Chapter 690 Crosby Foster
Oscar took Amelia out for a meal. Derrick had also contacted his friends on that side, but coincidentally, everyone was away on business trips. They would only be back two days later.
Derrick smiled bitterly at Tiffany and said, “Tiff, I’m sorry. They are all not available at the moment. But, don’t worry. I have already told them to come back as soon as possible.”
Tiffany adjusted his coat before reassuring him, “Don’t apologize. It’s Jayden’s fault. I should be the one apologizing.”
Derrick pulled her into his arms. “All we can do now is to wait for Mr. Clinton’s news. I realize that I am nowhere as capable as Mr. Clinton when dealing with emergencies.”
“You’re also very outstanding compared to others. My husband is not a good-for-nothing.”
When Derrick heard the compliment, he caressed her hair with a smile on his face.
Oscar took Amelia to a high-end Chanaen restaurant where the hostess brought them to their private dining room on the second floor. The hostess knocked on the door and only opened it when she received approval to do so.
She gestured to them before saying, “Mr. and Mrs. Clinton, this way please.”
When Oscar and Amelia went in, a middle-aged man of around forty walked toward them. He was well-built and good-looking. His confident demeanor told Amelia that he was someone of great importance.
Just as Amelia was studying the man, he walked up to Oscar and gave him a fist bump before embracing Oscar warmly.
After their brotherly greeting, the man noticed Amelia and asked, “Is this your wife?”
Oscar nodded and introduced the two of them, “Yes, this is my wife, Amelia. We have been married for nearly eight years now.” Oscar then turned to Amelia and said, “Amelia, this is Crosby, and he’s into real estate. If you like to read financial publications, you should know him. That’s because he has been featured in the country’s most popular financial newspapers before, and can be considered one of the big players in the city. He’s a few years older than us.”
Amelia extended her hand gracefully and said, “Hi, Crosby. It’s a pleasure to meet you. When I was twenty years old, I had already read about you in financial publications. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the good fortune to meet you until now. I didn’t expect you to look even more handsome in person. Your wife must be a very lucky woman to have someone as distinguished as you are as her husband.”
Crosby accepted her handshake and smiled. “Thank you for your kind words. But, you are just as exceptional. Oscar is lucky to be able to marry you.”
After exchanging pleasantries, they finally got seated.
Crosby handed Amelia the menu before saying, “Go ahead and order what you like. Both of you hardly come by. You must allow me to be the host and give you a treat.”
Amelia went through the menu before ordering three dishes. She then handed the menu back to Crosby and said, “We are done with the order.”
In one go, Crosby ordered six dishes and a bowl of soup. After handing the waiter the menu, he asked them to serve the food as soon as possible.
Very soon, the food arrived, and the three of them started eating. Crosby asked, “Oscar, which one of your friends has gotten into such serious trouble that even you need my help to resolve it? I thought you have forgotten about me.”
Oscar explained to him what had happened briefly.
After listening to Oscar, Crosby said, “All the loan sharks want is their money. Why don’t you just pay them off?”
“I don’t want anyone in our city to ever loan him money again because I don’t want to have any loose ends. His sister and Amelia are best friends. If something happens to him, there’s no way his sister will sit back and do nothing. That will also worry and implicate Amelia. Do you understand what I mean?” explained Oscar.
Crosby gave him a long and meaningful smile before saying, “I thought you have become a more helpful person. It turns out that you are worried that your wife may be implicated. You are truly a doting husband. Well, I’ll help you out on this account.”
“If you can resolve this issue, take it that I owe you a huge favor,” said Oscar.
Crosby took out a cigar, but he kept it away when he recalled that a woman was around.
“We are brothers. Let’s not talk about such things. You have hardly ever asked me for any favor. If I can’t even do anything to help you out, what good am I? I promise you that I will settle this issue,” Crosby assured him.
“Then, let me thank you in advance. Just let me know how much they want.”
“Don’t worry about the money. As your host, I should help you out. Unless you look down on me.”
Oscar laughed. “Crosby, don’t tease me. Even biological brothers should keep money matters separated. It’s bad enough that I need your help. How can I still ask you to fork out money?”
“Amelia, look at him. We have known each other for more than a decade, but he is still acting distant from me. How am I supposed to be brothers with him?” said Crosby in an ambiguous manner.
“Crosby, Oscar treats you as a real brother. That’s why he wants to draw the line where money is concerned.” With that, Amelia got up and poured a glass of wine. “Crosby, let me drink to you. It’s our destiny to meet one another. I’m very happy to know a generous brother like you. I shall drink up first.”
Crosby laughed out loud when he saw Amelia down the drink in one go without any pretense.
“Good. I like your attitude.” Crosby also finished the wine in his glass. He then said, “Oscar, your wife is really something. No wonder she is able to win a picky man like yours.”
Oscar agreed with him, “In my eyes, she’s the most perfect woman. There may be women who are prettier than she is. But, not many will understand me the way she does.”
Crosby was amused. “Oscar, your proclamation of love is too much for me. I’m getting goosebumps.”
Oscar continued eating with a straight face. “Crosby, when can we meet your other half? When you got married, you didn’t even invite me. What kind of brother are you?”
“Both of us only got registered and received our marriage certificate. We didn’t even hold a wedding. She doesn’t seem to be from this world. All day long, she will be talking to me about the need for women’s freedom and not to be bound by such matters. In the end, we didn’t even hold a wedding. She’s mischievous and full of nonsense. Even I can’t handle her. Perhaps, once Amelia meets her, they may become friends.” It sounded like Crosby was complaining about his wife. However, the love he had for his wife was apparent in his eyes.
Amelia smiled and teased, “It looks like you love her very much.”
“She’s my one and only wife. It’s not easy to meet someone who cares dearly for me. If I don’t love her, then who should I love? Those indecent women out there?” Crosby raised his glass. “Come, let’s drink up.”
Both Amelia and Oscar clinked glasses with him, and they too finished their drinks in one go.
After a few drinks, Amelia’s impression of Crosby had improved. She found that he was an unpretentious and straightforward person that she could be friends with.
The three of them only parted ways after two hours later. Crosby smiled and said, “I’m very happy to have dinner with both of you today. When you come by here again, give me a call. I will settle that issue for you the minute I got home. If you are free, stay here for another couple of days and have some fun. I can ask my wife to come along. She has been wanting to go mountain climbing for quite some time now.”
“Sure! Crosby, you’re the host. We’ll leave the arrangement to you.”
“All right then. It’s settled.”
After bidding goodbye to Crosby, Amelia and Oscar got into the car. Amelia said, “Oscar, I did not expect Crosby to be such a straightforward person. I recalled one of the financial magazines saying that he is a charismatic man who is cold and decisive in his work. I certainly didn’t expect him to be so easy-going. How did the two of you meet?”
“We have worked together in the past and also met up a few times in private. Both of us seem to get along well, so we start to contact each other more often. He is very generous with friends. Although there is a bit of a gap in our ages, we don’t feel the difference. It will be nice for you to befriend his wife. An extra friend won’t hurt. In fact, it might be helpful in the future,” said Oscar.
Amelia nodded. Even without any benefits, she was still very interested in meeting the quirky wife of Crosby. Amelia wanted to know what kind of woman she was that she could win the heart of such an exceptional man.
She was really looking forward to it.
