Chapter 695 My First Compliment From You
After lunch, both of them walked out of the restaurant side by side. Olivia asked, “Isabella, is everything fine between Oscar and you?”
“Now that Oscar is married, he tries to avoid any misunderstanding. Even though I’m his god-sister, it’s unavoidable for him to treat me indifferently due to the fact that we’re not related by blood,” Isabella commented in a nonchalant tone while giving her shoulders a shrug.
After pondering a moment, Olivia suggested, “Come, I’ll go with you to the office and talk to Oscar about it.”
“Aunt Olivia, there’s no need for that. Since we’re both working in the same place and I had feelings for him before, it’s normal for him to keep his distance.”
“In that case, do you still like him?”
Isabella was briefly stunned before breaking out a wry smile. “It’s not easy to let go once you love someone. Nevertheless, I’ve decided to go on blind dates. There’s this guy who’s the eldest son of the Windsor family and has just returned from overseas. My mom says that he’s someone successful and has a good sense of humor. Since he’s educated overseas, his background would be similar to mine. Therefore, I think we would make a good match.”
Olivia tilted her head at Isabella and smiled. “It’s good that you have chosen that path. Just a few days ago, I mentioned you to a few friends of mine from prominent families, asking them to introduce some eligible bachelors. They did bring up a few and even showed me pictures. However, I was worried that you wouldn’t be open to it, so I didn’t tell you. Now that you are, you should take a look. If you see anyone that catches your eye, I’ll make the arrangements for you to meet them.”
Suddenly, an evil glint flashed in Isabella’s eye, as she watched the ongoing traffic in front of her. A devious thought had entered her mind. She was wondering how wonderful it would be if she could push the hypocritical old hag beside her toward the road so that the latter would disappear from the world. If it wasn’t because of Olivia’s unrealistic promises, she wouldn’t have been entrapped by her feelings for Oscar.
“Isabella, what’s wrong? The light has turned green.” Olivia’s voice brought her back to reality.
Regaining her senses, she gave Olivia an apologetic look. “Aunt Olivia, excuse me for being distracted.”
Olivia replied, “Let’s go. Next time, you have to be more mindful when crossing the road. Or else, you might be hit by a car.”
“I understand,” Isabella acknowledged the advice.
When they returned to Clinton Corporations, Isabella remarked, “Aunt Olivia, I’ll be going back to my office and won’t be going up with you.”
Olivia nodded in response.
As Isabella took the elevator up, Olivia took a separate one that was reserved for members of the Clinton family to the top floor.
“Welcome, Mrs. Clinton,” the secretary greeted Olivia upon arrival.
“Is Oscar is his office?” Olivia asked.
“Mr. Clinton is chairing a meeting and might need half an hour more. Why don’t you wait inside?” Linda invited Olivia into the office and brought her a cup of coffee to make her feel welcome.
“You must be Linda,” Olivia said.
“I am. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Has Oscar had lunch yet?”
“Not yet.” Linda added, “However, he has ordered food from a celebrity chef restaurant. It should be arriving in five minutes.”
Olivia nodded. “Remember to heat it up for him. Don’t let him have cold food.”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Clinton,” Linda reassured her. “I’ll be going back to work now.”
Olivia nodded.
After waiting for half an hour, Oscar returned to the office. Linda subsequently brought an exquisite-looking box and put it on the table.
“Mr. Clinton, I have heated up your food for you. Please enjoy it while it’s hot. Anyway, I’ll head back out now.” Linda left the room after that.
As Oscar loosened his tie, an exhausted expression descended upon his face. He asked in a raspy voice, “Mom, what brings you here?”
Olivia pointed at the box. “You should eat first. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Oscar went ahead as he was indeed famished.
After wolfing down his food, he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Mom, what is it that you want to see me for?”
“The following day is the Walkers’ thirtieth wedding anniversary. Since we are their in-laws, Amelia and you will need to show up bearing gifts,” Olivia informed Oscar.
Oscar replied, “Mom, you could have told me this on the phone.”
“I was having lunch with Isabella nearby and came over since I haven’t seen you in a while. If you’re free during the weekend, the three of you should come home and stay over. Ever since your sister got married, she seldom returned home. Hence, your dad and I are pretty bored most of the time.” Olivia finally revealed the objective of her visit.
“Mom, I’ll bring Amelia and Tony back once I’m no longer busy.”
After pondering for a moment, Olivia added, “Now that you and Amelia have reconciled, I don’t want to be the unreasonable mother-in-law anymore. Since the anger I felt for her has been negated by Tony, you should get her to visit me more often. After all, I don’t want us to become enemies.”
Oscar cracked a smile. “Mom, Amelia would be delighted to hear you say that, for she has always felt bad about disappearing with Tony. Even though you have forgiven her, she’s afraid to approach you, as she’s worried that you still resent her. Bringing this up is a sign that you have let go of the past. Consequently, she will no longer need to feel guilty for disappointing you.”
“The moment I talk about her, your face will light up with joy. How come? Are you worried that I’ll get rid of her and then find another woman for you?”
Oscar chuckled without rebutting.
“Oscar, I’m not someone that can’t tell right from wrong. Since both of you have remarried, there’s no way I’m going to replace Tony’s mother. He is everything to me now, and the last person I would ever hurt,” Olivia explained.
Glancing at Olivia, Oscar realized that he didn’t understand his mother as much as he thought.
Even though she had grown up in a wealthy family and never tolerated dissent, she was still willing to accept a daughter-in-law she disapproved of for the sake of her children and grandchildren.
Getting to her feet, she remarked, “I’m taking my leave now. Don’t forget about the Walkers’ wedding anniversary.”
After Oscar walked her to the door, Olivia turned around and said, “Oscar, please treat Isabella better and stop being snarky to her. Don’t forget that your sister is married to Noah, and Isabella is also her sister-in-law. I’m worried that she might take it out on Stephanie.”
Oscar’s lips were pursed in silence.
“Please do it for my sake,” Olivia pleaded, which was a rare sight.
Oscar had no choice but to nod.
It was only then that Olivia left in satisfaction, while Oscar threw himself back into work.
At five in the afternoon, Amelia strutted into Clinton Corporations in her heels and took the private elevator up to the top floor. The moment she came out, a secretary welcomed her, “Mrs. Clinton.”
“Is Oscar around?”
“He’s still in a meeting. Why don’t you wait in his office? I’ll make a cup of coffee for you,” the secretary answered respectfully.
Amelia shook her head. “There’s no such need. I’ll wait outside the meeting room. Since I’ve not seen him chairing a meeting before, it would be interesting to take a look.”
“Mrs. Clinton, do you need me to guide you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
As Amelia was familiar with the way, she quickly arrived at the conference room and peeked through the glass door. Coincidentally, she saw Isabella explaining the contents of her presentation in a professional manner, while Oscar was sitting in the center, listening intently.
At that moment, Amelia couldn’t help but see Isabella as a growing threat. Despite being aware of how ridiculous such emotions were, she couldn’t deny how Isabella and Oscar looked like the perfect power couple together.
Even though she trusted her husband fully, she was unsettled by the fact that there was a woman who desperately coveted him by his side. To sit idly by and do nothing would only mean that she either didn’t love Oscar enough or was too confident in herself.
Unfortunately, neither applied to her.
Given Isabella’s proximity to Oscar, Amelia couldn’t help but be concerned. Nonetheless, she knew she had to keep her personal feelings out of work, as there was no way she could get Oscar to fire Isabella based on a whim of hers.
After observing the presentation for a while, Amelia saw Isabella finish up and walked up to Oscar with documents in hand. She then said something to the latter with a smile, to which the latter nodded.
Squirming her lips, Amelia turned around and left.
Inside the conference room, Oscar was fiddling with his gold pen. “Does anyone have anything to add? If there isn’t, we’ll go along with Ms. Walker’s proposal. That’s all for today.”
In the blink of an eye, everyone packed up and left, leaving Oscar and Isabella inside.
“Oscar, do let me know if you think there are any problems with the proposal. I will go back and change it, as I want it to be perfect,” Isabella suggested.
“I think it is very good. Hence, there’s no need to make amendments. Your recent performance has improved significantly, and you’re finally doing justice to your position as director,” Oscar praised her, which was a rare event.
Isabella’s eyes glistened, while the smile on her face broadened.
“Oscar, this is the first time you have complimented me.”
“As your boss, I keep my personal feelings out of work. If you do well, you deserve to be praised. Anyway, I’m going off.” As Oscar left the room ahead of her, Isabella followed behind him, staring admiringly at his leaving silhouette.
