Chapter 882 Incomplete Memory
Meanwhile, Kurt was unaware of Tony’s upset. After leaving the apartment, he asked Hugo to meet him. Tiffany phoned Kurt right away after listening to Tony, but Kurt rejected her call.
She immediately ran upstairs and woke Amelia up to tell the latter about Kurt’s odd behavior. As Amelia listened to Tiffany, she felt her head throbbing. Although she was hurt because of Oscar’s aloofness, she was not weak enough to need someone else to solve her problems.
She asked Tiffany to hand over her own phone before calling Kurt. To her surprise, Kurt declined the call no matter how many times she tried. It was at that moment she realized things were getting out of hand. It’s likely that Kurt has decided to do something.
In distress, she rubbed her forehead. Everything was a mess, and it felt as if trouble kept coming one after another.
Left with no choice, she began texting Kurt: Kurt, call me right away after seeing my text. I don’t need you to do anything for me. If something happens to you because of me, I will never forgive myself. Go ahead if you want me to live in guilt for the rest of my life.
She then sent a second message: Call me right now, Kurt. I’m already having gastric problems. Don’t make things more difficult for me.
Kurt was driving when he saw those two texts. His eyes darkened as he pondered for a while, but in the end, he deleted the messages without even replying.
For a long time, Amelia clutched the phone in anticipation. However, no messages—let alone calls—came from Kurt. This was something he had never done before.
Her heart started to beat faster and faster as she realized Kurt was serious this time.
She paced back and forth in the room with deeply furrowed brows. All of a sudden, her eyes lit up, and she hurriedly dialed Hugo’s number.
“Hugo, I know Kurt contacted you. Tell me where you agreed to meet. I believe you also don’t want him to do anything foolish. You’re his closest friend, after all,” Amelia said with certainty.
She knew that Kurt and Hugo were as close as brothers despite not being related by blood. Thus, it was possible that Kurt would talk to Hugo about his decisions and even make the latter cover for him. That was why she thought of calling Hugo.
On the other end of the line, Hugo stayed silent for a long time.
Amelia tensed up at that, her grip around the phone tightening. “Hugo, I know you want the best for Kurt. I only want to know where you agreed to meet. Just like you, I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.”
Eventually, Hugo gave in and told her an address. Having made the right choice to call Hugo, Amelia sighed in relief. After thanking Hugo, she hung up and asked Tiffany to take care of Tony as she would be meeting Kurt to talk to him.
“Will you be okay by yourself?” Tiffany asked worriedly. “Don’t worry. This is my problem, so I should be the one to resolve it. I’m not weak enough to let others clean up my mess,” said Amelia with determination.
She knew that her bad mood for the past few days had affected her best friend, who cared for her the most. It was her fault for not dealing with the matter properly, so now, she would take care of it.
Seeing the resolute look in her eyes, Tiffany could only nod and say, “If you can’t handle it, call me. Don’t force yourself to bear it alone, okay?”
Amelia flashed her a smile in response. Then she gathered her things and left in a hurry.
After arriving at the address Hugo gave her, she saw Kurt and Hugo. From the way they were looking at each other, it seemed like they were in the middle of an argument.
As Kurt had his back to Amelia, he did not know of her presence when she approached them. Naturally, Amelia heard everything that he was saying.
“Hugo, I trusted you. How could you tell Amelia? I don’t want to see her sad,” Kurt voiced with frustration. Hugo merely glanced at Amelia before patting Kurt’s shoulder.
“If you don’t want to see her sad, you can tell her yourself. There’s no point in taking the risk and provoking Boss. If he gets mad, not even I can help you.”
Hearing that, Kurt tensed up and looked at Hugo with a complex expression. He slowly turned around and, at the sight of Amelia, sighed in his heart.
He didn’t want Amelia to find out what he was doing, yet Hugo still went ahead and told her about it. Even though he felt upset, he couldn’t do anything about it now.
Hugo nodded at Amelia and walked away swiftly, not giving Kurt any chance to react. The latter could only shoot a glare at Hugo’s back.
“Kurt, let’s go. Let’s sit down somewhere and have a talk,” suggested Amelia with a faint smile. Kurt nodded.
Soon, they came to a beverage shop and sat in a corner. While they waited for the drinks, Amelia stared at the scenery outside the window as if Kurt wasn’t there. Even when he tried to talk to her, she pretended not to hear him.
Once again, Kurt sighed soundlessly. It was only when their drinks were served that Amelia broke the heavy silence.
“Kurt, I’m really grateful for everything you did for me. However, I will not thank you for risking your life to stand up for me. I’m not a weak woman who only knows to hide behind a man, and I don’t need anyone’s pity. I will handle the matter between me and Oscar myself,” she told him, not bothering to beat around the bush.
Kurt pursed his lips and looked at her intently.
Meanwhile, Amelia stared back at him and spoke nonchalantly. “I know I may sound mean, but if you were to act recklessly today and offend Oscar, I wouldn’t thank you. On the contrary, I would blame you for doing something unnecessary. Oscar is already bothered by our relationship in the first place. Do you want him to think that I’m an indecent flirt who will accept anyone?”
At that point, Kurt’s expression turned grim. As Amelia sipped on her drink, her mood seemed to improve. “Kurt, I just want to tell you that I want to handle this matter personally.”
“I know very well that he is under hypnosis now. Aside from bringing him to the psychiatrist to test if deep hypnosis will work on him, what else can you do?” Kurt pointed out bluntly. He continued, “Boss is too strong, and I can’t think of any way other than taking him by force. That was why I decided to take the risk. Do you think I was wrong? I just don’t want to see you frowning and being troubled.”
Instinctively, Amelia grasped her straw. “Are you sure he was hypnotized?” she asked a bit nervously.
She had heard that hypnosis was powerful enough to distort someone’s memory, but it would only work on someone who was utterly unwary. Oscar is a very strong-willed man. How did Isabella manage to mess with him right under his nose?
As if sensing Amelia’s confusion, Kurt explained, “According to my friend, a drug that can cause temporary unconsciousness was developed overseas a couple of years ago. Whoever takes it will appear normal on the outside, but their mind will be blank. They will only listen to the orders of the person who drugged them.”
Amelia immediately remembered how Oscar left the house with Isabella for unknown reasons a year ago. Now that she thought about it, it was possible that he had already been drugged by Isabella at that time. At that realization, she couldn’t help but blame her inattentiveness.
I’m Oscar’s wife, yet I failed to notice something so simple. I am also at fault for his departure. Had I been more vigilant, Isabella wouldn’t have gotten any chances. I should have known that she’d do everything she could to snatch Oscar from me.
She lowered her head to hide the complicated look in her eyes and uttered, “If Oscar is really under hypnosis, I will find ways to ask the best psychiatrist in this world to treat him.”
“Amelia, I can help you.” However, Amelia shook her head. “There’s no need for that. You’ve already helped me a lot.” Kurt seemed to feel better as he grabbed her hand all of a sudden.
“Don’t reject my help. I’ve already talked to Hugo. I promise you I won’t do anything foolish. Why don’t you put your trust in me this time?”
When Amelia lifted her head and looked at Kurt, she could see the sincerity in his gaze. Although she did trust him, she was still worried that he would put himself in danger out of recklessness.
“Promise me two things, and I’ll accept your help.”
Kurt flashed a helpless smile. This was the first time he had to beg to help someone else. However, he had no choice as his heart belonged to her entirely. He even believed her when she said she would never forgive him if he did something foolish.
He was addicted to her and couldn’t bear to see her get hurt. This was especially true when it was he who caused her to be hurt. There was no way he could forgive himself if he did that.
Thus, he had no choice but to give in. Kurt took one step back as he didn’t want to see the sadness and disappointment in Amelia’s eyes.
“First, don’t act recklessly. Second, treasure your life,” Amelia told him. Kurt had guessed her two conditions earlier, but he was still touched to hear it from her lips.
“Okay, I promise,” came his reply. Amelia nodded in satisfaction. That very night, Hugo made up an excuse to invite Oscar out.
“Boss, an organization has been sending its members to misuse our name in Saspiuburg. They used our name to harass the businesspeople in upper-class society. If we don’t do anything to stop them, their actions might affect us in the future. Can you come out? It’s urgent, or I wouldn’t dare disturb you this late at night.”
Hearing that, Oscar told Hugo to come to his residence. When Hugo hesitated in giving a response, Oscar realized what he was thinking and assured him, “Don’t worry. I’m living alone here.”
At that, Hugo instantly agreed. He drove back home to get two bottles of vintage wine before driving to the neighborhood Oscar used to reside in with Amelia.
In the passenger seat, Kurt turned around and glanced at him. “Can you do this alone?” “Don’t worry. I can do this myself. Just wait with Mrs. Clinton for my good news,” Hugo replied.
Amelia, who was in the back seat, shot a look at Hugo. She couldn’t help but feel conflicted. “Hugo, thank you for your help.”
“Don’t say that, Mrs. Clinton. It’s my job. My responsibility is to protect Boss, but Isabella led him by the nose under my watch. That was my fault, so I’m only making up for my mistake,” Hugo explained.
A tiny smile played on Amelia’s lips.
Having said that, Hugo unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.
He took the elevator and went upstairs. Oscar opened the door for him when he knocked on the door.
Hugo entered the house after him and placed the vintage wines on the table.
“Boss, I picked two bottles of vintage wine that I have kept in my collection for years. I have the sudden urge to drink today. Do you mind if I, your subordinate, drink with you, my employer cum benefactor? After you got married, you rarely drink with us anymore. Sometimes, I miss the good times we had drinking together,” Hugo said calmly. He didn’t waste time and went straight to the topic.
Oscar glanced at the wine bottles he had brought along with him.
Hugo got up to fetch two wine glasses for them.
He poured wine into both glasses before offering one to Oscar politely.
“Cheers, Boss!” Hugo raised his glass before taking a sip slowly to savor the wine in his mouth for some time. “It tastes good. I wonder if it’s any better than your collection, Boss.”
As nothing happened after Hugo drank the wine, Oscar raised his glass and took a sip.
“Not bad,” he replied curtly.
“Boss, let’s talk as we drink. I actually have a reason to bring two bottles of wine here today. Can you please teach me how to court a woman? A few days ago, I ran into a young woman who I instantly had feelings for at the gym. You know I’m good at carrying out missions, but I have never courted any women previously. Thus, I hope you can share your experience with me,” Hugo revealed as a hint of crimson red crept up his cheeks. He seemed shy.
Oscar shot him a meaningful look as his lips curled into a smirk. His mood seemed to have improved considerably.
“Hugo, I was worried that you’d spend the rest of your life alone as you didn’t seem to be coming to your senses,” he joked.
Hugo’s cheeks turned even redder as he flashed a shy smile. “Boss, don’t laugh at me. I’m in my thirties, but this is the first time I’ve taken a liking to a woman. Teach me how to court her. I don’t want to be too eager and scare her away,” he pleaded.
Oscar’s response was surprisingly enthusiastic. He tossed his phone aside and urged Hugo to reveal his past unrequited love experiences.
Embarrassment inundated Hugo. I never knew he loves to gossip. Isn’t he being too enthusiastic?
Having no choice, Hugo had to spout more lies.
They chatted and drank the wine. Soon, the wine bottle was half empty.
It was almost time for the drug to take effect. Hence, Hugo waited patiently for Oscar to pass out.
“Boss, I need to head to the washroom. Let’s talk about the matter in Saspiuburg later,” he said shyly. “I can handle my love life myself.”
Oscar glanced at him and bobbed his head in response.
Hugo went to the washroom and quickly ate the antidote he had prepared in advance before heading out nonchalantly.
He returned to his seat in the living room and said, “Boss, let me tell you about the people who masqueraded as us in Saspiuburg. I—”
To his surprise, Oscar interjected, “Hugo, tell me what the woman looks like. You fell in love with her at first sight, so she must be quite pretty.”
Hugo was speechless. He never knew Oscar had such a nosy side to him.
“Boss, I thought you wouldn’t be interested in matters like these,” he said honestly.
“Yes, I’m not usually interested, but we grew up together. You’ve been single all these years and finally fell in love with someone. I can’t help but be curious,” Oscar explained as he spread his hands wide.
Hugo knew Oscar wouldn’t give up unless the story wasn’t interesting enough. I hope the drug will take effect soon.
It seemed that God had heard his prayer, for Oscar soon felt sleepy. Oscar wouldn’t let his guard down if it were someone else, but he trusted Hugo and was sure the latter wouldn’t betray him. That was why he fell for Hugo’s plan. The two people Oscar trusted the most—Kurt and Hugo—tricked him one after another. Even though what they were doing was for his own good, their actions were still a betrayal.
Hugo couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
After Oscar passed out on the couch, Hugo rose to his feet and gave him three bows.
“Boss, I’m sorry. I have no other choice. It isn’t my intention to betray you, but if I don’t do so, you’ll be controlled entirely by Isabella. You trained me personally, so I am grateful for receiving help and encouragement from a superior like you. Please forgive me,” Hugo said apologetically.
He then hauled Oscar up. The drug he fed Oscar was the most potent drug available. An ordinary man would pass out for twenty-four hours after taking it, so he believed Oscar wouldn’t regain consciousness that soon.
He brought Oscar downstairs and placed him in the backseat of the car carefully.
Slowly, Amelia rested Oscar’s head on her lap and caressed his cheek. This was the first time they were this intimately close in the past year.
Amelia’s heart raced fervently. It was only then that she realized she had missed Oscar a lot. She was already satisfied enough to be close to him this way, and her anxiety finally eased a little.
Kurt turned over his shoulder to see Amelia gazing at Oscar, affection practically overflowing out of her eyes. His smile grew bitter.
“Mrs. Clinton, don’t worry. I only drugged Boss with a sleeping agent, so he’ll wake up soon. He’s my employer, so I wouldn’t hurt him.” Hugo broke the tense silence as he glanced at Amelia through the rearview mirror.
The silence was too tense, and Kurt’s gaze was too bitter. Hugo knew if he didn’t step in to change the topic, the atmosphere would soon grow uncomfortable.
Amelia raised her head. She couldn’t understand why Hugo would say that out of the blue.
“I know,” she replied despite her confusion.
Hugo chuckled but said nothing else.
They drove through the night and arrived at a private psychiatric clinic. Someone was already waiting for them there.
“Dr. Wyatt Barker, sorry for summoning you this late, but Boss isn’t doing well. Please treat him,” Hugo said politely.
Wyatt glanced at Oscar, slung across Hugo’s shoulder, and asked them to bring Oscar into the clinic first.
“Place him on the bed,” Wyatt said.
Hugo nodded and did as he was told.
“Hugo, I’m willing to take this risk because I’m doing you a favor. After all, Mr. Clinton is one of the most prominent figures in this city. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even dare to lay a finger on him. Therefore, if Mr. Clinton suspects anything, I hope I can be entirely excluded from this matter. I don’t want Mr. Clinton to take revenge on me because I still have a family to take care of and can’t afford to get caught up in this mess.” Wyatt clarified his stance in advance.
Hugo nodded. “Don’t worry, Dr. Barker. This is my idea, and I’m also the one who threatened and forced you to cooperate with me. Hence, you can go ahead and do this without worry because I’ll bear all the consequences alone.”
Only then did Wyatt let out a sigh of relief.
“You all can wait at one side here. I’ll try to hypnotize him now, but I cannot guarantee a successful outcome. After all, I’m still uncertain about Mr. Clinton’s current condition,” Wyatt uttered the truth. He didn’t want to be too boastful. Otherwise, he would be in deep trouble if things did not work out in the end.
Then, Wyatt performed hypnosis on Oscar. However, his attempt wasn’t effective, causing his expression to turn grave.
“Hugo, I think you all ought to be mentally prepared. Mr. Clinton has indeed been hypnotized by someone else, not to mention more than once. Normally, if someone undergoes hypnosis multiple times, they will suffer from severe repercussions. This person who hypnotized Mr. Clinton had no regard for his life,” Wyatt elaborated with all seriousness.
Amelia’s heart jumped into her throat as the color drained from her face.
“Dr. Barker, be honest with me. Is Oscar’s condition still treatable? I don’t need him to regain his memories now as long as he doesn’t suffer from any repercussions,” Amelia stated.
She was willing to compromise as she prioritized Oscar’s health more than whether he could remember the love he harbored toward her.
If she were given a choice, she would rather choose for him to stay healthy and not have feelings for her than to see him hurt.
“Don’t be discouraged, Ms. Winters. I’ll do my best. Nevertheless, the risk will be high. This is because the previous hypnosis has been strongly established, so if I try to undo it by force, this may invoke Mr. Clinton’s resistance. By then, even I cannot foresee what will happen,” Wyatt said in an unsure manner.
Amelia hesitated.
In her opinion, nothing was more important than Oscar’s life.
“If this method isn’t feasible, we shall not proceed further. I don’t have the courage to handle the outcome of losing him,” she uttered after pondering for a few moments. Oscar is such a remarkable and proud man. If he has to suffer undesirable consequences because of my selfishness, I’d rather back out of this fight and return Oscar his peace of mind.
For a moment, Wyatt stared at her intently before a hint of admiration flashed across his eyes.
“Ms. Winters, no wonder Hugo showered you with so much praise. He told me you’re an opinionated and kind woman. Don’t worry. I’ll also help you because I’ve seen how much you love Mr. Clinton. I’m fond of seeing couples with mutual affection having a happy ending.”
Amelia’s eyebrows remained tightly knitted. She did not cheer up even after receiving Wyatt’s promise.
“Dr. Barker, I just want to know if Oscar’s life will be endangered. If that is the case, we’ll not hypnotize him further. He’s actually doing well now, being decisive and efficient at work and having someone to love him.” Her only concern was that she was not the one to be in a relationship with him, and that became Amelia’s source of grief.
“Ms. Winters, don’t worry. Since I accepted this job, I’ll never allow anything bad to befall the patient under my care. Otherwise, I’ll close down my clinic,” Wyatt declared firmly.
Only then did Amelia heave a sigh of relief. She gazed at Wyatt gratefully.
All the things she wanted to say to him ultimately boiled down to a few simple words as she expressed her gratitude.
He merely smiled in response without saying anything further.
Then, he asked the others to leave the room so he could be left alone with Oscar.
Although Amelia couldn’t help feeling worried, she chose to believe in Wyatt’s expertise.
After the three of them exited the room, Kurt consoled her, “Amelia, don’t worry. I believe Boss will recover. He took over Clinton Corporations at a young age and even trained us. Those are testaments of his outstanding capabilities. In my opinion, he’s a hero, so he’ll never be easily defeated by a trivial matter like this.”
Amelia curled her lips to smile at Kurt. Still, she could not bring herself to feel happy.
Hugo patted Kurt’s shoulder and hinted at the latter with a look to let Amelia have some alone time.
Then, the two came up with an excuse to go outside and puff on cigarettes. Amelia nodded in assent.
After they stepped out of the premise, Hugo slapped Kurt’s shoulder lightly to encourage him not to overthink. He also told the latter not to harbor feelings for someone he could never have. Instead, he should eliminate those thoughts from now on and support Amelia from the shadows.
Kurt glanced at Hugo. Subsequently, a bitter expression spread across Kurt’s face.
“Hugo, you’ll understand how it feels like to be unable to let go of someone when you finally fall in love with someone,” Kurt uttered meaningfully.
“I don’t need to understand that. I enjoy being single. After I help Boss cultivate a new generation of talents who can serve him, I’ll retire without regrets. Perhaps then I can marry a gentle, caring woman and have kids. I’ll father a beautiful little princess and cherish her to the best of my ability. As for romance, I doubt I’ll ever want to experience that aspect of life again because of how tormenting it can be.” Hugo had a carefree and unrestrained personality, so he didn’t fancy being tied down by romantic relationships.
Kurt merely smiled and didn’t dwell further on that topic with Hugo. Anyone who hasn’t experienced it will never understand this form of unforgettable love.
They smoked over ten cigarettes outside the clinic before deciding to go back inside.
After that, Kurt and Hugo kept Amelia company as they waited outside the consultation room. A long while later, the door to the room opened, and Wyatt, slightly ashen-faced, strode out. Still, the grin on his face revealed his relatively cheery mood.
A tense Amelia gradually relaxed because she knew Wyatt’s update wouldn’t be a hard pill to swallow, causing her to look forward to his announcement.
“You all can rest assured. The hypnosis this time is quite successful. Although I’ve yet to overcome his mental defenses entirely, I’ve disengaged some of them. I also tried to restore part of his memories. Besides, his recollections are firmly established, so there are also chances he may slowly remember the things from his past. After all, the mastermind had hypnotized him so many times that there will undoubtedly be backlashes,” Wyatt explained confidently.
Amelia’s lips curved upward slightly. “Thank you so much, Dr. Barker. If Oscar recovers, you’ll be our mutual savior.”
“Please don’t say that, Ms. Winters. I’m just carrying out my professional obligations. Besides, it’s not as if I’m doing this free of charge, so there’s no need to think of me as your savior.” Wyatt waved his hand, clearly unwilling to be the recipient of that credit.
At that instant, Amelia had a better impression of the psychiatrist because she admired his frank manner of living.
“Dr. Barker, if you need any assistance in the future, feel free to let me know. I’ll help you as long as it is within my abilities,” she promised him.
“Me too.”
“Me too.”
Hugo and Kurt chimed in simultaneously.
Wyatt was amused by the trio.
“Bring Mr. Clinton here again tomorrow. I’ve already made a hole in his memories. We’ll make further progress by gradually hypnotizing him. With this, I believe I can minimize the harm inflicted on him.”
Amelia nodded.
They hastily sent Oscar back to the condominium. When they arrived, the sky outside was also starting to turn bright.
“Mrs. Clinton, you and Kurt should go back first. I’ll stay here to take care of Boss,” Hugo said.
Despite her reluctance, Amelia knew that was the best thing to do, so she agreed to his suggestion without any objection.
After they left, Oscar came to his senses and saw someone standing idly before his bed. Narrowing his eyes, he immediately moved to assault the figure.
“Boss, you’re awake,” Hugo greeted him.
Only after hearing the voice did Oscar realize that person was Hugo.
He patted his head, feeling very dizzy and disoriented. However, the discomfort was not similar to a hangover. In addition, Oscar reckoned he shouldn’t have become drunk since he hadn’t taken much wine last night.
“Hugo, was I drunk yesterday?”
“Yes, Boss. You passed out in front of me yesterday. I’ve never seen you like this before, so I stood beside your bed all night because I was worried about you. I shall go downstairs to prepare breakfast for you if you’re feeling better now.”
Oscar nodded while rubbing his temples. He couldn’t shake off the sensation that something was wrong. Everything felt bizarre and abnormal, yet he couldn’t figure out what the problem was at that instant.
