Chapter 495 Poor Table Manners
After staying in the hospital for five days, Tony was finally discharged. When he arrived at their apartment in the city, many visitors came to see him.
“Tony, I was only sent to Saspiuburg for five days and this happen to you. Oh, my poor boy! You’ve lost weight!” Before she had time to drop her luggage, Eva hurried over to give Tony a hug.
Laughing uncontrollably from her tickles, Tony pushed her away. “Aunt Eva, it’s ticklish!”
Eva stopped and gave him an earnest look. “Tony, tell me who did this to you. I will strangle them!”
Before Tony could respond, Amelia replied with a nonplussed tone, “Eva, Tony’s still a child. So, please mind your words.”
Pursing her lips, Eva wasn’t offended. Instead, she whispered into Tony’s ear, “Tony, your mommy is pretending to be civil.”
Tony replied in an equally soft voice, “Aunt Eva, don’t speak ill of Mommy.”
Eva gave his forehead a light flick and smiled. “I’m surprised that you know how to protect your mommy at such a young age. You really take after me. For that, I can’t praise you enough.”
Just when the two of them were fooling around, the doorbell rang. When Oscar opened the door, he saw Olivia, Owen, and Stephanie outside.
“Dad, Mom, come in.” Oscar stepped aside to welcome them.
When the Clintons saw that the living hall was filled with people, they furrowed their brows in response. Nonetheless, they quickly regain their usual dignified poise.
“Who are you?” Stephanie asked as she pointed at Eva condescendingly. “You dressed so weirdly that you look just like a shampoo girl.”
Eva had always been a feisty character. When she was suddenly ridiculed while playing with Tony, she got to her feet and shot back, “Why don’t you tell me who are you instead? By insulting someone the moment you step in, you have just shown how rude you are. Didn’t your mom teach you not to hurl random derisive comments at others?”
Amelia had wanted to stop her but was too late given how fast Eva retorted.
After pulling Eva behind her, Amelia smiled awkwardly. “Mom, this is my cousin. She has recently come to Tayhaven for work. Given her straightforward character, she speaks her mind freely. So, I hope you’ll forgive her.”
After staring thoughtfully at Amelia, Olivia replied plainly, “Amelia, my children have never been accused of being rude before, and now, your cousin is the first. Despite being married into the Clinton family for so many years, I have never seen your side of the family, to the extent I thought that you were an orphan. Now that it turns out that you’re not, why haven’t I seen any of them before this? It’s obvious to me that you’re hiding a lot from us.”
As Amelia’s expression changed slightly, the smile on her face turned awkward.
Just then, Oscar walked over and gave Tony a look. Given how sharp Tony was, he quickly caught on. With his arms outstretched, he hugged Olivia’s legs and called out in his squeaky voice, “Grandma, you’re finally here to see me! I was just asking Mommy about you. She told me that you have prepared a mysterious present for me. So, where is it?”
At that moment, the icy expression on Olivia’s face melted. Picking Tony up, she sat down on the sofa. After that, she took out an exquisite-looking pendant and put it on Tony. “Tony, this is a lucky charm that I got you. It will protect you from sickness and evil.”
Even though he didn’t fully comprehend the meaning of Olivia’s words, he looked at the pendant with interest and asked curiously, “Grandma, it feels cold to the touch and very comfortable in my hands.”
Tousling his hair, Olivia couldn’t contain the affection she felt for the boy. “I got this specifically for you, do you like it?”
Tony nodded convincingly before leaning in and planting a kiss on Olivia’s cheek. He declared sweetly, “Grandma, you are really nice to me. I have decided that other than Daddy and Mommy, you are my next favorite person.”
Intoxicated by Tony’s flattery, Olivia’s anger disappeared entirely.
Watching the events unfold, Stephanie was filled with jealousy. Ever since Amelia and Anthony emerged, she felt neglected within the Clinton family. After all, she was the apple of her mother’s eye before Tony came along. But now, her mother seemed to have forgotten about her own daughter.
Used to being at the center of attention, Stephanie felt exceptionally bitter when the limelight was stolen from her by Amelia and her son.
Isabella is right. Amelia and Anthony are a threat to me. With them around, I would never be the focus of everyone’s attention. Instead, I would be sidelined and gradually fade away from everyone’s minds. No, I cannot let this happen to me! I must always remain the center of attention and be adored by everyone!
Having noticed the hostile look on Stephanie’s face, Oscar shot her a discreet glance before walking to her side. There, he stood in between her and Tony.
When Stephanie raised her head in reflex, her eyes met Oscar’s gaze which seemed to be warning her off. Feeling a chill down her spine, her senses quickly returned to her.
“Oscar,” Stephanie greeted her brother fearfully.
“Come to the kitchen with me,” Oscar ordered before walking away.
Despite feeling reluctant, Stephanie had no choice but to comply. At the same time, Olivia, who was playing with Tony, glanced at them but didn’t interfere.
“Oscar, what is it?” After entering the kitchen, Stephanie subconsciously kept her distance from Oscar.
“Are you trying to harm Tony?” Oscar asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Of course not! He’s my nephew, for goodness’ sake. How can you think that of me?” Stephanie laughed wryly.
“With regards to the yogurt, I have no evidence that you did it as the Walker siblings took the blame on your behalf. Even so, don’t you dare feel smug about it, for you have narcissistically destroyed what’s left of our sibling bond. Therefore, don’t blame me for being cruel when the time comes,” Oscar warned with a threatening gaze.
Frozen stiff by his words, Stephanie tried to eke out a smile but failed.
“Stephanie, I’m warning you, if you harm either of them, I will have your life. Don’t let your overestimation of your own intelligence be the death of you.” Just as Oscar finished, he strode out of the kitchen.
Overwhelmed by fear, Stephanie remained inside. She was cognizant of how serious Oscar was. In fact, she was relieved that Tony got away unscathed. Or else, she would have already lost her life.
After Oscar came out of the kitchen, Olivia looked at him and asked, “Where’s Stephanie?”
“Inside.”
“Did you make things difficult for her?”
“Mom, she’s about to get married. I’m just teaching her how to cook. Or else, it will reflect badly on her if she doesn’t know a thing. After all, cooking is one of the skills expected of a woman,” Oscar cooked up an excuse.
Obviously, Olivia didn’t buy it.
When Stephanie came out of the kitchen, she was visibly quieter than before. After all, she still feared Oscar and didn’t dare to challenge his authority.
“Mrs. Clinton, why don’t you stay back with Mr. Clinton for lunch? Molly will be returning soon from grocery shopping, while Derrick and James will be coming over in a while,” Amelia invited.
Looking at Tony in her arms, Olivia nodded.
Soon, Molly returned with a whole bunch of ingredients. After greeting Olivia and Owen, she brought the groceries back into the kitchen.
“Stephanie, I heard that you and Noah are about to get engaged, so go into the kitchen and learn how to cook from Molly. The last thing you want is to not be able to tell the salt from the sugar at the Walker residence,” Oscar ordered.
When Stephanie looked in Olivia’s direction, Olivia responded, “Your brother is right. A girl needs to know how to cook. Go on and help Molly with the cooking. Hopefully, you’ll pick up a thing or two doing so.”
Left without a choice, Stephanie went into the kitchen. Nonetheless, the rage she felt intensified her resentment toward Amelia and Tony. It had planted a seed of hatred that would continue to grow with time.
“Eva and I will help too. Oscar, you and Tony stay here with your parents.” Pulling Eva along, Amelia headed into the kitchen.
After Stephanie was kicked out of the kitchen for breaking a couple of dishes, the meal was finally ready.
While the dishes were being served, Derrick, Tiffany, and James arrived.
When Olivia saw Derrick and James, she welcomed them warmly.
After everyone took their seats, Eva was the first to dig in when lunch started. Initially, she held herself back in the presence of Olivia and Owen. However, halfway through the meal, she began to wolf down her food and looked inelegant doing so. Upon seeing her behavior, Olivia and Owen furrowed their brows.
Given their illustrious background, they place significant emphasis on decorum since they were young. Consequently, they were upset to see someone behaving rudely. Nevertheless, they didn’t say a word so as not to be rude.
Amelia tugged at Eva gently. “Eva, slow down, or you’ll choke.”
When Eva gave Amelia a blank look, Amelia explained calmly, “There’s still a lot of food, and we have elders at the table. I think it’s better if you don’t eat too fast.”
After swallowing the food in her mouth, Eva gave the elder Clintons an apologetic look and smiled. “Mr. and Mrs. Clinton, I’m really sorry. I used to be in the army and built a habit of eating quickly. I hope I didn’t scare you by doing so.”
When Olivia saw the vegetable stuck in between Eva’s teeth, she lost her appetite right away.
Nevertheless, she replied warmly, “It’s a blessing to have a good appetite.”
Oblivious to Olivia’s feigned politeness, Eva remarked with a smile, “Thank God I didn’t scare you.” With that, she continued chomping down her food.
As a result, Olivia lost her appetite after barely eating a few mouthfuls.
