Chapter 472 Talking About Children
When their taxi arrived at the city’s most high-end restaurant, Amelia said to Shane, “Mr. Franklin, I’m going to give Oscar a call. Please go ahead and order the dishes.”
Shane nodded. With that, Amelia went to the washroom and gave Oscar a call. “Are you done with work?” Oscar’s gentle voice came through the speakers.
“Oscar, I’ve something to tell you, and you must not get angry. Our boss just came back from his business trip and wants to treat our department’s staff to a meal and a karaoke session. At the same time, he wants to have a welcoming party for me. I can’t reject him since it’ll make me stand out, and it’s my first day back at work, anyway. So, I’m afraid I won’t be able to try your cooking tonight. Is it okay if you cook for me next time?” Amelia said seriously.
“Where?” For a moment, Amelia did not understand what he meant. “What?” “Your company won’t mind their staff bringing along their family members, right?”
Amelia smiled at his words. She could imagine how everyone would be tensed up if Oscar actually came. In fact, they would not be able to have their meal in peace.
“Stop messing around, Oscar. This is a gathering among the company’s staff. If you’re here, everyone will be acting formally. How are they going to enjoy their meal?” she stated with a chuckle.
“Don’t worry. I won’t present myself as a boss in front of your colleagues. Besides, they played a huge part in taking care of you during the parcel threat incident. I should be thanking them. Be a good girl and give me the address. Besides, it’ll be beneficial for your career development if I get along well with your colleagues,” Oscar reasoned.
Hence, Amelia had no choice but to tell him the location. “Wait for me. I’ll head there now. The hotel you guys are at isn’t far from Clinton Corporations. I should be there in less than half an hour,” Oscar said.
“Don’t speed. Although it’s not peak traffic hour, there are still many cars out there. Drive carefully, okay?” Amelia reminded concernedly.
“Okay, my naggy wife,” Oscar teased. After hanging up, Amelia returned to the private room and cleared her throat intentionally. “Everyone, I have something to tell you. Do you guys mind if I bring along my family member?”
Everyone fixed their eyes on her.
“Amelia, is Mr. Clinton coming?” someone asked. Amelia nodded. “He said he wanted to come and thank everyone. Then again, if any one of you feels uncomfortable with his presence, I can give him a call and tell him to come next time.”
“Oh, no. Don’t do that!” everyone said in unison. “It’s our honor to have Mr. Clinton here. Not everyone gets the chance to see the face of Clinton Corporations’ heir, anyway.”
Amelia let out a sigh of relief when she heard their words.
As she took her seat, Rory eyed her discreetly before gulping down her glass of water, suppressing the excitement within her.
The more she got to be close to Oscar, the more it made her heart flutter. She even wondered if she would be the one beside him if Amelia was not around.
However, she knew she was not qualified to be with Oscar at that moment. Hence, she sensibly hid her emotions. She decided she would watch him from afar and make a move during the right time to win him over. All she could do for now was to remain calm and observe the situation.
She believed everyone had the right to pursue a relationship. It was undeniable that Amelia cared for her. Unfortunately, they fell in love with the same man. And it was because of this man that Rory had no choice but to do things that were unpleasant to the former. After all, their friendship was incomparable to all the fortune and fame that would come if she succeeded in nabbing Oscar.
Suddenly, Rory put down her glass and got up from her seat, accidentally knocking into the chair. Sensing the commotion, everyone’s gaze fell onto Rory. “Are you okay?” Amelia asked.
Rory took a deep breath and laughed, putting her hand over her stomach. “My stomach is feeling a little unwell. I’m thinking of going to the washroom,” Rory said apologetically.
Amelia shook her head in amusement. “Go on then.”
Hence, Rory left the private room. Immediately after that, Lydia, too, stood up and excused herself to the washroom.
Upon arriving at the washroom, Rory quickly retrieved her lipstick from her bag and applied it carefully onto her lips. When Lydia saw her doing that, she scoffed, “Rory, you’re really a whore. He’s not even here and you’re already acting all flirty. What a waste for Amelia to treat you so well. She’s been taking care of an ungrateful wretch all this while.”
Rory put away her lipstick and shot Lydia a haughty glance. Feigning ignorance, she said, “Lydia, what are you talking about? I don’t understand a single word you’re saying.”
“Oh, no. I’m sure you do.” Lydia approached the basin and took out her makeup pouch, carefully reapplying her makeup as well.
As Rory watched how the older woman cared so much about her looks, she sneered, “Lydia, you’re already in your thirties. You’re even married and have children. I don’t think there’s a need for you to doll up yourself just because Mr. Clinton is coming. Besides, I doubt he’ll even be attracted to you.”
Lydia glanced at her, mocking, “Rory, young people shouldn’t be so sarcastic. Besides, you shouldn’t be so self-righteous just because you’re slightly good-looking. If I were to compare you to Amelia, you’re barely even her match. Just take a look at your dark skin tone. You’ve totally lost the game. After all, what kind of man doesn’t like a fair-skinned and elegant woman? So please, tell me, in which area are you better than Amelia?”
Rory’s expression changed drastically.
“It’s true that Amelia is outstanding, and I actually look up to her as a sister. Just because you have unpleasant thoughts doesn’t mean you should assume people think that way too. Moreover, I’ve seen Mr. Clinton in person before. I only admire him because of how successful he is at such a young age. I don’t have other intentions. Please stop trying to harm my relationship with Amelia,” Rory said sternly, rolling her eyes at Lydia.
Lydia scoffed. “Oh, how noble of you. Guess what? You’re just too inexperienced. If you really want to get into Amelia’s good books, then don’t be too obvious with your intentions. Otherwise, you’ll lose both of them before you can even get them. There’s no way a village girl like you can understand the ways of rich people. By the way, Amelia’s not a fool. From what I can see, she’s a thoughtful person and is even smarter than you. If not, how would she have been able to make Mr. Clinton so loyal to her? Here’s a piece of advice: stop wasting your time and efforts. In the end, it’s not worth it, and you might end up biting off more than you can chew.”
With that, Lydia walked out of the restroom, leaving a furious Rory, whose face was distorted in anger. When Rory saw her ugly reflection, she slammed her hand against the mirror.
Prideful as she was, she was an ambitious person who hated it when others brought up her origin. It only made her want to go from rags to riches even more. She wanted everyone to see that she was still valuable in the market and could get married into a rich family with her abilities even though she grew up in a village.
In the modern world, money was everything. As long as a person could get married into a rich family, everyone would instantly become loyal dogs. No matter how despicable the measures taken were, no one would dare to comment on anything.
At that thought, Rory put away the ferocious expression on her face and practiced her prettiest smile in front of the mirror until she was satisfied with it. Only then did she leave the washroom.
When she returned to the private room, Oscar was already there. Her heart immediately started pounding. However, as soon as she saw Lydia’s subtle smile, she instantly composed herself and took careful steps forward. “Hello, Mr. Clinton. You and Amelia have such a good relationship. From what I can see, both of you are practically a match made in heaven.”
It was only then that Oscar finally glanced at her.
Amelia said, “Please have a seat, Rory. You don’t have to be so formal with Oscar here.”
She pretended to not have seen the sparkly look in Rory’s eyes. As long as Rory did not go overboard, she was willing to turn a blind eye to it. After all, Oscar was constantly swooned over by many females. If she were to be concerned about all of them, she would either die of jealousy or anger.
Thus, Rory took a seat while her eyes stole glances at Oscar. Despite that, she did not dare to go overboard since Amelia was there.
Oscar, on the other hand, merely ignored Rory’s gaze. Instead, he kept piling food onto Amelia’s plate, saying, “Amelia, I’ve already picked the bones out of this piece of fish. Here, give it a try. You should still be careful, though. There might still be bones in it.”
Amelia took a bite of the fish and smiled. “It tastes amazing. You should try it too.”
Both of them acted affectionately toward each other as though there were no one around them. However, the scene left everyone stunned. They had thought Oscar, who always presented himself coldly, would not be so caring toward his wife and son. To their surprise, Oscar acted way better than all the other husbands on earth.
As Shane watched them, he chuckled. “Mr. Clinton, I feel like I’m watching a rare scene of you treating Amelia so well. This is really not like you. Either way, even I am not so affectionate to my wife. I feel like I’m not a match for you even as a husband.”
Oscar piled some more food onto Amelia’s plate and looked at Shane. “Mr. Franklin, you’re married too? By the way, I called one of your company’s management team members before calling you back then. I didn’t know you were the true person in charge here.”
“Oh, you flatter me, Mr. Clinton. My company cannot be compared to yours. But then, I started a family before establishing my business. I got married five years ago, and now I have a pretty little princess.” Shane looked blissful at the mention of his family.
Hearing that, Oscar’s feeling of rivalry toward him lessened, and he chatted merrily, “I didn’t know you got married at such a young age. Then again, men who marry earlier will have a stronger sense of responsibility toward their families. Maybe you should bring your child out someday. We can share our experiences of bringing up children.”
Soon, the dining table was flooded with conversations about children.
