Chapter 508 A Calm Counterattack
Each of them went to sleep while harboring different thoughts.
The next morning, Amelia Winters came downstairs and saw Kurt, who was supposed to be out carrying his task, inside her home.
An imperceptible smile appeared at the corners of her mouth as she walked down the stairs and asked, “Kurt, when did you come back?”
“Around seven o’clock. Molly opened the door for me.” Kurt looked slightly weary, but the moment he saw her, he felt all the fatigue in his body disappear. It was as though an electric current was slowly flowing through his heart, giving him unlimited energy.
Amelia invited him to take a seat and remarked in concern, “You look like you’ve lost a lot of weight. The task must have been hard on you, huh?”
That warmed his heart. After sitting down as he was told, he scrutinized Amelia stealthily. It had only been a few days since they last met, but his yearning for her increased instead of decreasing. Even when he was out for the task, he endured his longing by looking at pictures he secretly took of her. His love for her did not fade due to the distance but grew stronger instead.
While gazing at the beaming woman intently, a thought occurred to him. Just as he was about to say something, Tony ran down from upstairs, exclaiming excitedly, “Daddy, you’re back. I missed you so much!”
Kurt put his thought aside and picked Tony up, raising him high in the air and spinning him twice. While the boy was having a fit of giggles, Oscar stood on the second floor and watched their interaction silently. His eyes were as calm as the sea, and it was impossible to discern his emotions.
Only when they finished playing did he head downstairs.
When Kurt saw Oscar, he showed deference to him subconsciously. Having put Tony down, he greeted respectfully, “Boss.”
“What’s the progress on the task?” Oscar asked impassively.
He never restricted Tony from interacting with Kurt, which was the greatest tolerance a man could offer. After all, no man could tolerate close contact between a rival in love and his own son. Only someone like Oscar could achieve such a feat.
“It’s completed.”
Oscar merely nodded in response.
The three adults and one child sat down at the dining table to eat breakfast in silence. Although Tony was only two years old, he always conducted himself with the proper etiquette and ate by himself. His posture as he held his cutlery was also quite decent.
After breakfast, Tony clung to Kurt tightly, so Oscar and Amelia did not insist on sending him to the Clinton residence. Oscar simply made a call and informed his parents that he would not be sending the boy over before going to work that day.
In the car, Amelia glanced at Oscar, hesitated, and finally asked, “Oscar, does it bother you when Tony clings to Kurt?”
Oscar’s eyes darted between the road and her before he smiled. “Why? Are you afraid I’ll be jealous?”
“Not really. I’m just putting myself in your shoes. If my son were very close with a woman who was obviously interested in you, I might explode with jealousy. I deliberately ignored this issue before, but I started to think about it when I saw how much Tony clung to Kurt earlier. I’m just worried that you’d be uncomfortable,” she said seriously.
“I said from the beginning that I would get jealous. Even so, you didn’t stay away from Kurt. I’m a man, so I won’t make you break off contact with all your male friends for the sake of my selfishness. As long as you know how to keep a proper distance between man and woman, I won’t say anything else. Amelia, don’t group me in with those cowardly and unconfident men.”
After a pause, he said domineeringly, “I’m not like them. I’ll never be afraid of my woman being desired by other men.”
Amelia let out a soft chuckle.
“Oscar, you always have a knack for dispelling my worries with ease,” she remarked thoughtfully.
“Stop thinking nonsense, you silly woman. I don’t have much of a problem with Tony being close to Kurt. Don’t think so badly of me. I’m not that petty.”
She cast her eyes downward and smiled.
Oscar drove to the entrance of her workplace and said, “We’re here.”
Amelia unbuckled her seat belt, leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek, and whispered, “Oscar, thank you for being so tolerant with me. If you really don’t like it, I’ll keep a distance from other men for you. You’re the most important person to me.”
After saying that, she got out of the car.
Oscar stroked the cheek she had kissed and shook his head dotingly. A few moments later, he finally drove away, and his car just happened to pass by Rory, who was walking toward the entrance.
She raised her hand to wave to him, but his car went by without stopping. Thus, she shook her raised hand awkwardly before lowering it.
“Little girl, you’d better not yearn for him when he’s not from the same company. This isn’t a romance show where the CEO will fall in love with Cinderella, who has no power, money, or authority,” Lydia said somewhat disdainfully, holding her bag and walking over in high heels.
Rory glanced at her, restrained the fury from showing on her face, and greeted reluctantly, “Hello, Lydia.”
Never in her wildest dream did she expect the woman she had never seen eye to eye with would suddenly become her superior. She felt as disgusted as though she had just swallowed a large fly.
“Get to work now, or you’ll be late. I’m telling you—even if you have Amelia’s and Mr. Moore’s protection, your perfect-attendance reward will still be deducted if you’re tardy. As women, we have to rely on ourselves, so don’t keep thinking of using shortcuts to reach the top in one step. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, or you’ll find yourself choking easily. The loss isn’t worth it.” After cautioning her, Lydia took the lead and strutted away in her high heels, leaving Rory behind with a ferocious scowl on her face.
“Don’t be so complacent, Lydia. It’s not a big deal for an old hag like you to be promoted to a supervisor! Just wait and see how I’ll deal with you when I become a manager,” the latter spat viciously. Change is the only constant in life, and revenge is a dish best served cold. One day, I’ll trample over everyone who bullied me in the workplace.
Having composed herself, she entered the company.
“Amelia.” Rory became that sweet-talking girl again the second she stepped foot into the design department.
“Rory, are you feeling better?” Amelia asked with concern.
“I’m feeling much better, Amelia. Thank you for your concern.”
“That’s good to hear. Go on with your work.”
“Sure.”
The people in the department worked peacefully.
At around half-past ten, an uninvited guest came to the office. She was dressed ostentatiously, dripping with branded products and jewels while carrying the most fashionable handbag of the year. Her whole outfit must cost at least a hundred thousand. It was clear at a glance that she was a pampered, wealthy wife.
The receptionist stopped her and asked in a relatively courteous tone, “Ma’am, may I know who you are looking for?”
“Is there a woman named Amelia Winters here? If so, she’s the one I’m looking for,” the woman said in a fairly pleasant tone.
“Please wait a moment, ma’am. I’ll call and inquire for you,” the receptionist replied very politely before going ahead to make a call. When she returned, she said, “Ma’am, we do have an employee named Amelia Winters here. May I ask why you’re looking for her?”
“That’s none of your business, young woman. What floor is she on? I’ll just go up and find her myself.”
The receptionist stopped the woman and said carefully, “Ma’am, according to our company’s rules, you need to make an appointment in advance if you want to meet someone. Alternatively, you can ask Ms. Winters to come down and meet you.”
“Get out of the way!” The woman’s expression changed at the drop of a hat. It was absolutely frightening.
The receptionist was so startled that she retreated to the side. She could not afford to offend a wealthy woman like her.
“What floor does she work on?”
The receptionist then told her the number.
Finally satisfied, the woman took the elevator upstairs.
After stepping out of the elevator, she elegantly walked into the office. The employees around gave her sideways glances, but she ignored them and asked in a gentle manner, “I’m looking for Amelia Winters. Can someone please tell me where she is?”
Everyone in the company knew Amelia was Oscar’s wife, who disappeared for two years and returned. When they saw that someone was looking for her, their hidden desire to gossip arose again.
They could not help but fill in the blanks in their minds, but they were also afraid that the woman was there to cause trouble. Filled with apprehension, they wondered if they would lose their jobs from incurring Oscar’s wrath in the event that the woman harmed Amelia.
Jobs were not easy to find. Even though they liked to gossip, they dared not watch a commotion unfold and do nothing about it.
One of the female employees stepped forward and asked carefully, “Ma’am, why are you looking for Amelia?”
“It’s nothing. I just wanted to see why a wife would hook up with someone else’s fiancé.”
Those words caused everyone’s imaginations to run wild.
Coincidentally, Amelia walked over with a file in her hands. A sharp-eyed person recognized her at once and ran over to tell her, “Amelia, be careful. A rich wife is looking for you, and it’s clear that she’s not someone to be trifled with.”
Amelia raised her brows in puzzlement. “A rich wife is looking for me?”
The rich wife in question just happened to see her. She walked over, took off her glasses, and sized Amelia up from head to toe before saying, “I haven’t seen you for two years, but you’ve become even more tall and beautiful. It’s no wonder you’re capable of stealing another woman’s fiancé. I’ve never seen a person as shameless as you.”
As two years had gone by, Amelia did not remember many faces she had met before. She had no recollection of the woman in front of her at all, but she was still somewhat infuriated with being falsely accused in public.
The most taboo subject in the workplace was rumors. Once a rumor spread, it would swiftly spread to all corners of the office like a tornado.
“Who are you, ma’am? Shouldn’t you introduce yourself before hurling random insults at someone?” Amelia asked calmly.
“Introduce myself? You really are a calm vixen, aren’t you? Say, you’re Oscar’s wife and have a pampered life, so why do you still cling to Carter? If not for you, my daughter wouldn’t have to live like she was better off dead. She lost her self-esteem because of a man.”
It turned out that the lady was Laura. At that moment, she was regarding Amelia viciously as though she wanted to tear the latter apart.
“Amelia, you should’ve stayed away when you left. Why did you come back? They were just about to get engaged, but your return ruined everything. Not only are you a vixen, but you’re also a jinx. Why don’t people like you just die?” Laura snarled.
Seeing that she was growing agitated, the others quickly shielded Amelia behind them. Several women came forward to pacify Laura. “Ma’am, I think there must be some kind of misunderstanding going on here. Please calm down first. We can talk civilly. It’ll be embarrassing for both parties if you cause a scene here.”
Laura’s expression instantly returned to normal as though it was part of a face-changing act. The speed at which she changed her countenance was astonishing.
Straightening her shawl calmly, she said, “Don’t worry. I came here today to get an explanation from Amelia. You can all go back to work. I’ll talk with her.”
As the crowd watched her, they could not help but marvel that the woman’s behavior was in line with her wealthy background. Ordinary people like them could never have a bearing like her.
If it were them, they certainly would not have the ability to repress their anger with ease.
Shane soon received word about the matter and rushed over. He asked Amelia with concern, “Amelia, are you okay?”
Amelia nodded.
He then shielded her behind him and gestured for the employees to return to work. After walking up to Laura, he said, “Ma’am, if you have something to say, please do it at my office. There are too many people here. It would be beneath your dignity to make a scene here, am I right?”
Laura glanced at him and nodded in an accommodating manner.
Inside the office, Shane personally made her a cup of tea and said, “Have some tea, ma’am. It’ll help calm you down.”
Laura took a sip of tea, looked at Amelia, who was standing by quietly, and said, “Amelia, don’t you have anything to say to me after doing such a shameful thing?”
She knew Amelia was completely innocent in that relationship, but she could not do anything about Carter and her daughter. Even so, she had to find someone to vent her bottled-up anger, so Amelia obviously became the pitiful target.
There was no helping it. It was because Amelia was the culprit for her daughter’s misfortune.
Amelia laughed instead.
Looking at Laura, she said solemnly, “Mrs. Larson, I think you’re mistaken. First, I didn’t steal anyone’s boyfriend or husband. Second, I never hooked up with another man even though I have a husband. Third, Carter and I are just friends, and I didn’t interfere with his relationship with Ms. Larson. I don’t get it. On what basis are you making a scene at my workplace and slandering me like this? You ruined my reputation and caused great damage to my image in the company. I can sue you for libel.”
Laura narrowed her eyes and questioned, “Are you threatening me?”
