Chapter 648 Avoidance
Oscar fiddled idly with the fountain pen in his hand. “You and Stephanie have just gotten married, Noah. Now that you have nothing to do with that woman anymore, you would want her to be happy too, wouldn’t you? That settles it. I plan to set her up with Hugo as he isn’t married either. Do you think she is worthy of Hugo?”
Noah turned pale from the exertion of trying to keep his anger under control, barely succeeding in doing so.
“I have no right to dictate her romantic life.”
“All right. I’ll go ahead with my plan, then.” Oscar’s eyes flashed cruelly as he added with a half-smile, “You wouldn’t have any objections about my proposal, would you, Noah?”
Noah remained silent for a long time. “I’m begging you to leave her alone, Oscar.”
The smile on Oscar’s face widened.
“In what capacity are you begging me?” Oscar asked with polite interest. “Her lover? Or her friend? Or an irrelevant stranger?”
Noah took a deep breath and said as calmly as he could, “I admit that I loved her before, Oscar, and I even had trouble shaking her off after Stephanie and I started dating. After I was convinced that Stephanie was the one I loved the most, I cut off contact with that woman. I have no idea how she’s doing now.”
Oscar seemed to have decided that he had had enough fun when his smile suddenly became friendly as he stood up and patted Noah on the shoulder. “I was just messing with you. I believe that you really love my sister. That woman was going to make trouble at your wedding yesterday, but one of my bodyguards caught her before she could do so and pulled her aside for a drink to calm her down. That was when he discovered from her lips that she was your ex-girlfriend. I was waiting for you to come back from your honeymoon to ask you about her, not expecting you to drop by today instead. Needless to say, I’m glad that you didn’t disappoint me as you’ve passed my test.”
Noah glanced up at Oscar, in blatant disbelief that he was so easily let off the hook.
“Don’t you blame me for any of it, Oscar?”
“I know you have a mild temperament and are easy to get along with, Noah. Women will inevitably fall for you. It’s reasonable for you to have other girlfriends before Stephanie. As stellar a bachelor as you once were, women would obviously have their sights set on you. I understand. As for that woman, I had Hugo send her away with a sum of money. As long as you begin married life with Stephanie on the right foot, you can be sure to rely on my helping hand if Walker Group ever needs it.”
A strange glint flashed across Noah’s eyes.
“Thank you for understanding, Oscar.”
“Go on. Don’t let Stephanie think that we’re plotting something up here.”
Noah nodded.
Stephanie ran over to meet the two men coming down the stairs with carefully inscrutable expressions on their faces. “What did you say to Noah, Oscar?”
“What’s the matter? Afraid that your husband couldn’t take the ribbing from your brother?”
“Not at all. I was worried that he might anger you with his clumsy words.” Despite her fear of Oscar, her attempts to get on his good side again were blatant. “I hope he didn’t say anything embarrassing or offensive.”
“Noah has much better control of his temper than you,” Oscar chided. “As long as you be a good wife to him, our parents and I will have no cause to worry about you anymore.”
Though she pouted at the reprimand, Stephanie was elated at her brother’s good humor that day. It made her feel like they were back to how close they were during her childhood.
“Are you no longer mad at me, Oscar?” Stephanie asked timidly.
“As long as you stop causing trouble for Amelia and start a good life with Noah, I will still treat you as my sister.”
Stephanie’s eyes sparkled with delight.
“I promise, Oscar. Here.” Stephanie stretched out her pinky.
Oscar was a good sport. He responded by hooking his finger firmly around hers.
“Don’t you have a honeymoon to get to?” Oscar reminded gently. “Hurry up, or you’ll miss your flight.”
“We’ll get going then, Oscar. I’ll buy you a gift at the airport on our way back from the honeymoon.” With a final cheery wave, Stephanie took Noah’s arm and bounded out happily.
Amelia stepped forward after they disappeared. “Are you planning to reconcile with your sister?”
Oscar tweaked her nose. “Are you jealous?”
“Why would I be?” responded Amelia with a grin.
“Look at you; you’re practically emanating squiggly lines of disapproval.”
That amused Amelia to no end.
Oscar took her in his arms. “I want her to taste some sweetness before the truth breaks out. It will make her despair so much worse. I want her to experience the same desperation I felt when you were lying in the operating room.”
Amelia looked up and met his eyes as she raised her hand to stroke his cheek. “I’m alive and well now, aren’t I?”
“I’ll never forget the fear of almost losing you. Maybe never in this lifetime.”
Amelia sighed. Having thought that Oscar had healed from the ordeal, it saddened her to learn that the shadow of his greatest fear still haunted him.
The sound of the doorknob clicking open from the outside interrupted their conversation.
Kurt strode in with Tony in his arms a moment later. He put the child down when he saw them.
Tony ran over excitedly. “Mommy!”
Amelia left Oscar’s embrace to squat down and hug Tony. “How was your day out with your godfather?” she asked.
“Very fun,” Tony said innocently. “If you came along, Mommy, our family of three will be together again like the old days.”
The smile on Amelia’s face froze.
“That’s not what Tony meant, Boss,” Kurt explained awkwardly, worried that it may embarrass Amelia.
Oscar took Tony from her and held the boy at eye level. “Do you not have fun with me, Tony?”
“I do, but I much prefer spending time with Daddy. Too bad that Mommy likes you, so I can’t hate you like how I used to anymore.” Tony sighed like an old man.
Though amused, Oscar was left dumbfounded at his son’s retort.
“Little rascal,” Oscar said gruffly as he bopped his son’s nose. This kid is born to be my nemesis. He is the only person who can make me speechless, yet I cannot raise a finger against him.
Amelia was relieved to see a normal interaction between them, as though Tony’s innocuous remark meant nothing.
Kurt, on the other hand, was a little more inscrutable. He watched Amelia and noticed bitterly how she only had eyes for Oscar and Tony. Having tried his best to stay away from her, he lamented the futility of his efforts and how there were so many other lovelorn single people in the world just like him.
The more he tried to distance himself from her, the more he missed her. The more he indulged in those feelings, the tighter the steel grip around his heart felt.
“You should stay for dinner today, Kurt,” came Amelia’s distressed voice. “Look how thin you’ve become from being out on assignments all the time recently.”
Kurt nodded stiffly.
It had been a long time since he shared a meal with Amelia. Many things had changed since his return from Beshya.
Amelia has a man who will protect her now. Even if I want to do all of that for her and more, I am a nobody. The best I can do is to look at her from a distance and wish her well.
“What’s wrong, Kurt? You’re awfully silent.”
With a start, Kurt found himself staring at the face that had haunted him for countless sleepless nights. As close and real as it was compared to the mirage he had conjured during his deepest yearnings, he could hardly stop trembling.
“Amelia,” he began before taking two instinctive steps back, keeping his head carefully bowed to conceal his expression as he did so.
“What’s the matter with you, Kurt?” Amelia asked with the concern of a friend. “You seem a little distracted. Are you not well?”
Despite wanting to reveal the source of his pain with all his heart, Kurt knew that Amelia could not give him what he wanted. Though preferring her to be harsher with him, he could not help wanting just a little more of her love.
Conflicted as if he was trapped between two hells, the endless oscillation between torment and pleasure drove him nearly mad.
“I can’t, Amelia,” said Kurt stiffly. “I still have matters to attend to. I wouldn’t want to intrude on your evening with the boss.”
Amelia frowned. She did not like how Kurt was treating her like a stranger.
“Join us,” Oscar said.
Unable to defy a direct order, Kurt was forced to oblige and departed at once after a hasty meal.
Amelia frowned at his silhouette disappearing into the night. “Have you noticed that Kurt has been deliberately avoiding me, Oscar?”
“You are my wife now,” Oscar said calmly. “Having residual feelings for you, it’s natural that he would avoid you. It’s what any decent man would do.”
Amelia stroked his cheek. “You’re shameless.”
“You’re shameless, Big Meanie,” Tony echoed, parrot-like.
Oscar scooped Tony up into his arms. “A man has to be shameless to catch a beautiful woman like your mother, Tony. If he misses his chance, he will end up a lonely bachelor for the rest of his life.”
Tony seemed to understand, though he agreed more strongly with the statement of his mother being a beautiful woman.
He nodded vigorously. “Mommy is a beautiful woman.”
Amelia giggled at their conversation.
