Chapter 840 Unsuccessful Hypnosis
Oscar drove his car at high speed to shake off his bodyguards, who were secretly following him. He brought the car to a halt in front of a well-concealed psychiatric clinic. Isabella looked outside the car window and could not help curling her lips into a smug smile. I can finally obtain everything I want after putting in so much effort.
She unbuckled her seat belt, leaned forward to kiss Oscar, and said with a smile, “Oscar, one day, you will belong only to me.”
He merely glanced at her impassively. “Let’s go,” she said affectionately. Oscar nodded, unbuckled his seat belt, and got out of the car obediently.
Isabella held Oscar’s arm and led him inside. An old foreign man with white hair stepped forward and greeted them, “Isabella, is this the man you mentioned? He’s very handsome. No wonder you fell for him. However, judging from his appearance, I think a man like him is very difficult to control. Even if you possess him now, you can’t have him forever. Besides, when he completely recovers his memories, he will recall everything you’ve done to him. Are you really prepared for this?”
Isabella’s expression turned cold. “Professor Zabinski, that’s not what you told me previously. You said you could provide me with a medication that could make someone submit to me and will never have any adverse reaction. Why are you telling me a different story now?”
Bernard Zabinski shrugged. “Those are nothing more than lies. There are no such medications in this world. I would have forced the wealthiest man to yield to me if there was. Moreover, I did inform you about all the possible aftereffects of this medication, but you were too greedy, so you used it without considering the consequences. By the time he regains his memories, I do not know if he will fall in love with you for real or take revenge on you. You need to make up your mind now. Both of you can still come out of this situation unscathed if you call this off now.”
Isabella clenched her fists as a menacing look spread across her face.
“Professor Zabinski, I’ve brought him here, so there is no way for me to turn back now,” she uttered adamantly.
Bernard gestured for them to enter. “Please, come in. I’ve made all the necessary preparations, and we can start any time. This man is our tenth test subject. I think I can perfectly create a set of new memories for him.”
Isabella subconsciously grasped his hand and said, “Professor Zabinski, you are not using me, are you?”
He beamed at her like a kind, old foreign man. “Isabella, I’m just a psychiatrist with enthusiasm for research. I am passionate about exploring the psychology of humans so I can assist those at a loss to alter their memories using hypnosis. Although my actions do not comply with the most fundamental medical ethics, why does it matter? I do not want to be a mere traditional-minded psychiatrist. All right, we can begin now. I can’t wait to see the effect the medicine I invented has on this seemingly perfect tenth test subject.”
Catching sight of his zealous demeanor, Isabella suddenly felt ill at ease and instinctively tightened her grip around Bernard’s hand.
Bernard turned his head around and smiled gently. “What’s the matter, Isabella? Are you regretting your decision? If that’s the case, I will cancel this experiment. But are you really willing to give up now, after spending so much effort to achieve this stage thus far?”
Countless thoughts flashed across Isabella’s mind as she ruminated on his words. Then, she gradually let go of him.
Bernard asked Oscar to lie on the bed before pushing the latter into a piece of medical equipment to undergo an examination. After the process went on for close to an hour, Oscar was brought out of the machine, and Bernard officially began hypnotizing Oscar.
Unexpectedly, despite his attempts to forcefully implant all the fake memories he had discussed with Isabella previously into Oscar’s mind, Bernard failed to enter the deepest part of Oscar’s brain due to the latter’s immensely tough mental strength.
Bernard, now covered in cold sweat, wasted almost three hours on the hypnosis. Still, Oscar continued to struggle in the chair, showing faint signs of waking up.
Bernard hurriedly stopped what he was doing. He wiped the sweat off his forehead while panting heavily, and he said, “Isabella, his willpower is too strong. Even if I implant a different set of memories into his brain now, I’m afraid this condition will not last for many years. You should be prepared to handle any sudden changes.”
Staring at Oscar, Isabella clenched her fists and uttered aggressively, “I don’t care. I’ve spent so much effort and endured his endless disdain and mockery to accomplish this step. There is no turning back now. He can only be mine.”
Her resolution sparked Bernard’s competitiveness. He suggested, “Isabella, bring him back for now and come here again the day after tomorrow. I guarantee this process will be successful then. I reckon I am not well prepared today.”
She replied anxiously, “Professor Zabinski, you must accomplish the hypnosis today. His bodyguard is already starting to suspect me, so it is very difficult for me to lead him here.”
“Don’t worry. My hypnosis will affect his real memories to a certain extent, so he will not spurn you as much as before. His feelings might not be altered to the point of falling in love with you, but he will harbor a sense of familiarity toward you, so you can rest assured,” Bernard persuaded her.
Isabella remained slightly unconvinced. “Really?”
“You can only believe in me now, right?”
She nodded in reluctance. “I will try to bring him here the day after tomorrow. If I fail, please allow me one more week.”
“There’s no hurry. Unusual cases like him are interesting and can invoke my desire to polish my skills further. If I can successfully modify his memories, I’ll be considered to have achieved the pinnacle in my research area. Then, I’ll have no regrets in my life. Haha!” Bernard suddenly stated fervently.
Taking in his crazed mien, Isabella cursed inwardly. What a lunatic. He’s a nutcase who is too passionate about his research.
Isabella drove Oscar back to the hospital. Right after she parked the car, he woke up.
She gazed at him in anticipation and asked cautiously, “You’re awake, Oscar?”
When he turned to glance at her, Isabella sensed the lack of detestation and indifference he usually regarded her with. He merely asked, “Why am I in your car?”
Isabella subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
“Oscar, you said you wanted to buy Amelia’s favorite dessert to please her. Look, you’re still holding the takeaway box. Have you forgotten?” she answered while gesturing at his hands with her chin.
He looked at the dessert in his hands, and he was indeed holding Amelia’s favorite dessert from her preferred bakery. Nonetheless, Oscar could not shake off the feeling that he had forgotten something.
He furrowed his brows and glanced at Isabella with suspicion.
Isabella’s heart was in her mouth. “What’s the matter, Oscar? Let’s get out of the car first. Otherwise, Amelia may be upset if you are out for too long.”
Oscar was still doubtful, but he was no longer as repulsed by Isabella as before. Still, he could not bring himself to like her.
After they got out of the vehicle, she said, “Oscar, you should return to the ward first. I have some things to attend to, so I will go upstairs after a short while.”
He gave her a meaningful look and nodded placidly.
Watching him entering the hospital building without turning his head around, she could not help but curve her lips upward as she felt strangely delighted.
Isabella muttered, “Oscar, you will be mine sooner or later. I will make you fall in love with me for real, even if this process will take one or two years. I don’t want you to think of me as a nice person only when you are under the influence of hypnosis.”
Oscar could not care less about her thoughts. Amelia hurriedly jogged over when he entered the ward, and she sized him up.
He patted her head affectionately and said cheerfully, “What’s the matter? Are you getting impatient, waiting for me to buy you your favorite dessert?”
Only then did Amelia notice the bag he was carrying. “You went to Mama’s Little Bakery on East Street to buy their dessert for me?”
Oscar nodded. He handed the bag to her and said, “You did not eat much earlier, and I know you must be exhausted from taking care of Tony, so I went to Mama’s Little Bakery to buy some dessert for you. Dig in.”
Contentment rose within Amelia, prompting all her earlier suspicions to dissipate.
She opened the bag and started eating the dessert he had bought for her, feeling that the dessert tasted even more delicious than usual.
After consuming two or three pieces, she piped up, seemingly inadvertently, “Oscar, I heard from Jolin that you left the hospital with Isabella, and you even drove the car at high speed to elude your bodyguards. Is that true?”
A hint of perplexity flashed across his eyes. Still, Oscar replied unconcernedly, “She freeloaded my car. I drove fast because I wanted to send her to her destination as quickly as possible.”
Even though Amelia remained doubtful, she did not have the mindfulness to probe further, as her mind was occupied with Tony’s hospitalization and Stephanie’s childbirth inside the operating room at that moment.
She changed the topic of conversation. “Oscar, go and check on your sister. I’ll stay here to take care of Tony.”
He sharply sensed something amiss with her emotions. “Amelia, are you upset because I fetched Isabella?”
Despite feeling a little unsettled, Amelia shook her head in response and said with a smile, “How can that be? I’m not such a petty person. I was worried because you were gone for about four to five hours, and you weren’t picking up the phone too.”
A look of bewilderment flashed across Oscar’s face. “I was gone for about four to five hours?” As he could not recall what had happened, he could not help but feel suspicious of Isabella. However, just as that hint of dubiety surfaced, countless memories flooded his mind and disrupted his thought process. As a result, he could not bring himself to dislike Isabella.
Meanwhile, Amelia was intently observing the emotional changes reflected in his facial expression. Her heart sank when she noticed his unresponsiveness.
“Oscar, go and check on your sister. I suppose she should have delivered the child by now, since a long time has passed,” Amelia suggested while wearing a wavering smile.
Noticing her low spirits, he pulled her into his embrace and said softly, “Are you really unhappy? Are you mad at me? In that case, I will never fetch another girl in the future. Be good and don’t be angry. I’ll feel guilty if your anger toward me affects your health.”
Amelia pulled herself from his embrace and chirped, “Hurry up and visit your sister. I’m not such a petty person.”
Oscar nodded.
After he left, Amelia’s face darkened slightly, and her eyes gleamed pensively.
Jolin entered the ward and said, “Mrs. Clinton, I think Boss is acting a little unusual. It happens whenever he consumes the food brought by Ms. Stephanie and Isabella. I suspect something is wrong with the food.”
Amelia’s face fell. “Are you sure, Jolin?”
Jolin replied solemnly, “Mrs. Clinton, I’ve never lied. Boss despises Isabella. On normal days, he finds it disgusting to even speak to her, much less fetching her in his car and ditching us, his bodyguards, for her sake. Therefore, I think you should be more careful, Mrs. Clinton. Isabella is not a simple woman.”
Amelia subconsciously clenched her fists as she contemplated Jolin’s advice.
“Jolin, I want you and Hugo to protect Oscar in secret. I will also convince Oscar to let James examine his body,” Amelia said.
Jolin replied, “Mrs. Clinton, let me stay here to protect you and Mr. Anthony. Hugo and Kurt will guard Boss without alerting him. I will also instruct our men to monitor Isabella’s movement closely. The Walker family is being too much. I can never let her off easily.”
“I’ll leave this matter to you. Thank you, Jolin,” Amelia uttered sincerely.
If Oscar truly harbored loving feelings toward another woman while Tony was in this condition, Amelia would certainly be devastated.
“You’re welcome, Mrs. Clinton. Boss instructed me to protect you and Mr. Anthony at all times. I have failed in my duties, as my negligence resulted in Mr. Anthony’s current state. For that reason, I will try my best to make up for my dereliction of duty. Nevertheless, I must thank you for giving me this opportunity, Mrs. Clinton.”
Amelia glanced at her and responded with all seriousness, “Jolin, to me, you are not just a bodyguard assigned to me by Oscar. I’ve long since thought of you as my sister, so from now on, I do not allow you to blame yourself. No one wanted this unfortunate kidnapping to befall Tony, and I’ve never considered this your fault.”
Amelia’s speech warmed Jolin’s heart, encouraging the latter to serve Amelia more dutifully.
Oscar returned approximately half an hour later and said to Amelia, “Stephanie delivered the baby through C-section. He’s a baby boy. Both of them are safe and sound, so you can rest assured now.”
Amelia nodded.
She thought briefly before saying, “Oscar, since we are in the hospital, I wish for us to undergo a health examination. Tony’s misfortune shone a light on the fragility of life for me. A healthy individual can get sick without warning. Anyone unlucky enough to be diagnosed with cancer will not get more than a couple of years to live. Therefore, I told James to make the necessary arrangements for us to do a medical checkup because I want us to stay together healthily until we are a hundred years old. What do you say?”
Oscar chuckled. He agreed to her request without hesitation, assuming she was frightened because of what had happened to Tony.
He had never refused any of Amelia’s requests.
Amelia sighed in relief, hoping that everything was merely her suspicion. Otherwise, Isabella’s scheme would seem all the more terrifying.
“Okay. We’ll stay together until we are a hundred years old. By the time all my hair turns white, I’ll hand the company to Tony. Then, I will bring you everywhere for sightseeing. We’ll visit all the most beautiful places in Chanaea before traveling abroad. What do you say?” Oscar said while caressing her cheek.
Amelia nodded as the gloom that lingered in her chest gradually disappeared.
“Oscar, Tony and I love you a lot. I hope your feelings toward us will never change too. All right?”
“Silly girl. What are you thinking about? I’ve gone to great lengths to be with you finally, so there’s no way my feelings will change. Do not mention such ridiculous nonsense in the future,” Oscar replied while using a finger to tap her nose affectionately.
“Okay.” Amelia beamed at him and stopped uttering those ambiguous nonsense.
