Chapter 843 Surprise
When Amelia returned home with Tony, balloons written with words were floating everywhere in the room. When combined together, the words on the balloons read: Honey and Tony, I love you, and I’ll love you forever and always. You two are my everything.
In the next moment, everybody came running out of the room and popped the party poppers on them. Oscar, who had headed upstairs ahead of them, pushed a kitchen cart out with a cake on it and came to a halt before Amelia and Tony.
He looked toward Amelia with a loving demeanor. “Today is the day Tony is discharged from the hospital and the day of his rebirth. I prepared a cake to celebrate that the bad luck haunting him is no more. I hope Tony will live his life healthily and prosperously from this point onward, and this is the only wish I have for him as his father.”
Amelia gazed up a little, and her eyes turned misty. “Oscar, when did you prepare all these?”
“That’s a secret I can’t tell you.” Oscar bent down to retrieve a bouquet consisting of nine red roses. “This is for my wife I hold dearest. I hope that she’d like it.”
Staring at the fiery red roses, Amelia smiled through her tears, for he would easily melt her heart whenever he got all romantic.
She took the bouquet of roses from him and smiled. “It’s an ordinary move, but what can I say? Women just love flowers, so I very much like it.” Amelia counted the roses and smiled again. “Oh? Nine roses? Oscar, are you trying to tell me that you will love me forever?”
“No. Just one life is not enough. My endless love for you will last eternally,” he replied.
“So cheesy!” Amelia purred, “But I like it.”
An eternal, endless love? I like it.
Amelia carried Tony up and put him closer to Oscar. “Tony, your daddy put in a lot of effort in preparing all this for you. Shouldn’t you give him something in return?”
Tony stared at Oscar with a pair of bright eyes before bursting into laughter and saying, “Daddy.”
Oscar’s pupils shrank, and his eyes widened when he heard that. Joy filled his eyes, and he was overwhelmed with happiness. Ecstatic, he quickly took Tony from Amelia, hugged him tightly, and kissed him repeatedly on his cheeks. “Good boy, what did you just call me? Can you say that again? I’d love to hear it again.”
“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy…” Tony obediently said that again and again.
This was the first time Tony was willing to address Oscar as “Daddy” ever since he returned.
Oscar was over the moon. In fact, the excitement he felt was far greater than when he acquired a project worth hundreds of million. He never realized that his son calling him “Daddy” affectionately would make him so happy. At that moment, Oscar felt proud and contented because of the fact that he had a son.
He felt that his life was complete now that he had a wife and a son by his side.
At the side, Amelia looked at them with a smile on her face. She, too, felt warm and contented. As for Isabella’s attempt to sow discord among them, it was completely ignored by Amelia.
Once the father and son were done showing affection for each other, Oscar said, “Let’s enjoy the cake first, shall we?”
Tony wrapped his arms around his father’s neck and responded sweetly, “Daddy, I want an Ultraman toy as a gift. Can you buy one for me?”
“Okay. I promise you that it will be on the headboard of your bed when you wake up tomorrow.” Oscar happily obliged and nodded.
Tony sensibly gave Oscar another kiss on his cheek again in response. “It’s good to have a daddy! I’ll tell my friends that my daddy is a hero once I’m back at school!”
Oscar felt even prouder now. After accepting his father from the bottom of his heart, Tony was much more affectionate to his father now by addressing the latter as “Daddy” instead of “Big Meanie.”
Oscar then carried Tony in his arms to have Tony cut the cake while Jolin and the others followed behind them. Just as the atmosphere was harmonious and lovely, the doorbell rang.
Oscar couldn’t help but frown at the ringing doorbell. Seeing that, Jolin hurriedly said, “Boss, I’ll get rid of them.”
Amelia, however, shook her head. “Jolin, since they’re here, they’re considered our guests. Let them in.”
“Understood, Mrs. Clinton.” Jolin went to answer the door. Surprisingly, it was Carter and Jennifer standing outside.
Jolin glanced at Hugo, who was tasked to keep an eye on Carter and Jennifer, before she stood sideways and made way for the two.
“Carter, you’re here. Come and have a piece of cake.” Amelia welcomed them after glancing at the pair.
Carter walked up to her. Suddenly, he bowed at Amelia and Oscar solemnly. “Amelia, I would like to apologize to you on behalf of Jennifer.”
“Did she do something wrong and offend me?” Amelia feigned ignorance.
Carter was taken aback by her words, and he said, “I know both Mr. Clinton and you think that Tony’s abduction is masterminded by Jennifer, but I believe that this has nothing to do with her. Could you please forgive her? She just wanted to ask everyone out to have fun. She definitely didn’t expect that would happen.”
Amelia regarded him with a half-smile. “Did I ever say the kidnapping is Ms. Larson’s doing?”
Carter stared at her quietly. He felt rather annoyed, as he never thought that Amelia would speak to him that way.
Amelia said, “Anyway, since you’re here, why don’t you sit down and have a piece of cake? Oscar prepared this specifically for Tony. After all, Tony has just experienced a scary incident.”
Carter’s gaze darkened, and he nodded. “Okay. It’s been a while since I had cake.”
Amelia invited them to have a seat at the table, gave them each a slice of cake respectively, and said, “Try it. I hope you like the cake.”
Carter took a bite and found that the cake was neither too sweet nor too bland.
“Not bad,” he said.
Amelia shifted her gaze toward Jennifer, who remained silent all the while, and said, “Ms. Larson, do you not like the cake?”
Snapping out of her brief trance, Jennifer raised her head. Her mouth twitched after her eyes met Amelia’s calm and indifferent gaze. “No, it’s not that. The cake’s delicious.”
“Good. Here, have some more.” Amelia immediately gave her another slice of cake without showing any changes in her emotions.
Jennifer stole a glance at Amelia in response. She couldn’t tell what exactly the husband and wife were thinking in their minds.
In the meantime, Oscar, who had remained silent all the while, spoke up. “Ms. Larson, I heard that your mother went to an overseas rehabilitation center, right? I also learned that the environment and facilities there were decent. What do you say if I think of a way to have your parents return to the country?”
Jennifer froze, and her eyes widened. She clenched the little spoon in her hand tightly and replied, “Oscar, what do you want? I didn’t do anything to Tony. Don’t you dare lay a finger on my mother, or I’ll come at you no matter what it costs.”
Oscar glared at her with a piercing gaze and radiated a powerful presence, which made Jennifer’s heart skip a beat. She feared that Oscar would do something horrible to her mother, who was now overseas. Jennifer might have planned to do something to Tony, but June had used her. Before she could even react, June had already executed the plan in advance, leaving her to face Oscar’s wrath alone.
Jennifer let out a sigh, and with a softened tone, she said, “Mr. Clinton, I can explain myself. I honestly have nothing to do with Tony’s abduction. My parents are now overseas because you gave them no choice, and I’m the only support the Larson family has now. I resent your merciless actions, but I’m not cold-blooded enough to harm a child. It is unjustified for you to take such extreme moves against me.”
Oscar’s lips curled into a smile. A contemptuous look flashed across his eyes.
“Ms. Larson, the truth will reveal itself eventually if you have indeed done something unspeakable. I specifically had my men look into your past two days ago. I honestly wouldn’t know that you and June were such a lovely couple if I didn’t look into you. I reckon that Mr. Scott would be very interested in what I found.” Oscar paused for a few seconds before he continued, “You and June showed up in Centennial Light more than dozens of times. You two appeared to be very intimate, and you both even stayed in Hotel Van Hutton together for five days and four nights. Aside from having your meal outside, you stayed in the room the entire day. Do you want me to continue? Fine. When you accepted Mr. Scott’s proposal, you spent the night with June for a very long time before you left in a car. Hmmm. I suppose you live a very interesting nightlife, don’t you? You’re very bold to cheat on someone else so openly.”
Jennifer’s face turned ashen after she heard Oscar’s words. Embarrassed by the truth revealed by Oscar, Jennifer averted her eyes from Carter. She knew that Oscar was retaliating against her. Whether or not she was part of the abduction, she was the one that had invited them for a trip. Additionally, she appeared to have a close relationship with June. Since they appeared to be close with each other, it did not matter whether she was truly intimate with June. In any case, Oscar would still think that she was one of the culprits behind Tony’s abduction.
Oscar was truly exceptional among the younger generations of the Clintons. He knew where to strike and how to deal a mighty blow. Knowing that she still cared for Carter, Oscar exploited her weak spot and pulverized Carter’s hope for her.
It turned out that this man was viciously fierce.
Thousands of thoughts raced through Jennifer’s mind. She sprang up from her seat and said, “Please excuse me. I have something I need to attend to. You guys have fun.”
However, Oscar’s voice which resembled that of a demon rang out before Jennifer could even take a step. “Ms. Larson, keep an eye on your mother. Since you accused me of harming your mother, I might as well make it a fact so that you won’t be able to accuse me of something I haven’t done. Don’t you agree?”
Jennifer stopped in her tracks. Her eyes gleamed, and her hands balled into fists.
At the side, Carter reached out to hold her hand and shielded her as he said, “Mr. Clinton, Jennifer is now my woman. If you have a grudge against her, you can direct your anger at me. There’s no need to corner a lady like that. This is not what a gentleman would do. Don’t you think?”
Oscar shrugged in response as he looked at Carter. Their eyes met briefly, and it seemed as if sparks began to ignite when their eyes met.
A smile crept over Oscar’s lips. “Mr. Scott, are you going to cover up for her?”
“I’m not. I’m just doing what a man would do. I’m her boyfriend, so, of course, I have to protect her from any form of harm.”
Meanwhile, a complicated emotion flickered across Jennifer’s eyes as she heard Carter’s statement.
Oscar clapped and smiled in response. “Very well. You’re a man, and I’ll give you that. Anyway, I think I should get myself occupied by toying with a couple of companies. I guess some people actually assume that the heir to Clinton Corporations is weak and useless, and that’s why those people have the guts to bully his son.”
Carter merely pursed his lips and looked toward Amelia instinctively.
Yet, Amelia did not even spare a glance at him. She said, “Oscar, Tony is still around. If you want to talk business, do it somewhere else. Don’t frighten Tony.”
Oscar’s malicious aura dissipated when he heard Amelia. The hostile intent in his eyes slowly dissipated, and he looked at Tony gently. “Tony, you’re a big boy now, so I’m going to ask you this. Are you interested in following me to the company to check it out? I want to make you the heir of the company and train you to become an independent person who can easily overcome your problems in the future. Remember, we should not cross the line and offend anyone for no reason. However, if someone offends us, we should never let them off the hook. We will strike them down and never grant them the chance to rise again! Understood?”
In fact, whatever he said to Tony was actually directed at Carter and Jennifer. He wanted to warn them. He needed them to understand that no one was to lay a finger on the son of Oscar Clinton.
Carter gripped Jennifer’s hand tightly and turned toward Amelia. “Amelia, Jennifer and I will be taking our leave now. I’ll find a good place and treat you and your family to a delicious meal after we cool ourselves down a little. I would like to apologize on behalf of Jennifer personally. However, I don’t think Jennifer would commit such an atrocious act, and I certainly don’t wish to see her taking the blame for something she didn’t do.”
With that said, Carter left without looking back while holding Jennifer’s hand in his.
Despite that, the wonderful atmosphere was no more. It was pulverized by the appearance of both Carter and Jennifer.
Amelia wiped Tony’s mouth clean and said, “Oscar, are you going to do what you said to Jennifer?”
“Why? Do you think she’s innocent?” Oscar concealed the wrath in his eyes and answered with another question.
Amelia shook her head in response. “No. It’s fine if you want to make a move against Larson Group, but please don’t harm the elderly. Show some mercy for Tony’s sake.”
“Very well. I promise I won’t harm Jennifer’s parents. However, don’t blame me for showing no mercy if they are thoughtless and get themselves involved in the mess.” Oscar narrowed his eyes.
“I won’t interfere in your business affairs.” Amelia wiped Tony’s lips clean before reaching her hand toward the glass of wine on the table. With the glass of wine in her hand, she gave the loyal and obedient bodyguards a toast. “Ladies and gentlemen, Tony is rescued thanks to your valiant efforts, so here’s a toast for you. I’m very grateful that Oscar made you into who you are today. You’re all excellent bodyguards. I’ll leave Oscar’s and Tony’s safety to you from now onward. Oscar may appear undefeatable, but he’s just a man himself. He, too, will have the moment where he would be struck down, so I hope you all can do me a favor and back him up. Cheers!”
Jolin and the others were taken by surprise. They hurriedly raised their glasses and profusely told Amelia not to be so polite and humble with them. In the end, the happy atmosphere erupted when one of the gutsy ones shouted, “Boss, you should kiss Mrs. Clinton now! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
As one of them shouted, the rest chimed in and urged the pair to kiss each other.
Oscar got up to his feet. He satisfied everyone’s wish by wrapping his arm around Amelia and plastering his lips against hers. He gave Amelia a fiery and feisty kiss that eventually heated the mood even more. A round of applause was heard, and the atmosphere was elevated as everyone became excited. The foul mood caused by the appearance of Carter and Jennifer was no more.
