”
The employees hastily lowered their heads, but as soon as Isabella entered the elevator, they gathered and renewed their discussion about her.
Isabella took in a deep breath and forcibly recollected herself.
“Ms. Walker,” Linda greeted as she approached her.
“I’m here for Oscar,” Isabella said and tried to walk past Linda, but to her surprise, the latter stopped her.
The irritation in Isabella grew intense. If not for Oscar’s insistence on defending Linda, she would have kicked her out of the company in the cruelest way she could think of. Therefore, although Linda remained in the company, the hatred Isabella bore for her was to the point she would terminate the latter at any chance.
“Ms. Walker, please don’t blame me for this. Mr. Clinton instructed me not to let anyone into his office without his permission when he went out just now,” Linda informed.
“You b*tch. Stop me again, and I’ll get you kicked out of this company! Don’t you dare forget that I’m now Oscar’s fiancée and the future lady of the Clinton family!” Isabella snarled.
At that, Linda took a step back, fearing that Isabella would take out her anger on her.
Isabella then lifted her hand, but she soon lowered it again and turned to enter the elevator.
Once she was out of the elevator, she phoned Oscar, but her call never went through. With the anxiety in her bubbling, she continued to call him dozens of times before it finally went through.
Isabella’s face broke out into a smile, and she quickly asked, “Oscar, where are you? Why did you take so long to answer my call? Are you angry at me? Please listen to me. Those photos aren’t real. I was just out drinking with friends, and we started messing with each other when we got drunk. I don’t know who took those photos, but I swear I didn’t do anything with them. The news on the internet is fake. You have to believe me! I really love you, and I would never have an affair with any other man!”
On the other end of the line, Oscar chuckled.
His laugh made a chill run down Isabella’s spine.
“Oscar, why are you laughing? Are you really going to leave me now?” she whispered in distress.
That only made him laugh even louder.
“Oh, Isabella, you’re so cute. Don’t worry. I’m currently at the Clinton residence, and I’ll be back after I explain some things to my parents. Don’t worry about the things on the internet. I’ve already sent someone to deal with it. The mastermind behind this is a little sly, but we’ll track down their identity soon. I’ll get a lawyer to sue them and make them apologize to you,” Oscar softly said to her.
Feeling uneasy, Isabella muttered, “I’ll come over right away.”
“It’s fine. Mom and Dad are furious at the moment. If you come, you’ll surely get a scolding from them. Let’s wait for them to calm down before we visit them together to clarify things,” Oscar reassured. “Be good, okay? I’m in the middle of a conversation with them, so I’ll end the call first. Stay home, and don’t overthink this. I’ll take care of everything.”
After ending the call, Oscar kept his phone and turned back to his livid parents.
“Oscar, you’re spoiling Isabella. How can you tolerate a scandal like this? It looks like you really want to give your dad and me a heart attack!” Olivia scoffed.
All Oscar did in response was raise his brows.
“Mom, do I really adore Isabella in the past? If that’s true, then why am I not as angry as I thought I’d be when I saw these photos circulating on the internet?” That was the thing that had him feeling puzzled for the past few months.
Memories of loving moments between him and Isabella filled his mind, but every time he was with her, it felt as if a hole had opened up in his heart and made his entire being ache.
Oscar had been looking for the reason he became that way, but his search had been fruitless. Instead, another figure entered his dreams. When he finally got a good look at the figure, he realized it was Amelia, the person he thought he should abhor to the core.
He assumed he hated her, yet he could not help but feel attracted to her when he saw her at the charity gala.
Oscar was a man who had no issue keeping his head afloat in the sea of the corporate world, but the lines between reality and his memories had blurred, and he was lost.
“Oscar, do you remember something?” Olivia asked, her eyes lighting up with hope.
Oscar gave her a roguish smile and tucked away the confusion in his eyes.
“Mom, am I supposed to remember something?” he questioned in return.
At that very moment, Olivia felt the urge to punch her son.
Before she could let her impulse take over her body, Owen pulled her into his arms and turned to Oscar.
“Oscar, why don’t you tell us what you’re planning to do for Isabella’s case? Your mom and I have let you do as you please for such a long time, but it’s time for you to stop this. I can see that you don’t adore Isabella as much as you say you do, so I’m sure you must have sensed something. Do speak your mind if you wish to find out anything from us. There’s no need for you to keep a promiscuous woman like her by your side because that will only make your mother and me worry about you,” Owen uttered with a cold expression.
Oscar stared back at his father. At that moment, it was as if sparks were going to fly as the two powerful men met gazes.
Finally, Oscar lowered his eyes and asked flatly, “Dad, Mom’s the one who wanted Isabella to be her goddaughter. In other words, both you and Mom had a good impression of her, so why are you so hostile toward her?”
“The goddaughter your mother wanted was the obedient Isabella, not the woman who laid a finger on her son and even secretly threatened her elders,” Owen replied grimly as his face darkened.
At that, Oscar was quiet for a while.
Eventually, he rose to his feet and patted away the wrinkles on his suit as he said, “Dad, Mom, give me a little more time. I need evidence to clear up my puzzlement. Until now, I could not figure out why all of you seem to have ganged up against me to tell me that the woman I love is Amelia, even though it’s supposed to be Isabella. I don’t know who is lying to me, and before I find out the truth, I don’t want anyone to do anything to Isabella. I don’t want to bear any regrets.”
Olivia’s and Owen’s expressions darkened. Evidently, they were greatly displeased by Oscar’s words.
They thought their son had finally opened his eyes to Isabella’s behavior, but it seemed like that was not the case. That woman’s scandals were all over the internet, yet, their son was still adamant about defending her.
“Oscar, so you mean to say that you still want to defend her? Did I understand you correctly?”
“Mom, she’s my fiancée.” In other words, Oscar was saying that it was nothing wrong for him to defend her.
Raw anger shot through Olivia. Just as she was about to display her wrath, Owen grabbed her hand.
“As long as you won’t regret it, Oscar. You’re the head of the Clinton family now, so your mother and I won’t ask too many questions. However, I hope you’ll use the rationality you have for the corporate world to deal with your love life. Otherwise, I’ll donate our assets to charity,” Owen warned.
Oscar inclined his head in acknowledgment.
After exchanging a few more words with his parents, he left the Clinton residence. Somehow, he found himself driving to a park. He did not know why he was there, only that a voice in his mind had urged him to head to the park to discover a possibly buried memory.
Oscar parked his car, got out of it, and strode into the park.
All of a sudden, he froze in his spot when his eyes spotted the incoming figure. Then, as his eyes widened, a look of surprise flashed across them.
The other figure stiffened as well. When their eyes met, it felt as though they were star-crossed lovers looking at each other.
After what seemed like forever, the other person moved. She walked over to Oscar and flashed him a faint smile.
