Robert arrived quickly and examined Olivia. “Olivia, you’re not young anymore. You should really learn to control your emotions.”
Owen asked nervously, “Robert, is she okay?”
“She needs a good rest. She got overly agitated which caused her to go out of breath. Be careful in the future though. Her heart is a little weaker than normal so she can’t withstand such pressure again.”
Owen said sullenly, “Okay. I was negligent this time. I won’t let it happen again.”
Robert nodded. “Olivia is generally fine so don’t worry too much. All right, I have to get back to the hospital.”
“Thanks. I won’t walk you out then,” replied Owen.
Robert waved his hands and replied, “It’s fine. We’ve already known each other for so long.”
After he left, Owen glanced at Oscar and Stephanie in displeasure. He said in a low voice, “Did you guys hear that? If anything were to happen to your mother today, you guys can forget about coming back to the Clinton residence ever again.”
Stephanie’s eyes were reddened. She said, “Dad, I didn’t do it on purpose. If it wasn’t for this jinx, Mom would have never gotten angry.”
Owen glared at her and lowered his volume even further. “Your mother is sleeping so I don’t want to wake her, but you need to remember that Amelia is your sister-in-law. You’d better apologize to her for being rude.”
Stephanie scowled at Amelia, who was standing at one side. “You want me to apologize to this jinx? I won’t. I’ve never accepted her as my sister-in-law anyway.”
Then, Stephanie ran off.
Owen clenched his fist, looking displeased.
Amelia walked over and said, “Dad, don’t be mad at Steph. She’s still young and may not understand you. Plus, she really cherishes Oscar, so she’ll naturally find fault with me.”
Owen looked thoughtfully at her and sighed after a while. “Amelia, you’re pregnant. Don’t tire yourself out. Go back and rest.”
When Amelia glanced at Olivia, he continued, “I’ll take care of her.”
Amelia knew Owen did not really like her, so she left without another word.
Owen then turned to Oscar, who had been silent the whole time. “Oscar, I don’t know what’s going on in your mind, but I want you to stay away from Cassie. You’re already married with a child and you’ve seen how much your mother likes Amelia. You just can’t be with Cassie.”
Oscar had a complicated look in his eye. After a while, he replied, “Dad, I really want to marry Cassie. She’s someone that I’ve always desired to be with.”
Owen tightened his fist in anger. “You would put your mother’s life on the line for that woman?”
Oscar lowered his head and replied slowly, “I’m really sorry about Mom, but Cassie’s already carrying my child. I can’t let the child be born without a father, so I need to give her an official status. Moreover, as Mrs. Yard said, I’ll have their family’s support if I marry Cassie. Don’t you want the Clintons to become stronger?”
Owen was speechless.
Back then, he had also been an ambitious young man, eventually growing Clinton Corporations to become one of the top companies today. Even though he had slowly decreased his involvement in the business, he still wanted the company to develop further.
Aside from its strong foundation, a marriage of convenience was the next best option to help Clinton Corporations become stronger. Merging two companies would help push for expansion into overseas markets, creating even more opportunities in the future.
Since Owen had never really liked Amelia, he was indeed enticed by Oscar’s words. Other than her beauty, she was just like any other normal girl.
Beautiful ladies are not hard to find. When Oscar had insisted on marrying Amelia back then, he did not approve of their marriage. However, the Clintons were previously mocked when Cassie broke off the marriage, and marrying Amelia would put a stop to the ridicule. Thus, he had allowed Oscar to have his way.
Yet, Owen now wanted Oscar’s marriage to be beneficial to the family business. Only by engaging in a marriage of convenience could their company continue to improve.
“You can marry Cassie but you have to get your mother’s approval first. Otherwise, that is out of the question,” Owen piped up.
Oscar nodded. “Dad, don’t worry. I’ll talk to Mom. Cassie is still that same girl that she’s known since young. Someone is trying to frame her with the photos.”
Owen frowned and replied sincerely, “Oscar, you’re smart. I just hope that you can put more effort into dealing with your relationship issues and not just focus on work. Cassie has been living overseas for four years and would have definitely changed. If you really fell for her words so easily then I think handling Clinton Corporations over to you may be a bad decision.”
Oscar stood silently as he pondered.
Owen patted him on the shoulder and said, “I’ll just give you a piece of advice. You have to put your heart into both business and relationships. Sleep on it—whether Cassie is really suitable for you or not. Although I’m not very pleased with Amelia, she’s pregnant with my first grandchild after all. There’s nothing else more important than that. Just give it some thought. I don’t want to see you suffer because of your marriage.”
He continued after a while, “I’m willing to do anything for your mother because I think she’s worth it. At the same time, she does even more for our family. Can the woman you choose manage and care for your family, and will she stand beside you in times of trouble?”
Owen patted Oscar on the shoulder again. “Just sleep on it.”
Oscar raised his head to look at his father. His eyes held a mix of emotions.
He then nodded and said, “I got it, Dad.”
Owen replied, “I’ll stay here with your mother. You go on.”
Oscar nodded. “Take good care of Mom. I’ll go check on Amelia.”
When his son left, Owen walked over to the sleeping Olivia. He smiled bitterly and said, “You can drop the act now.”
Olivia opened her eyes. It was clear that she was wide awake.
Owen asked, “Still want to sleep?”
Olivia sat up and looked at her husband. “Dear, it’s been four years. I can’t believe you still don’t like Amelia.”
Owen laughed. “She’s not my ideal daughter-in-law, but I neither like nor dislike her.”
When Olivia got off the bed, he quickly reached over to hold her. “You’ve just recovered. Don’t keep moving around.”
She shook off his hand and retaliated, “I like Amelia. I get along well with her and she understands what I’m thinking. She’s also definitely more suitable for Oscar than Cassie is. I think Oscar is just too blinded by his obsession that he can’t see where his heart really lies.”
Owen poured her a glass of water and said, “Drink some water, then we’ll talk.”
She took a sip, then asked, “Dear, are you seriously willing to let Oscar marry Cassie?”
Owen took her in his arms and spoke in a low voice. “Let them decide for themselves. Don’t worry too much.”
However, Olivia was determined. “I’ll say it now. I only want Amelia as my daughter-in-law. I won’t accept anyone else.”
He laughed bitterly. “Olivia, don’t be stubborn. Just let them deal with it themselves. Oscar is a smart man, even smarter than me. I believe he can handle his relationships well too.”
Olivia replied angrily, “I think he’s stupid to abandon his wife for such an insignificant person. If he regrets it in the future, that’s his own problem.”
Owen could not help but laugh. “Okay. Lighten up, would you? He’s almost thirty. He should know what he wants for himself.”
Olivia nodded but stood by her words. “I’ll only accept Amelia as my daughter-in-law.”
Owen chuckled. “Aren’t you making things difficult for Oscar? If you keep favoring Amelia, you’re also making Stephanie unhappy. I’m worried that your relationship with her will worsen because of this.”
Olivia was lost for words.
Owen hugged her and added, “I understand you like Amelia, but you need to know your priorities. Stephanie’s your daughter. Although she’s a little headstrong, she’s still very filial. These past four years, your relationship with Stephanie has been worsening because of Amelia. Are you sure you want to continue this way?”
Olivia still did not speak.
Seeing that, Owen did not continue to prompt her any further.
Five minutes later, she replied, “I’ll try to be fairer from now on.”
Owen tightened his hug. He had successfully persuaded his wife.
Meanwhile, Oscar headed back to his bedroom. He was about to knock on the door when he hesitated.
Eventually, he opened the door to find Amelia sitting on the bed with a book in her hands. However, she was clearly in a daze.
Oscar walked over and took the book out of her hands. Only then did Amelia notice him. She had a lost look in her eyes and the former’s heart hurt at this sight.
Amelia quickly composed herself and spoke as if everything was normal. “You’re back, Mr. Clinton. Has Mom woken up?”
Oscar shook his head and sat down to embrace her. He whispered, “What were you doing?”
Amelia laughed. “You just took away my book. Isn’t it obvious?”
Oscar studied the book then said, “It’s upside down. You’re clearly not reading it.”
Amelia was not embarrassed. She simply replied, “I was spacing out. Since Ms. Yard is already pregnant, I was wondering when I would be kicked out of the Clinton family. I just hope that I’ll be able to leave happily then.”
Oscar disliked the hurt look in her eyes. He covered them and asked, “Who said you would be kicked out of our family?”
“Well, am I wrong about it?” Amelia replied with a question of her own.
Oscar was silent for a moment. He then replied, “Don’t worry. Even if we do get a divorce, I won’t kick you out. I’ll get a luxury car to send you out.”
“I’ll really have to thank you for your generosity then,” Amelia paused. “I’d already predicted that this would happen when we got married four years ago. But considering that we’ve been married for so long, could you promise me something?”
“Just say it.”
Nevertheless, Amelia held her tongue. Oscar released her from the hug and noticed that she had shut her eyes. He bent down to kiss her, then said seductively, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
