Chapter 190 A Large Gap In Comparison
As Oscar came out from Cassie’s ward, he walked to the staircase and took out a pack of cigarettes. He then lit one up and took a puff before gracefully exhaling the smoke. His gaze turned profound as he fell deep into thought.
While he continued to take puffs, the smoke rose and gathered around him.
Disregarding the dirt on the ground, he sat at the top of the stairs. He continued to smoke while his thoughts remained messy and complicated.
No matter how cruel he was to Cassie moments ago, he was still reluctant to let her go completely.
If he had no hesitance at all, then he would really be a scumbag. After all, she was someone he had obsessed over for so long. He could not simply push her away after finally having her for himself. If he were indeed such a person, those two women would not be so utterly intoxicated and in love with him.
Perhaps he was an irresponsible scumbag in name, for he had gotten involved in two women’s love for him. Resultantly, no matter what choice he made, the other woman would be left upset and in sadness.
If it were several months ago, he would decisively let Amelia go. Even if he saw the loneliness in her eyes, he would pretend to ignore it or watch her cry indifferently as he let his friend insult him for being a heartless man. Even then, he would not have had any reaction at all.
However, in only a few months, he had completely changed his thoughts. Perhaps without the accident acting as a catalyst, he would not have understood his feelings so quickly and finally made his choice.
As he pondered, he took in a deep breath of smoke. When he exhaled it again, his expression had already returned to its calm state.
He patted his clothes and waited for the cigarette smell in his mouth to fade. After leaving the staircase, he headed back to Amelia’s ward.
Aside from Amelia, there were two caretakers in the room that Oscar had specially hired to take care of her.
When they noticed him enter, the caretakers greeted him respectfully. “Mr. Clinton.”
He waved and said, “You guys can leave first.”
“Understood.”
With that, they left.
As Oscar approached her, Amelia blinked and smiled slightly. “How’s Ms. Yard?”
He pulled a chair over to the bed, sat down, and brushed away the hair fluttering against her cheeks. He said, “How do you feel? Are you tired? Did the caretakers purposely make things difficult for you?”
She looked at him seriously and replied, “I’m fine. How is Ms. Yard?”
He then tapped her nose and said, “Silly girl. Take care of yourself first. You barely escaped death, so you’d better take care of your health first and don’t worry about other things.”
She smiled and replied sweetly, “It doesn’t matter how I am. It’s fine as long as you’re not too tired. If Ms. Yard makes too much trouble, I’ll be fine with the caretakers here. I just don’t want you to exhaust yourself.”
Hearing that, he felt as if his heart was struck by something.
She was always thinking for him, but he had ignored and neglected her for nearly five years because of another woman he could not have. He wondered what was it that made his heart so cold.
Oscar felt warm and fuzzy inside. It seemed that Amelia could always make him feel touched.
Although her words were plain, the sincerity in them was unmistakable.
He tapped her nose again and said in a pampering yet helpless tone, “You silly girl. Has anyone ever said that you’re really silly?” You’re so silly that I can’t let go of you.
Her appearance was sexy, and she did things swiftly and decisively. Thus, she made men crazy for her and women jealous of her. However, she also had such a kind heart. The fact that such a person exists was nothing short of a miracle.
Although men’s lecherous eyes would only see her as an object they could play with, and women would only see her as an unfaithful vixen that only knew to seduce men, it was such a misunderstood woman that was the only one that constantly thought of and for Oscar.
Worrying that he would be tired, she could endure the heartache and push him over to another woman. What exactly is it that made such a silly woman make decisions for me for my good?
The more he understood her, the more he felt his heart aching for her.
Amelia was dumbfounded as she replied, “Isn’t there one in front of me?”
Oscar broke into a smile and said, “You’re so silly. It’s the reason why you’d push your husband away to others. It’d do you some good if you’re a little more selfish.” That way, I won’t feel so distressed and guilty.
After nearly five years of indifference, he did not feel comfortable either.
No wonder Tiffany said I was a heartless scumbag. When Oscar recalled the past then, he realized he was indeed a complete scumbag.
Amelia asked, “Mr. Clinton, do you need me to resolve the issue with Ms. Yard?”
He pulled the covers over her and replied, “Silly girl. Just rest well. I’ll take care of the rest.”
In reality, Amelia was tired.
She had endured for so long that she had become sleepy. Consequently, even though she fought to keep her eyelids open, she eventually could not help but fall asleep.
Oscar fell deep into thought as he watched her sleep.
Meanwhile, Riley stopped Gary, who had initially planned to go visit Amelia at the hospital.
“Gary, the driver who ran into Ms. Winters has already confessed. He said the person who employed him was a very fashionable and beautiful woman. He said she would give him three million and already paid one million in advance. Once he kills the target, he’d get another two million in his account. But the main point is that her last name is also Clinton. We’ve investigated and found that she’s Oscar’s only sister. So the one who hired the driver is Ms. Winters’ sister-in-law,” she said coldly.
Gary’s expression darkened as he pondered for a while, then asked, “Are you sure?”
Riley nodded in reply.
“What do you want to do? Do you need me to find someone to hit her?” she asked.
Gary fell silent.
She looked at him, then said in a business-like tone, “According to our company’s regulations, when we take on a client’s task, and something happens to them, we have to take all responsibility.”
Gary continued to remain silent.
“Are you feeling softhearted now?” she asked.
He shook his head and replied, “The Clintons are already in a mess because of Amelia. If something happens to their daughter now, I’m afraid Amelia won’t be able to rest well either.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Riley frowned as she looked at him with mixed emotions.
Touching her lips, she said tentatively, “You seem to care a lot about Ms. Winters.”
He looked at her and asked, “What are you trying to say?”
Riley rested both hands on the table and stared at him intently.
She then repeated her question. “Do you like Ms. Winters?”
He frowned at her question, then said solemnly, “Riley, we don’t discuss personal relationships during work. Did you forget that rule?”
Nevertheless, she looked at him seriously and said, “You’ve changed, Gary. You’ve already broken a lot of rules. I don’t believe that you have no feelings for her at all.”
Feeling irritated, Gary combed through his hair a little, then said, “What exactly are you trying to say, Riley?”
She hated how he kept avoiding her question. “Do you really not know, or are you pretending to be stupid? Don’t you know my feelings for you?”
He stood up with a stern expression. “That’s enough. Stop talking nonsense during work. Hand that driver over to the police. Also, try to find a way to tell the Clintons who the mastermind is. After that, it’s their business how they want to handle their daughter. Come with me to the hospital. If Amelia’s awake, I think you know what you should do.”
Feeling exasperated by his words, she simply kept silent.
“Riley, let’s focus on work during work time. Don’t mix your personal feelings into work, okay?” he said seriously.
Riley merely lowered her head and hummed in acknowledgement.
Afterward, the pair took the elevator downstairs and got into Gary’s car. Riley still had not given up yet, and she asked, “Do I not have a chance?”
After glancing at her sideways, Gary said solemnly, “Although I can’t tell if you really like me, I’ve always treated you as a little sister. I’m also willing to play the role of your brother and protect you, but we won’t be together. Do you think a brother would have desires toward his sister?”
The moment she heard his reply, her heart immediately sank.
“But we’re not real siblings, Gary.”
He could not help but laugh at that. “Riley, if we had something between us, it would’ve happened long ago. I’m indeed slow in relationships, but I’m not slow to realize if I have feelings for a woman. If I meet someone I like, I’ll take action immediately and won’t leave things vague.”
“So, you do like Ms. Winters?”
Gary’s hand that was on the steering wheel froze for a moment before he avoided the topic and said, “Riley, stop interfering in my relationship.”
His reply only got her to become even angrier.
“She’s married, Gary. Her husband’s a business prodigy praised in the financial newspapers. He’s the heir to the Clinton Corporations that many women want to marry. He’s also rich and handsome. You don’t have a chance at all.”
At her words, he suddenly accelerated, causing the car to shoot forward.
Frightened, Riley clutched onto the passenger seat tightly. “What are you doing, Gary?”
With a serious expression, he replied, “I’m letting you calm down.”
Afterward, she gave him a meaningful look before finally saying helplessly, “I’m sorry. I crossed the line.”
Only then did he slow the car down as he composed his scary expression back to normal.
Once things calmed down, she leaned back against the seat and sighed.
On the other hand, Gary merely focused on driving straight to the Principal General Hospital.
Once they arrived outside, Riley unbuckled her seatbelt and wanted to open the door to get out. However, Gary suddenly spoke. “Don’t talk nonsense when we’re there later. It’s my business whether or not I like someone, so you don’t need to intervene. You should know my temper.”
She was rather shocked since he was acting so serious.
“Okay,” she replied.
“Get off first. I’ll go and park the car.”
Riley got off.
After parking the car, Gary went to the trunk to take out the fruits and various supplements he had prepared.
The pair then took the elevator upstairs. When Gary knocked on the ward door, it was Oscar who opened it.
The moment he saw that it was Gary outside the door, his gaze darkened a little.
“You’re here,” he said while blocking the entrance.
“Aren’t you going to invite us in, Mr. Clinton?” said Gary confidently as he straightened his posture.
It was only then did Oscar step aside. “Come in.”
As Gary walked past Oscar, their eyes subconsciously met each other. There was a spark of competitiveness in both men’s eyes.
However, that only lasted a second before Oscar looked away and walked in first.
Disregarding Gary and Riley, he stood by the bed and kissed Amelia on the lips, showing his possessiveness over the woman.
After pushing Oscar away, she saw the pair behind him and smiled embarrassedly at them. “Hi, Gary.”
Gary smiled in response before he placed the fruits and supplements he brought on the table. He then asked concernedly, “Hey, Amelia. How are you feeling? Is there any pain?”
Amelia smiled slightly and replied, “I’m good. Thanks for coming to visit. I heard from Tiff that you did a lot during the operation. Sorry for troubling you.”
He replied, “I should be the one saying sorry. You’re our client, but Riley didn’t protect you well. Because of that, you and your baby almost got harmed. Since it’s our negligence, we should be the ones to apologize.”
After speaking, he turned to Riley.
Subsequently, Riley bowed and sincerely apologized. “I’m sorry, Ms. Winters. I didn’t protect you well. It’s my negligence, so I’ll accept whatever punishment you have for me.”
Amelia was stunned for a moment before she waved in rejection. Then, she tried to sit up, only to pull on her wound. As a result, she started coughing violently.
His heart aching at the sight of his wife suffering, Oscar stroked her chest to help soothe her coughs.
“Calm down. Just tell us what you want,” he said softly.
Similarly, Gary also felt distressed and said, “Don’t do that, Amelia. Riley’s here to apologize, not to worsen your injuries.”
A while later, after regulating her breathing, Amelia finally caught her breath.
“Gary, don’t make Riley do that. I can’t stand it otherwise. Please take a seat, and let’s talk. I’ve not fully recovered, so I can’t use too much energy. Sorry about that,” she said with a slight smile.
After hearing her reply, Gary pulled Riley to sit.
As for Riley, she hung her head low as she felt somewhat uncomfortable. Compared to Amelia, she indeed lacked some femininity. It was the area that she lost the most severely.
Even while ill, Amelia was still so decent and generous. It was probably something that men liked the most. No wonder she could capture Gary’s heart.
Seeing how Amelia was such an exceptional woman got Riley to feel even more stressed.
