Chapter 726 Wanting To Groom Tony
Amelia Hutton wasn’t the only one who prayed for something terrible to happen to Amelia. Even Stephanie and Isabella were delighted to receive news regarding the woman’s ill fate.
Stephanie took a bunch of grapes to eat as she looked at the other party. “Hey, Isabella. Amelia being in trouble is truly the best opportunity for you to make a move on Oscar. My brother’s mind must be in a complete mess right now. As long as you be smart and be more gentle, there’s no doubt he will be yours.”
Isabella was also seething with excitement. Nevertheless, she still felt somewhat apprehensive. After all, she had been rejected by Oscar numerous times. Something unfortunate had happened to the plane Amelia boarded. Hence, if she blatantly looked for the man to comfort him, she was afraid he would directly chase her away.
She was certain Oscar would do such a thing.
Besides Amelia, he would not behave in a gentlemanly manner toward any other woman.
“Stephanie, you mentioned that your brother is currently in a state of anxiousness. If I were to appear before Oscar and angered him, wouldn’t he kick me out right away?” Isabella asked doubtfully.
After finishing the grapes, Stephanie took a plate of cherries and began eating them too. Isabella could not help but twitch her lips at that sight.
She’s not even a sow. Yet, she could eat so much. Most of the fruits on the table like apples, grapes, pears, bananas, and oranges had gone into her stomach in an instant. I suspect she might be a sow in her previous life.
“Isabella, don’t say I didn’t warn you that many women long for my brother. I assume they are now itching to get close to him. After they got wind of Amelia’s mishap, these people would think they could be the next Mrs. Clinton. If one of them manages to snatch Oscar away, you’ll definitely regret it.” Stephanie’s voice fell to a hush. “Which risk do you think is worse—getting scolded by my brother or him being snatched away by other women?”
Isabella was deep in thought upon hearing her words.
“I’m going to look for him now.” After heading upstairs to change her clothes, Isabella hurried downstairs. Unable to control her urge, she glanced at Stephanie and realized she was still eating. She couldn’t help advising, “Stephanie, it’s better to not overeat. Your stomach would feel unwell. My brother would suffer from heartache if that happened.”
Stephanie pouted in response. “All right.”
Isabella didn’t have much time to worry about Stephanie. She quickly drove off, and upon reaching the city center, the woman bought many items regardless of their usefulness. Then, she used her credit card and bought them all. Afterward, she happily placed them in her car boot and headed straight to the residential area.
She struggled while carrying a big heap of stuff she had just bought and took the elevator up. Isabella reached out a hand to ring the doorbell. Very soon, someone opened the door. She swallowed the words she had thought of saying after mulling for a while once she saw the person who had opened the door.
“Why are you here, Isabella?” Olivia frowned. As someone with her fair share of experience, it was inevitable for Olivia to imagine all sorts of ideas.
Right after something awful happened to Amelia, she was so eager that she has gotten so much stuff and rushed here. For her to hurry over after getting wind of Amelia’s misfortune, I could tell that she is trying her luck.
Olivia was slightly displeased.
Even if something horrible truly falls upon Amelia, there’s no way my son would accept another woman within such a short period. Not only would it lead to more gossip and rumors, but people would also think he is a man who is heartless and couldn’t wait to remarry right after his wife had an accident. As his mother, I’ll absolutely forbid anyone from running their mouth off about Oscar and ruining his reputation. Besides, it’s unclear whether Amelia is dead or alive. Perhaps there might be news about her survival in the next few days. However, Isabella is already having thoughts of taking over Amelia’s place. Does she know her action is equivalent to insulting my family?
Isabella naturally could notice the discontentment in Olivia’s eyes. She hastily explained, “Aunt Olivia, I heard that the plane Amelia boarded had gone missing. My parents asked me to make a trip to the Clinton residence. Nonetheless, I figured that you and Mr. Clinton would probably be here on second thought. So, I came here instead. My parents told me to buy all these items. They’re rather heavy, so can you let me enter the house first?”
It was only then that Olivia’s countenance became better. As she turned her body sideways, a gentle expression resurfaced on her face.
“Come on in.”
“Thank you, Aunt Olivia.”
After Isabella entered the house, Oscar just happened to come downstairs with Tony in his arms. He couldn’t help but furrow his brows when he saw the woman. A flash of loathing passed through his eyes.
“Why are you here?” Oscar wore a chilly expression on his face. With the ongoing mess in the family, he had no time to put on a false display of friendship with Isabella. Furthermore, he saw her as a sham. In fact, Oscar regarded her as a plaque he wanted to avoid.
If Isabella knew how Oscar thought about her deep down, she would not know how to feel or react to that.
“Oscar, I heard that something had happened to the plane Amelia boarded. That is why I came to visit you.” Isabella turned a blind eye to Oscar’s expression as she spoke.
“You don’t have to do this.” Oscar sat on the couch while carrying Tony. He carefully peeled the fruits to feed his son, not bothering to spare Isabella a glance.
“Oscar, Isabella is doing this out of concern. You’ll frighten her if you behave like that,” Olivia chimed in. Although she found it rather inappropriate for Isabella to come by hastily, she was ultimately their guest. Therefore, Olivia felt it wasn’t nice of her son to appear too distant.
“Tony, let’s say if there’s a woman who covets me when your mother isn’t around, what would you say about her?” Oscar questioned.
“It must be a person with ulterior motives.” Tony glanced at Isabella before continuing, “Big Meanie, don’t tell me you have fallen for this hideous woman?”
“How smart of you to have come up with that statement. Come on. I’ll reward you with a grape.”
Isabella’s complexion grew furiously pale at his comment. In any case, she was still considered a guest. Yet, the father-son duo was mocking her without sparing a thought for her feelings, causing her to feel extremely uncomfortable.
Olivia was in a dilemma and could only say to Isabella, “Oscar and Tony are feeling down because of what happened to Amelia. I suggest that you go back first.”
Isabella hung her head low, concealing the unwillingness and resentment in her eyes.
When she raised her head again, she had returned to her usual calm composure.
“Aunt Olivia, I honestly had no other intentions when I came by today. I used to be interested in Oscar, but there’s no rule in saying that one cannot be friends with the person she once adored. Therefore, visiting him as a friend is rather reasonable. You don’t have to be so wary of me as though I’m a thief.” Isabella tried to make concessions as she laughed bitterly.
Olivia replied, “Isabella, I understand your good intentions. Oscar is feeling angsty because of Amelia. Please don’t mind him.”
“Not at all. I’ll not take his words to heart.” Isabella was tactful with her words.
While Olivia was pleased with her attitude, Oscar merely threw her a glance. He rose to his feet as he carried his son. “I’m taking Tony to the airport to have a look.”
“You should leave Tony behind. I’ll take care of him. He’s still too young. You should know that the airport now must be packed with people who want to know the whereabouts of their missing relatives. Taking your son there might scare him,” Olivia proposed.
“No, it’s fine. I don’t want to leave him here and feel ill being around some people.”
Isabella’s expression froze, and her hands on her thighs twitched slightly. Humiliation flashed across her eyes.
With that, Oscar walked away while carrying Tony. Olivia’s apologetic voice rang out. “Isabella, my son is always like that. Please don’t take it personally.”
“It’s all right, Aunt Olivia. I know he’s in a foul mood because of Amelia. Nonetheless, I’m only concerned that he might get all worried and overthink.”
Olivia nodded in agreement as she was also worried about her son.
Meanwhile, Oscar held Tony in his embrace and left the house. When he went downstairs, he dialed Hugo’s number.
“Any news yet, Hugo?” He sounded really cold.
“Boss, there’s no news so far. There is also no report from the government or the airport. I am very sorry. We’ll spare no effort to search and rescue Mrs. Clinton.” Hugo’s guttural voice sounded from the other end.
Oscar’s grim face turned even more gloomy. His wife’s disappearance without a trace had caused him to be all agitated, and he also had difficulty sleeping at night. Eventually, he had to rely on consuming a high dose of sleeping pills so that he could catch some sleep. However, Amelia would appear in his dream with her body drenched in blood. After getting jolted awake, it was hard for him to fall asleep again.
Such a situation only occurred during the two years when Amelia had gone missing. He never once had insomnia ever since his wife returned to his side.
“Carry on with the investigation and return to the office in the afternoon. I need to call for a meeting,” Oscar commanded.
“Yes, Boss.”
After ending the call, Oscar’s expression turned terrifyingly grave.
Tony tugged the skin around his face and inquired, “Big Meanie, is there still no news about Mommy?”
“Not for now. Well, you have already become a man. Therefore, you mustn’t cry. We’ll wait for your mother to return, okay?”
“Big Meanie, I wouldn’t cry. I’m not as vulnerable as you think. I believe Mommy will come back.”
“What a good boy.” Oscar lifted his hand to caress the boy’s hair.
Tony smacked his hand away immediately and kept a straight face while saying earnestly, “Big Meanie, I’m already a little man. You can’t just touch my head. Otherwise, I can’t grow taller.”
Tony’s remark elicited a smile from Oscar. His mood was no longer as sullen as before.
“Tony, do you want to see the forces supporting me? Since you are an extremely bright child, I think it is time for you to meet with the core figures backing up the company. I’ll groom you to become a child prodigy. That way, you will also be able to protect your mother. So, do you want to learn the ropes?” He stared at Tony as he made his point seriously.
Clinton Corporations would belong to Tony in the future. I do wish he could have a blissful childhood. Nonetheless, since he’s the eldest grandson of the Clintons, many things would be out of his control. Also, countless people would be jealous of my son on the sly. Only through training from his early childhood would he be capable of dealing with all sorts of problems by himself if something were to happen to Amelia and me.
“Yes. I want to protect Mommy.”
“Good boy! You can’t whine about hardships as you learn the skills. It’s because you are a man who needs to assume responsibility.”
“Okay.”
Oscar had never expected that not only did Tony not grumble, but he also managed to learn how his father operated his business and even became more skillful than him. Tony was sure to do well with a distinguished father like Oscar. His management skills would also surpass his father’s in every aspect in the future.
Nevertheless, these would only occur in the future.
However, Tony’s unswerving determination despite his young age had indeed given Oscar a pleasant surprise.
