Chapter 832 Targeting Tony
When Amelia and Oscar came back, they instantly saw both Kurt and Derrick were injured. Amelia couldn’t help but frown and ask Derrick, “What’s the meaning of this, Derrick?”
Derrick gently touched his swollen lips and said, “I wanted to meet Tiff, but your bodyguard was too uncompromising. We had an argument which escalated to a fight, resulting in this.”
“If I didn’t remember wrongly, you have already divorced Tiff, Derrick. You even brought Crystal and your mother to City Hall to humiliate her, so don’t try to put up an act in front of us now. Are you regretting your decision and seeking to get back together with Tiff again?” Amelia had her arms folded across her chest defensively as she questioned him.
Derrick frowned and solemnly said, “I really didn’t mean to make things difficult for Tiff at City Hall.”
“Whatever! Anyway, you and Tiff are divorced, so you should just stay with Crystal and focus on taking care of her and your unborn baby. As for Tiff, we’ll take good care of her. We’ll also help introduce good men to her. Many rich guys would be more than happy to marry a woman like her, unlike you ungrateful Hissons.” Amelia waved him off.
Derrick’s expression darkened, and he hissed, “I thought we are friends, Amelia.”
“Were. We used to be, but we’re no longer friends now,” Amelia retorted.
Derrick’s face fell, but he brushed off her retort. “I’m not here to pick a quarrel with you, Amelia. I just want to meet Tiff,” he said.
Crossing her arms, Amelia replied, “Leave now if you know what’s good for you, Derrick. Tiff is no longer related to you, so this harassment is not going to do anyone any good. She’s not your responsibility anymore.”
Derrick took a deep breath and reminded himself not to blow up. He had to suppress his impulsive desires, for if he didn’t, he was sure Oscar would step in to make sure he would never get to see Tiffany ever again.
“I’ll head home then. Please take good care of Tiff. I’ll be back to see her again,” Derrick despondently said.
Amelia was about to say something sarcastic to him, but seeing how dispirited he was, she held her tongue and spoke no further.
After Derrick left, she turned to Kurt in concern and asked about his injuries.
“I’m fine, so don’t worry,” Kurt assured.
Despite his insistence that he was fine, Amelia still went upstairs to get the medical kit for him.
Kurt dressed his wounds, then took leave and wisely made himself scarce.
Amelia initially wanted to ask him to stay for dinner, but she changed her mind after she caught sight of Oscar and remembered he was with her.
After Kurt left, Amelia frowned and asked, “Oscar, is there a way to stop Derrick from harassing Tiff?”
“Sure! Get rid of him, and he’ll never be able to appear again. Alternatively, we can go after his business. He won’t have time for love if he’s busy fire-fighting to salvage his company,” Oscar said solemnly without batting an eyelid.
Amelia thought about his suggestions and decided they were not feasible.
“Forget it! I’ll have a talk with Tiff and see what she says. Oh gosh! How did things get so messy?” She sounded really frustrated.
Oscar’s eyes dimmed, and he went over to console her. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he won’t have time to come and bother Tiffany anymore,” he reassured.
Amelia contemplated for a moment, then looked him in the eyes and said, “Don’t get involved in this, Oscar. I think Tiff is the best person to handle this. You can stop him for a period of time, but you can’t keep him away forever. Tiff and Derrick have to come to an agreement between themselves and settle it once and for all. Otherwise, even after his child is born, he and his family will still be a bother to Tiff. I really should have stopped Tiff from getting together with him in the beginning.”
Oscar went into a pensive mood and appeared to be thinking about how to deal with Derrick.
Amelia gave Tiffany a call to find out where she was.
“Is he gone?” Tiffany asked instead.
“Yes, he has left, so you can stop hiding. Didn’t you say you’ve moved to a new apartment? Can Oscar and I visit the place?” Amelia asked.
After getting the address from Tiffany, she and Oscar immediately set off for that neighborhood.
In no time, they arrived and took the elevator up to Tiffany’s place. She was quick to answer the door.
Amelia walked into Tiffany’s apartment and saw she had already cleaned up the place. The apartment was sparsely furnished, with only a couch and a table. It was so bare that one could easily mistake it for a rental apartment for tourists.
“Do you really plan to stay here?” Amelia asked with concern. “This place is too quiet and doesn’t seem to be a safe neighborhood. Most importantly, this is not a high-end development with good security arrangements, so your privacy is not fully protected. Moreover, isn’t three rooms and a hall too small for you? The renovation is also too basic.” She was obviously not satisfied with the place.
Tiffany smiled and replied, “I find this place pretty cozy. It’s quiet and the surrounding is quite nice. It’s an ideal place for me to do my writing. When you have the time, come and visit me with Tony! Oh, by the way, I’ve changed my phone number, so remember to get it from me later. I don’t want to cross paths with any of the Hissons anymore.”
Amelia nodded and said, “Don’t worry. Oscar and I will settle them. Are you writing a movie script now?”
“Yup. I’ve already created an outline, so I should be able to start my screenwriting tonight. I’ll be busy, but busy is good as that will keep me from wasting time on unnecessary worries.” Tiffany shrugged and appeared to be in good spirits.
Amelia was happy for her. “Glad you’ve adjusted well to the changes. I’ll get two part-time helpers to come and help you with your household chores. I’ll remind them not to interrupt you when you’re working, so don’t worry. You have a tendency to skip meals when you are engrossed in your work, so with them around, at least I’m assured your meals will be ready for you.”
Tiffany accepted Amelia’s offer graciously as she knew Amelia was worried for her.
Amelia nagged at Tiffany for a while like a concerned mother, and when she was about to leave, Tiffany hesitantly said, “Amelia, if Derrick asks about me, please tell him I left the country. I don’t want to get involved with him anymore.”
“Noted. I’ll do that,” Amelia promised.
On the way out, while in the elevator, Oscar turned to Amelia and asked, “Amelia, do you want to go with me to meet Old Mr. Hisson?”
Amelia looked up with a puzzled expression on her face.
“When you were chatting with Tiffany just now, I gave Old Mr. Hisson a call. He invited us for tea,” Oscar explained.
Amelia nodded, and Oscar drove with her to an elegantly renovated coffee bar.
A gracious greeter came up to welcome them and gestured for them to enter. “Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton. This way please.”
She led them to a private room, respectfully did a half-bow, and announced, “Mr. and Mrs. Clinton have arrived, Old Mr. Hisson.”
Terrence put down his cup of coffee and waved her off, saying, “Thank you. You may leave.”
The greeter nodded and quietly left the room.
Oscar had his arm wrapped around Amelia’s waist as he walked into the private room. “Hello, Old Mr. Hisson,” he greeted.
Terrence gestured at the empty seats opposite him and invited them to sit down. He was about to pour them a drink, but Amelia quickly beat him to it and filled their cups instead.
Oscar did not bother to beat around the bush. He looked Terrence in the eyes and said, “Old Mr. Hisson, I asked to meet up with you because of your grandson.”
There was a brief glint in his eyes, but Terrence maintained a calm composure and asked, “What did my good-for-nothing grandson do this time?”
“He came to my place earlier today, kicked up a big fuss, and even broke a couch I imported from Irushea. I want to discuss this matter with you because if I keep quiet about it, everyone will think I’m a pushover.” Oscar narrowed his eyes and casually said. However, Terrence was no greenhorn, so he clearly understood the subtle threat Oscar was giving.
Terrence rubbed the stubble on his chin and grimly said, “If that good-for-nothing really did such a foolish thing, I’ll definitely punish him for it. I’ll call him over now to apologize to you.”
Oscar took a sip of his drink and smilingly replied, “Old Mr. Hisson, I’m not here to ask for an apology from Mr. Derrick. I just hope you can keep an eye on him and rein him in. He’s already divorced from Tiff, so he should behave accordingly. It will be regretful if we allow his problem to spoil the relationship between the Hissons and the Clintons.”
Terrence’s tired-looking eyes became dark and solemn.
Then, he sighed and bemoaned, “It’s Derrick’s loss. I’ve always been fond of Tiff. Unfortunately, his mother was short-sighted and did not see the bigger picture. I appreciate the faith you have in me. I’ll definitely sit Derrick down for a good talk and make sure he doesn’t bother Tiff again.”
Oscar raised his cup for a toast and said, “Thank you, Old Mr. Hisson. We look forward to our future collaboration with you and your family on any suitable projects. I keep business and personal affairs separate, so I’ll not let this affect us. Here’s a toast to you!”
Terrence also raised his cup and drank to it. The two men’s eyes met and they exchanged a knowing glance. Some things were best left unspoken.
After the toast, Oscar bid his goodbye. “It’s getting late, Old Mr. Hisson. Tony is waiting for us at home, so Amelia and I need to get going. Let’s meet up for fishing someday!”
Terrence stood up with the help of his bodyguards and replied, “Sure! An old man like me needs to rest early as well. Let’s get going.”
Oscar and Amelia walked with Terrence to his waiting car and respectfully said, “After you, Old Mr. Hisson.”
Terrence went into the car, then popped his head out and said, “Oscar, Amelia, can you see if Tiff can spare some time tomorrow? This old man would like to invite her to dinner. After all, she was family to us for almost a year. My grandson has let her down, but I hope she will not avoid me as well.”
Amelia bent over and said, “I’ll check with Tiff later. If she is agreeable, I’ll get Oscar to give you a call.”
“Thank you, Amelia. I just wish to have a chat with her. She really doesn’t need to avoid all the Hissons as if we’re terrifying beasts…”
Amelia nodded and watched as Terrence closed the car door and ordered his driver to start the engines.
“Let’s go too, Oscar,” Amelia said as Terrence’s car disappeared around the corner.
Oscar led her to their car, ushered her in, and fastened her seat belt for her.
She leaned back in her seat and asked, “Will Old Mr. Hisson get offended, Oscar?”
“No, he won’t.” Oscar was confident when he said that. “He headed the Hisson family for so many years and has invested a lot of effort into their family business. He knows what is good for his business. Clinton Corporations is the number one corporation in Tayhaven, so he will not want to offend us. He’s more level-headed than Derrick’s mom, so he can clearly see how much you mean to me. You and Tiffany are best friends, and Derrick’s affair and infidelity led to their divorce. He will definitely punish Derrick to appease Tiffany and also to humor us,” he added.
As Oscar’s words sank in, Amelia suddenly became disgusted with the superficial and materialistic Hisson family. She felt sorry for Tiffany, thinking about the suffering her best friend had had to endure while living with such a family for almost a year.
Kate was unfriendly to her and Terrence was only hypocritically nice to her for his own benefit. I thought at least Derrick was sincere in his love, but in the end, he proved to be a scumbag who betrayed her and fathered a child with another woman. And he had the cheek to harass her even after his affair was exposed. How utterly appalling!
“Oscar, would it be too much if I asked you to cut off all ties with the Hissons?” Amelia suddenly asked.
Oscar laughed. He gently caressed her face and replied, “Do you really want to interfere in my work matters?”
“Forget it. I was just kidding,” Amelia muttered, disheartened.
Oscar smiled and kept quiet, but he had already made up his mind that Clinton Corporations would never work with the Hissons in the future. However, he felt there wasn’t a need to share that decision with Amelia.
When they reached home, Hugo had already put Tony to bed.
“Thank you, Hugo. It must be a bore for you to have to take care of Tony,” Amelia said.
Hugo gave her a half bow and said, “No, Mrs. Clinton, not at all. Tony is very smart and obedient. I’m ashamed to say this, but I have a hard time catching up with his logical thinking!”
Amelia smiled upon hearing that.
“I’ll take my leave now, Mrs. Clinton,” Hugo added, and Amelia nodded.
As Hugo turned to leave, he suddenly thought of something, so he turned around and said, “Mrs. Clinton, could you go check on Tony? I have something to report to Boss.”
“Sure. Go ahead!”
Hugo went to the study and shared his findings with Oscar.
Oscar frowned and questioned, “You’ve discovered that Tony is being followed?”
“Yes, Boss! Kurt and I suspect that to be so. I keep getting this feeling that someone is watching Tony, but I always fail to see anyone when I give chase. To err on the side of caution, we should get ourselves ready for that scenario.” Hugo was solemn and serious when he said that.
Oscar smirked and uttered, “I would really like to see who is the one with the guts to target my son! Get a few men to secretly protect Tony. I won’t allow anyone to lay a finger on my son!”
“Yes, Boss.” Hugo hesitated for a moment before adding, “Could the people who are stalking Tony be those foes who got away five years ago?”
Oscar narrowed his eyes as a menacing look appeared in them. “I hope it’s them. That will give me a chance to finish them off once and for all.”
“You’re right, Boss.” Hugo looked down and agreed.
After taking a deep breath, Oscar instructed, “Watch over Tony carefully, Hugo. Don’t let him interact with any strangers, okay?”
Hugo nodded.
Oscar then waved him off and said, “You may go now.”
After Hugo left, Oscar rubbed his temples, looking troubled.
Amelia walked in with a glass of milk and noticed his grave expression. She placed the glass on the table and asked, “What’s wrong? What did Hugo say?”
Hiding his troubled feelings and putting on a smile, Oscar pulled her into his arms. He assured her, “Just some work issues. I can handle it, so don’t worry.”
Amelia nodded, got out of his embrace, and brought the glass of milk to him. “Drink some milk, and don’t stay up too late.”
Oscar took the glass and gulped it down before kissing her on her lips. Pushing some of the milk into her mouth, he teased, “Is it sweet?”
Amelia swallowed the milk and replied, “Yes, it’s sweet.”
“Go to bed. I’ll finish off some work and then come to you.” Oscar caressed her face tenderly and urged.
She took the empty glass from his hand, gave him a peck on the cheek, and said, “Good night!”
Oscar’s grim expression returned after Amelia left the study. Despite it being late at night, he still made a few work calls. Amelia was already asleep by the time he went back to their bedroom. He got into bed and snuggled up to her, gradually dozing off.
