Chapter 604 Mom Cares For You Too Much
“Mrs. Clinton.” When the five security guards saw Jolin running toward Amelia, they had their guards up and glared at her as though she was a ferocious beast.
“You’re here, Jolin.” Amelia glanced at Jolin, and then she updated the security guards politely, “Thank you everyone for your support today. This lady is here to pick me up. Everything is fine now. Please accept this little token of appreciation and go have a drink tonight.” As she spoke, she reached into her purse, whipped out about six hundred, and stuffed the notes in one of the men’s hands.
The guard wanted to return the money, but was rejected by Amelia. “It’s not easy to do what you guys do day in and day out. My older brother is still hospitalized. When I’m not around, please keep a lookout for my parents in case they need anything.”
With that said, the guard had no other choice besides accepting her kind gesture.
Then, Amelia, Tony, and Tiffany left with Jolin.
“Are you all right, Mrs. Clinton?” Jolin questioned.
“I’m fine. Jolin, what exactly happened when you said that someone was following me?”
“When Callum and gang were watching you in the dark, they noticed that there was a black car tailing you from behind. Initially, they wanted to attack the men in the black car discreetly, but their plan was busted by the other party. So, I instructed Callum to chase after them. I don’t have all the details yet as of now,” Jolin explained everything truthfully. “Mrs. Clinton, please rest assured that I won’t leave your side at all henceforth. As for Mr. Anthony, Boss has arranged for Hugo and Kurt to protect him. They are the crème de la crème in the entire organization. With them around, nothing bad will ever happen to Mr. Anthony.”
“Hugo and Kurt are allowed to resume their duties?” Amelia asked. She had not seen them in forever, and she was curious about their updates. Back then, the death of Jean got blown out of proportion. She vaguely heard a rumor that some members requested Oscar to punish both Kurt and Hugo severely. The members put all the blame on those two; had it not been for them, they would not have lost a colleague whom they had worked with for over a decade. However, Amelia did not follow the news thereafter.
“Yes. Boss has reprimanded them, and they have also served their punishment. No one voiced their objections anymore.”
Amelia did not bother pursuing the matter by asking more questions such as what the punishment was and if the two handled it well. She never crossed the line when it concerned Oscar’s work. After all, she did not want to be so nosy, to the extent that her actions would hurt her relationship with Oscar.
Thereafter, Jolin personally sent them all back to the neighborhood. As soon as the four of them got out of the elevator on their floor, Amelia saw a figure outside of her apartment, curling up like an abandoned little puppy. The person looked up when she heard the elevator doors closing. Amelia was shocked to the core when she realized who it was.
“Mrs. Hutton, why are you here?” she dashed over and asked. This couple seems to be toying me around. First, the husband wanted to have a chat with me. Now, his wife is here outside of my house, acting like a pitiful soul. What are they hiding up their sleeves?
There was a twinkle in Eleanor’s eyes when she saw Amelia appearing in front of her. She tried to get up as soon as possible, but the pins and needles due to prolonged hours of squatting down caused her to stumble forward. Luckily, Amelia got hold of her in the nick of time.
“Mrs. Hutton, are you okay?” She was concerned.
Eleanor shook her head and grabbed Amelia’s hands. Feeling aggrieved, she said, “Lia, I’m not going to force you anymore. I mean it. I just wanted to see you. Could you consider the fact that I’ve missed you for more than two decades and stop changing your phone number? I’m literally going crazy in Saspiuburg for missing you so dearly. When my husband was away, I seized the opportunity and sneaked out to see you without letting anyone know.”
Baffled, a myriad of questions swirled in Amelia’s head. When did I change my number? Anyhow, she seems to have lost a lot of weight. Those dark circles under her eyes accentuated her sunken cheeks which used to be fuller. Her frame, too, now seems to become smaller and frail.
Amelia felt so sorry that Eleanor looked so awful. She could not imagine what terrible experience the latter had to go through within a month to be in such a dreadful state. She had a long list of questions to ask, but the words fell dead on her lips. She figured what Eleanor truly needed at that moment was a shower and a good night’s rest. Otherwise, she might collapse in her arms the next minute.
“Let’s head in, Mrs. Hutton. We’ll talk about this later, okay?” Amelia suggested softly.
Delighted, Eleanor tightened her grip on Amelia’s hands. “Lia, you’re not mad at me anymore?”
Amelia smiled politely and responded, “Is there any misunderstanding between us, Mrs. Hutton? I was never angry at you.”
Feeling relieved, Eleanor followed her into the house.
“Have a drink, please.” Amelia served her a glass of water.
As Eleanor received the glass, her gaze was fixated on Amelia. She had not seen her daughter for a month though it felt like an eternity to her. Among her three daughters, the eldest went missing at a very young age. She had lived miserably for over twenty years. She had not gone a single day without missing her beloved daughter. Now that they were reunited, she wanted to channel her misery into love and shower them on Amelia incessantly in order to make it up for what she had missed in the past.
“What’s wrong, Mrs. Hutton? Why are you staring at me like that?” Feeling uneasy, Amelia averted her gaze.
Tears welled up in Eleanor’s eyes. In a quavering voice, she said, “Lia, I’ve missed you so much. Could you inform me in advance if you were going to change your phone number in the future? I couldn’t find you, and it made me so worried. I don’t know if anything has happened to you.”
Her words sowed a greater doubt in Amelia. Yet, she did not ask Eleanor any further. Conversely, she requested Tiffany to prepare some food for Eleanor.
After Tiffany left for the kitchen, Amelia called Tony over to greet Eleanor. “Mrs. Hutton, I think there must be a mistake. I have never changed my phone number. Perhaps you dialed the wrong one?”
Eleanor took out her phone, scrolled down her contact list, and showed it to Amelia. “Isn’t this your number?”
Amelia took a quick glance and immediately knew what the problem was.
“Mrs. Hutton, the numbers are incorrect. I’m not sure if you entered them wrongly or it was intentionally edited by someone else.”
“It’s incorrect?” Eleanor was dubious.
Then, Amelia recited her phone number while Eleanor crossed-checked them against what was saved in her phone.
Suddenly, she recalled the reactions of her husband and children when she told them that the number was not in service. Finally, she connected the dots and understood what had transpired.
“I see, so this is what happens. Hmph! How dare they hide this from me all this while!” Eleanor exclaimed angrily.
Right then, Tiffany came out of the kitchen with a bowl of pasta, and she was greeted by Eleanor’s dazed look.
Seeing so, she shot Amelia a look. What’s wrong with Mrs. Hutton?
Amelia shook her head.
“Mrs. Hutton, I’ve cooked some pasta for you. Why don’t you have something to eat first before continuing the conversation?” Tiffany offered.
Snapping out of it, Eleanor picked up the cutleries.
The smell of pasta made her feel so hungry. Instantly, she emptied the plate without any hesitation.
“Tiffany, your culinary skills are fantastic! This dish is definitely on par with those made by the chefs at the five-star hotels.” Eleanor sang praises to Tiffany after cleaning her mouth with a napkin.
“I’m glad that you liked it, Mrs. Hutton.”
Eleanor smiled.
Subsequently, Tiffany collected the dishes, washed them, and kept them in the cabinet. When she was done, she dried off her hands before walking back out.
“Mrs. Hutton, did you and your husband plan for these back-to-back meet-ups? He was here right before your visit.” Tiffany asked as she slumped into the couch.
Shock and disbelief filled Eleanor’s eyes. Subconsciously, the hand resting on her thigh moved slightly while her lips trembled in trepidation.
“He’s here in Tayhaven?” Eleanor queried with a heavy heart.
Tiffany purposely showed a surprised face and blurted, “You didn’t know about this, Mrs. Hutton?”
Eleanor’s fists coiled taut, and her face turned pale.
“Don’t think too much, Mrs. Hutton,” Amelia added, wanting to ease the embarrassing situation.
Eleanor stared straight into Amelia’s eyes and held her hands, asking, “He came to see you?” Amelia could not wrap her head around Eleanor’s expression, but nodded her head in response nonetheless.
Benjamin had repeatedly stated how much he hated Amelia. Hence, she also did not plan to cover up for him. Their hostility toward each other was mutual.
Letting out a wry smile, Eleanor shared disappointedly, “I thought that he has turned over a new leaf. Who would have known that he was just putting up a show in front of me? The entire family was keeping me in the dark!”
“Don’t get all worked up, Mrs. Hutton. Mr. Hutton did not say much to me. I’m fine, so please don’t let this episode bother you,” Amelia consoled her.
Eleanor could no longer hold back her tears. She patted the back of Amelia’s palm and said in between sobs, “I’m so sorry, Lia. I really didn’t think that he would treat you in this awful manner. I feel so bad about it.”
Amelia kept a faint smile on her face upon hearing that.
On the other hand, Tiffany could not hold her tongue.
“Mrs. Hutton, I’m not trying to sow discord between you and your husband. However, he has gone overboard this time. Do you know what did he do? He gave Amelia a check that’s worth ten million on the condition that she leaves you completely. I don’t think the amount matters to Amelia. The point is his action is a downright humiliation to Amelia!” Tiffany told the story as it was, and that got Eleanor turning grim.
“Lia, is that true? Did he really offer you ten million? Did you accept it? Are you planning to disown me?” Feeling extremely anxious, Eleanor bombarded her daughter with a series of questions.
“Mrs. Hutton, please, could you let go of my hands first? You’re hurting me.” Amelia tried to suppress the sharp pang felt.
Returning to her senses, Eleanor released her grip. “Sorry, sorry. Is it very painful? Oh no, I’ve bruised you.”
Amelia shook her head awkwardly. “No worries, Mrs. Hutton. Relax…”
At that, Eleanor’s eyes brimmed with tears and became even redder.
“I’m really sorry, Lia. I care too much for you that I’m scared to death if you ever choose to cut off ties with me. I’ve been searching for you incessantly for two decades. I’ve never stopped wondering and worrying about you. Now that I know you’re leading a good life, I’m beyond relieved. However, I still wish to stay by your side and make it up for the years that we’ve lost. I want to give you all of my love. Would you give me a chance to be your mother, please?” the panic-stricken Eleanor pleaded.
