Chapter 209 No Response
Carter looked fondly at Tony. The baby seemed to take a liking to Carter, waving his little hands and making babbling sounds.
Tiffany touched his flailing hands and smiled as she said, “He seems to like you a lot. You could be his godfather. I think that would make Amelia very happy. After all, it doesn’t look like you have any chance of being with Amelia. If you become Tony’s godfather, there’ll at least be that connection between the two of you, and you won’t have to cut all ties with each other.”
Carter’s gaze darkened instantly.
After mulling over it for a long time, he finally replied, “I really like Tony. If I can’t be his biological father, then I’m willing to be his godfather.”
Tiffany punched him lightly on the chest. “That’s the spirit! From now on, you can’t blatantly show your feelings in your gaze when you look at Amelia. It’ll easily cause misunderstandings.”
Carter merely gazed at Tony in silence.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t given up?” Tiffany asked incredulously.
“Amelia is the love of my life.” Carter’s answer indirectly answered Tiffany’s question.
Tiffany glanced at him quietly. After a while, she said, “Let’s go.”
Carter nodded.
Just as they were about to leave, they saw Olivia and Owen heading their way while chatting happily.
Tiffany and Carter went out of the ward and walked up to them. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton,” Tiffany greeted politely.
Olivia glanced at Carter before replying with a smile, “Tiffany, are you here to see Tony?”
“Mr. Carter just heard that Amelia got into a car accident today, so he came to visit her. When he found out that Amelia had given birth, he was excited to meet the baby and asked me to take him here,” Tiffany explained briefly.
Olivia nodded at Carter, then said, “Mr. Carter, I heard that you fell ill a little while ago and had to be admitted to this hospital as well. With Amelia hospitalized for more than half a month, we were too busy and couldn’t take the time to visit you. How are you? Are you feeling better?”
Carter nodded politely. “I’m feeling much better now. Thank you for asking,” he replied.
“That’s good. Young people should be hardworking, but you should also take care of yourself properly and not let yourself fall ill,” Olivia added.
“You’re right. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Olivia then turned to Tiffany. “I’m going to take Tony home shortly. As his godmother, do you want to come with us? I can tell that Tony likes you very much.”
Turning to look at Tony through the glass panel, Tiffany asked, “You’re taking him home so soon?”
“He’s been in the hospital for two weeks, and that’s long enough. No matter how good the hospital’s facilities are, nothing beats the comfort of being at home. I’ll be taking Tony home first, and we’ll see if Amelia will be allowed home in another two weeks. If she isn’t allowed to go home, I’m afraid we’ll have to delay Tony’s sip and see,” Olivia replied.
Tiffany nodded. “You should head on home then. Since I still have some things to discuss with Carter, I won’t be joining you. I’ll find some time to see Tony tomorrow. After all, we have plenty of time, so there’s no need to rush.”
Olivia smiled.
“Sure. Oh, do give some thought to that matter I mentioned to you earlier. If you agree to it, we can take the opportunity when everyone is gathered for Tony’s party to introduce you,” she said, not about to give up hope.
“I’m grateful that you care so much about me, Mrs. Clinton. However, I’d like to keep a low profile. As a freelance novelist, I only attend occasional events with my boss. Other than that, I spend most of my time at home. I don’t particularly want to entertain those rich people. If you really do care about me, then please don’t ask me to do something that troublesome,” Tiffany answered somewhat evasively.
Tiffany’s response made Olivia regard her even more highly. Anyone else would have attempted to take advantage of the Clintons’ influence and been all too eager to seize the opportunity. Only someone like Tiffany would shy away from it for finding it too much of a trouble.
“All right then. When the time comes where you’re willing to accept me as your godmother, I’ll introduce you to some of my friends in the business. Mr. Clinton and I recognize your talent. Just say the word, and he’ll make you the country’s best-selling author. Of course, it depends on whether you want it or not,” Olivia said.
Smiling, Tiffany responded, “To become a best-selling author is every novelist’s dream. Naturally, it’s my dream too. However, some things can’t be rushed. For now, the health of Amelia and Tony is of utmost importance. Let’s wait until after the party and see how things go. What do you say, Mrs. Clinton?”
Olivia could not hold back a smile. “Well, since Carter and you have things to discuss, I won’t keep you any longer. When you come over tomorrow, I’ll personally cook some delicious dishes for you.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I’m sure the dishes you cook will be just as tasty as you are beautiful,” Tiffany praised.
Olivia was delighted to hear that.
After a brief chat, Tiffany and Carter left.
Carter stared down the hallway as they walked side by side and said suddenly, “It appears that a lot has happened in the past month. I can tell that Mrs. Clinton has a good impression of you. Although she seems like a warm and generous person, she’s actually very opinionated. If she didn’t regard you highly, she wouldn’t have said such things. It’s every freelance novelist’s dream to meet someone like her. Do you think it wise to refuse her so casually? If others find out what happened, they’ll be green with envy and secretly scold you for being a fool.”
Tiffany shrugged nonchalantly. “So what? If I relied on others to succeed in my career, I wouldn’t know if I made it because of my abilities or because there was an element of luck. Others would deny my abilities and say that I wouldn’t have succeeded without the Clintons. That’s not the type of achievement I want. In truth, I’m quite a greedy person. I want to build my success upon my hard work rather than the assistance of others. If I had wanted to do so, I could’ve asked for Amelia’s help when she married into the Clinton family.”
Carter glanced at her thoughtfully.
“What’s the matter? Are you suddenly impressed by me?” Tiffany teased.
Carter only smiled faintly without saying a word.
Tiffany looked ahead, pursed her lips, and said dryly, “It looks like this is where our conversation ends.”
Carter could not help frowning when he saw the women hurrying up to him.
“Well, I’ll be leaving then. I wouldn’t want to butt into your private affairs with other women.” With that, Tiffany dusted her hands and quietly took her leave.
Jennifer and Faye rushed over. Jennifer glanced at Tiffany’s retreating figure with an unfathomable expression, which turned into a look of concern as she spoke to Carter, “Why don’t you have your phone with you? Mrs. Scott and I have been trying to get in touch with you, and we were worried sick.”
“Mom, I’m feeling much better, so you don’t have to make such a fuss over nothing. Also, I hope that all of you can give me some space. The way you’re watching over me like a hawk is suffocating,” Carter replied rather impatiently.
The image of Amelia and Oscar being affectionate with each other was triggering an explosion of his pent-up emotions.
Jennifer glanced at him, her tangle of emotions reflected in her gaze. She bit her lip and said, “Carter, did Tiffany feed you nonsense again?”
“Well, what do you think she told me? Do you think she told me about Amelia’s car accident, which the both of you kept from me, or the news that Amelia gave birth to a son, which the both of you also kept from me?” Carter retorted coldly.
Unexpectedly, Jennifer looked puzzled. “What accident? What son? Amelia had a car accident?”
Carter merely shot her a glance without answering.
Then, he turned to Faye and said, “I’m going to get myself discharged from the hospital. I’ve been in here for a month, which is a pretty long time. There are many things pending at the office that I have to get back to.”
Faye immediately replied, “Why don’t you stay another day? Once the doctor gives the green light, I’ll take care of the discharge paperwork. Okay?”
“Mom, I want to leave. If you don’t get it done, I’ll do it myself.”
Faye had no choice but to give in. “Okay, fine. I’ll go and speak to your attending doctor. If he says everything is fine, then we’ll leave. Are you okay with that?”
Carter finally nodded.
Faye said to Jennifer, “You stay here and look after Carter. I’ll go talk to his attending doctor.”
“Sure, go ahead. I’ll take good care of Carter.”
Once Faye left, Carter also walked away, ignoring Jennifer completely.
She ran in front of him and held out her arms, looking at him with an aggrieved and hurt expression. “Carter, I’ve looked after you for the past month. Are all my efforts incomparable to that Amelia who likes to play hard to get?”
Lowering his head to look at her, he suddenly sighed and said, “Jennifer, you’re a good person, and I’m grateful that you did your best to take care of me. However, we’re not suitable for each other. You’re a great catch, and you could have anyone you want. I don’t think you should waste any more time on me.”
Jennifer was used to his harsh words by now. She held his arm and changed the subject without even batting an eyelid. “I bought you your favorite soup. Why don’t you have some? Just eat some for my sake. You wouldn’t be so cruel as to refuse a request from someone as pretty as me, would you?”
Carter gave her a deep look, a sense of powerlessness hanging over him. “You don’t have to do this. There’s someone I like, and I don’t have space in my heart for someone else.”
Jennifer swallowed hard, suppressing the sadness that surged through her. “Carter, the fact that I love you has nothing to do with you. What’s more, I’m sure that you’ll come to love me one day. I’m confident of it. Let’s go. The soup is getting cold.”
Carter pulled his arm away from her, saying, “I can walk by myself.”
Bitterness tinged her smile as she looked down at her empty hands, but when she saw his lone figure walking up ahead, she could not stop herself from running over to him. Without caring about Carter’s embarrassment, she hugged his arm once more.
“I’m cold. Holding your arm makes me feel better, so indulge me just this once,” she begged pitifully while looking up at him.
Carter neither refused nor pulled his arm away, silently putting up with her behavior.
That made Jennifer cheer up a little. “Thank you, Carter! Thank you for not shooting down my ridiculous request. I truly love you, and I’m willing to change for you. As long as it’s what you what.”
“No, thanks. You’re fine the way you are. If you change, you’ll lose what makes you special,” he replied.
“But if I remain the way I am, you won’t fall for me, right?” she asked.
Carter fell silent.
Jennifer felt dejected.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
In the end, it was Jennifer who broke the silence. “Let’s go,” she said softly.
They headed to his ward together. Once there, she placed the soup in front of him, and he ate wordlessly.
“Is it good?” she asked.
“It’s okay.”
“If it tastes okay, then why don’t you drink two bowls today? You’ve lost a lot of weight this past month, and it pains me to see you so thin.”
Carter made no reply.
Jennifer looked at him with a gaze full of love. Alas, Carter only continued drinking the soup quietly. He had never been willing to respond to her feelings for him.
