Chapter 345 Battle Of Wits
In response, Derrick shrugged before lifting his head to look at Oscar. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes as he continued, “You know, I love Tiff just as much as you love Amelia. I’ve been interested in her since the first day she became a writer for my company. Her work was soulful that it made me want to fall in love, and that’s why I wanted to get to know her more. Then I realized the more I knew her, the more I became interested in her. Unfortunately, she has disappeared with Amelia, and I still couldn’t find them.”
“Since Amelia really did stay at your villa, why didn’t you admit it before? What were you trying to hide?”
Instead of answering the question, Derrick smiled and quickly changed the subject. “We’re both on the same boat, you know? So if you hear anything about Amelia or Tiff, please let me know. It has been three years. I think it’s time to find out if Tiff’s feelings for me are mutual.”
All of a sudden, as if he had an epiphany, Oscar stretched out his hand, and Derrick instinctively high-fived it.
“I’ll inform you as soon as I locate them, but you have to promise me that you’ll never lie to me. Otherwise, I’m going to make sure that you and your family pay for your mistake.”
“It’s a deal.”
Even though the two seemed to have reached an agreement, neither of them knew what the other was actually planning in his head.
“Do you want to grab a drink?” invited Derrick.
“Sure.”
“What did Amelia ask you to get?” inquired Oscar after they left the apartment and entered the elevator.
“It’s not something you would expect. She just wanted me to get her a photo album; it’s the one with photos of you and her. She said it’d be nice to relive those memories. Unfortunately, she and Tiff both disappeared after I last saw them. It’s cruel, really, what they did. That’s why I said we’re both on the same boat,” answered Derrick with a wry smile.
Oscar was already distracted the moment Derry mentioned the photo album. Even after five years of marriage, Oscar and Amelia did not take many photos together. Those in the album only existed because Amelia wanted a couple photoshoot. Naturally, the man agreed because he loved Amelia. At first, he was a little stiff in front of the camera, so Amelia teased him and called him a statue. Oscar then retorted that if he were a statue, he was a handsome-looking one. In the end, the happy Amelia during the photoshoot convinced Oscar that it was all worth it.
Those photos were proof of the happy moments they had together.
“Is that really what she told you?” asked Oscar hesitantly.
Derrick remained silent for a while before responding, “What do you mean?”
“You said she wanted the photo album because she wanted to relive our memories. Is that true?”
Derrick nodded, suddenly feeling pity for the man. As the head of Clinton Corporations, Oscar could have had any woman he wanted, but for some reason, he only had eyes for Amelia. Even now, his heart longed to be with her. He had only met a handful of men with such fierce loyalty to a woman.
After seeing Derrick’s response, Oscar tightened his grip on the steering wheel as a content smile crept its way onto his face.
Derrick gave Oscar a curious look when the man stopped outside The Mirage. “A karaoke bar? I thought we were going to a regular bar.”
“They have private rooms, so it’s much quieter inside. I had a headache today, so I’d rather not deal with loud noises.”
Only after hearing that did Derrick notice a hint of paleness on Oscar’s face, and accompanying the colorlessness were the bruises he left on the man. Derrick started to wonder if Oscar should go home and rest instead after realizing the state the other man was in.
“You don’t look so good, Mr. Clinton. How about we take a rain check? You should rest at home if you’re not feeling well, not downing alcohol in a bustling bar,” advised Derrick in all seriousness.
“You talk too much. Do you know that? If I wanted to get nagged at, I would’ve gone to my mother. Now stop your yapping and come have a drink with me.”
Since Oscar insisted on carrying on their plan, Derrick had no reason to go against the man. This will be a good opportunity for me to befriend Oscar. Gaining a powerful and influential friend like him will no doubt bring me more good than harm. “Hey, if you think you’re going to be okay, who am I to doubt you? Let’s go.”
The service staff at The Mirage were more than glad when they saw the two enter their workplace, for the establishment was rarely graced with the presence of such outstanding men. Even though they remembered what Oscar did to Cassie, they were nonetheless mesmerized by the man’s good looks, especially the females.
When the staff had any free time, they would sneak a peek at the two gentlemen. If allowed, almost everyone in the service crew would spend their working hours drooling over Oscar and Derrick.
“Would you like some snacks, Mr. Clinton?” inquired Derrick after ordering the man and himself a beer.
Oscar nodded in response as he continued to ignore the staff members gazing at him.
After they were done with the ordering, Derrick and Oscar took the elevator to their private room. Oscar slumped onto the couch as soon as they got in, while Derrick fetched the microphones.
“Since we’re at a karaoke bar, why don’t we sing a song or two? Here. Show me what you’ve got.” Derrick then handed his companion a microphone.
The first song he picked was one of his all-time favorites. Not only was it one of the most popular songs during his childhood, but it was also one that he had fond memories of. No matter how many times Derrick had heard it, he never got bored of the song, and he suspected that he never would.
“Do you know this song, Mr. Clinton? I’m sure you do, don’t you? Go ahead. Let me hear that angelic voice of yours,” teased Derrick.
Oscar then took the microphone and cleared his throat before he started singing. A pleasant-sounding and tuneful voice came out of the man’s mouth as he performed the old song.
Derrick was completely mind-blown when he realized what a great singer Oscar was, so he decided to do his best to match the other man’s talent when it was his turn to sing.
After they were done with the song, Derrick could not help but give Oscar a big thumbs-up to show the man how impressed he was. “My goodness, Mr. Clinton! I definitely did not expect you to be that talented in singing. And I can tell that you’re very familiar with the song. Didn’t expect that either, to be honest.”
“It’s an excellent song. You have good taste,” praised Oscar concisely.
At that moment, Derrick realized that maybe they had more in common than he initially thought.
Not long after that, a waitress brought in their order and placed it on the table. “Enjoy, gentlemen.”
Naturally, the staff member quickly made herself scarce after finishing her task.
Oscar then put the microphone down and reached out to grab a bottle of beer. After taking a few gulps, the man slumped against the couch.
“Another song, Mr. Clinton?”
“No, thanks. You go ahead. I’ll join you later.”
With that, Derrick picked a second song and continued to show his flair for singing. Even though Derrick did not look the type, he was skillful enough to hit every high note in the song.
When Derrick was finally done, Oscar had already finished his bottle of beer and was helping himself to a second bottle.
“Hey, take it slow, Mr. Clinton. A good beer is to be savored, not wasted like that. You have to keep it in your mouth for a while before swallowing it. That way, you’ll learn to appreciate its flavor,” instructed Derrick after snatching the bottle away from Oscar, so the man opened another and lifted it for a toast.
“Here’s to your wise alcohol consumption method. Bottoms up. And don’t worry; I’m not going to get drunk.”
After shrugging nonchalantly in response, Derrick clinked his bottle against the man’s.
However, it did not take long before Derrick regretted drinking with Oscar, who promised not to get drunk but ended up intoxicated, anyway. “More! I need more beer!” shouted Oscar after downing three bottles. By then, his face was already bright red, and eyes half-open.
Derrick placed Oscar’s arm around his shoulder to support the man, who could no longer stand properly without help. This is unexpected. I honestly thought Oscar could hold his drink, but it turned out that three bottles were all it took to get him drunk. Either he’s really that weak, or he’s just pretending to be drunk. “Are you drunk already, Mr. Clinton?”
In response, Oscar looked at Derrick with his half-open eyes and cracked a big smile. “Amelia, you’re back! I’m so glad to see you again! I’ve been very good. Since you told me not to drink, I have not had a drop of alcohol. Look how sober I am! Heck, I can even dance for you if you want me to prove it.”
With that, Oscar pulled himself away from Derrick and started dancing clumsily around the room.
After witnessing Oscar’s awkward and silly dance, Derrick was finally convinced that the man was indeed drunk.
Derrick then approached Oscar to save the man from further humiliation. “Come on, Mr. Clinton. Let’s get you home.”
Surprisingly, Oscar was very cooperative when Derrick stopped his dancing. He would gaze at the man from time to time and slur, “It’s so good to have you back, Amelia. Words can’t even begin to describe how much I’ve missed you. Did you miss me too, Amelia? Tell me because I need to know. I need to know that you haven’t forgotten about me.”
Derrick got goosebumps all over whenever Oscar stared lovingly at him. I can’t believe this is happening to me. What on earth did I ever do to deserve this? I guess I should consider myself lucky that all he did was stare. I swear I’ll lose it if he puts his arms around me.
After helping Oscar into the back seat, Derrick got into the driver’s seat and started driving toward the former’s residence.
Suddenly, Oscar leaned forward to press his face against the back of Derrick’s seat. “Amelia, where did you go? I couldn’t find you anywhere. I tried; I really did. But I just can’t seem to find you, no matter how hard I tried. These past few months have been nothing but hell to me. All I could think about was you. Just you,” mumbled Oscar, whose eyes could barely stay open at that point.
To that, Derrick simply remained silent and continued to focus on driving.
After garbling for a while, Oscar eventually fell asleep, and Derrick’s phone just so happened to ring at that moment. Glancing at the rear-view mirror, Derrick ensured that Oscar was still out before answering his phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mr. Hisson. It’s me, Tiff. Are you doing all right there? Did Oscar cause you any trouble?”
“Where are you? Why did you call me on a public phone? What’s going on?” questioned Derrick in concern, his brows tightly furrowed.
“I’m just trying to be cautious. I was afraid that Oscar might monitor the caller IDs on your phone, so I decided to make use of the public phone nearby. Don’t worry. Kurt is just beside me, so I’m completely safe. Amelia will probably be transferred to Boris’ facility by tomorrow, so don’t call me for now. It’s good to hear your voice again, Mr. Hisson.”
“Remember to be careful, okay? No matter where you are or what you do. How’s her condition? Is she doing okay?” Worried that Oscar would overhear his conversation and figure out that it was Tiffany on the phone, Derrick restrained himself from saying anything romantic.
“You’re not alone, are you, Mr. Hisson?” inquired Tiffany curiously when she noticed the man’s odd tone.
“No,” answered Derrick concisely.
“Is it Oscar?”
To answer the question, Derrick simply stayed quiet, for he knew that Tiffany would understand what it meant.
“Did he do anything to you?” Tiffany immediately got concerned when she got the man’s silent message.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry. You take care of yourself, okay? If there’s anything you don’t understand or can’t handle at work, you can call me anytime. You’re my friend, and I’m probably the only friend you have in Saspiuburg, so I’ll do everything I can to help you. Don’t overwork yourself, okay? There’s always tomorrow.”
Tiffany was baffled for a while but quickly realized that Derrick was signaling her to end the phone call. “Sure. We’ll talk again soon. Goodbye.”
After hanging up, Derrick noticed that Oscar had already sat up in the back seat. Even though the man still seemed not all that sober, Derrick was shocked nonetheless.
“I heard you talking on the phone just now, Amelia. Who could be calling you at this hour?”
Derrick narrowed his eyes at Oscar and wondered if the man was really drunk. For some reason, he still thought that Oscar could be faking it. “Why don’t you rest some more, Mr. Clinton? I’ll wake you up when we reach your place.”
“Okay.”
Unexpectedly, Oscar did as he was told and lay down to continue sleeping.
Although Derrick was unsure if Oscar really fell asleep again, he breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the man lie down. His mission turned out to be more difficult than he had anticipated, for he never expected that he would have to drive Oscar home.
Derrick knew that they were still in the middle of their battle of wits, and the victor had yet to emerge.
“Oscar, I hope that you’ll forgive me for lying to you. I know how much you love Amelia, but I’m doing this in the name of love as well. I’m sure you can understand that we cannot be friends yet. At least not at the moment,” whispered Derrick to himself as he continued driving.
