Chapter 220 Disappointed
Tony was so well-behaved and quiet in Kurt’s arms that Tiffany couldn’t help but be impressed. With two thumbs up, she said, “What power you have, Kurt. Tony stopped wailing as soon as you got here. Not only can you be the male lead in an action film, but you’re also Tony’s future nanny. Congratulations! You’ve found yourself another job on top of being a bodyguard!”
Kurt’s lips twitched, still saying nothing.
Amelia tugged at Tiffany’s shirt, beckoning for her to stop spouting nonsense. Jokes were only appropriate in front of friends and family, not strangers like Kurt.
“Kurt, what are you doing here?” Amelia quizzed.
“Ma’am, I’m in charge of your protection now. I’ll follow you wherever you go,” Kurt replied solemnly.
Amelia flinched at the way Kurt greeted her. It was something she could never get used to, no matter how many times she had heard it.
“Kurt, please call me Amelia. I feel awkward being spoken to like that.”
Kurt gently patted Tony’s back before replying, “Yes, ma’am.”
Tiffany raised her hand and patted Kurt on his back. “Hey, Kurt, take it easy. You’re about the same age as Amelia, so calling her ma’am makes her sound like a princess from some faraway land. Call her by her name. It’s more natural like that.”
Kurt merely nodded.
After that, Tiffany instructed Kurt to carry Tony into the bedroom and placed him on the bed.
Seeing the smile on Tony’s face, Tiffany couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, Tony. You didn’t like it when two pretty ladies carried you, but here you are, smiling so gleefully after being carried by a handsome guy. Let me warn you now, you better not treat future ladies in your life like that. Otherwise, don’t blame me for smacking you.”
Kurt couldn’t stop his lips from twitching. This woman really says the darndest things.
Amelia, on the other hand, couldn’t stop laughing. “Stop it, Tiff! You’re so full of sh*t.”
Tiffany shrugged as she continued to play with Tony. “Kurt, you’re now Amelia’s bodyguard, aren’t you? You’ll listen to everything she says then?”
Despite having a sneaking suspicion that Tiffany was up to no good, Kurt nodded.
Tiffany snapped her fingers in glee and said, “Good! We have just the thing for you to do now. I have here a list of things that Tony needs. Can you get them for us? Have a look and let me know if you have any questions.”
Kurt received the sheet of paper from Tiffany, only to find it filled with words.
“Ok?” Tiffany once again asked.
Kurt nodded before leaving to get started with the errand.
Amelia glanced at Tony before turning toward Tiffany. “Tiff, what did you get Kurt to buy? Ordering him about doesn’t seem very nice, especially when he isn’t all that familiar with us.”
Tiffany shrugged nonchalantly and brushed Amelia off. “It’s not every day that you get a big, strong man to help out with errands. If I don’t get him to do it, then it’s down to us. Are you sure you want that?”
Amelia held her tongue. She hated to admit it, but Tiffany made a lot of sense.
Ever the efficient worker, Kurt returned in less than half an hour with his hands full of bags.
Amelia was about to help him with one of the bags when Kurt moved away from her.
“I’ve bought everything that was listed on the paper,” Kurt said as he placed the bags on the sofa.
Tiffany looked through the bags thoroughly before giving Kurt a thumbs up. “Well done, Kurt. You’re the most handsome and efficient bodyguard I’ve ever met!”
Despite the compliments, Kurt remained stoic.
Unbothered by his lack of response, Tiffany started to unpack the bags.
Perhaps Kurt’s presence had helped as Amelia and Tiffany became a lot more grounded ever since he arrived.
The funniest thing was, Tony truly and absolutely loved Kurt. Whenever Kurt carried him, not only did he stop crying, but he’d also burst out laughing and flail his arms about in glee.
Tiffany became so jealous of Kurt that she couldn’t help but voice her displeasure. “Hey, Kurt, stop trying to charm Tony with your looks. Tony’s still young and can’t differentiate between handsome and ugly. You better keep yourself in check.”
Kurt remained expressionless as he listened intently.
After some more teasing, Tiffany asked, “By the way, Kurt, are you planning on staying the night in my humble abode? I don’t think that’d be very appropriate, would it?” As innocent as her question might have sounded, she was also indirectly hinting for Kurt to take his leave.
“It’s my responsibility to protect ma’am.”
“Oh, really? I haven’t met any bodyguard who guards this closely,” Tiffany replied with a smirk.
Kurt remained silent, not wanting to engage anymore.
Eventually, Tiffany had no choice but to prepare the guest room for him. “Guess what, Kurt? You’re the first man to stay in my humble abode. Careful not to let Oscar know. Otherwise, he might punish you for it.”
Kurt gingerly took a pillow and blanket from the bed and turned to Tiffany. “I’ll take care of Tony. You and ma’am can go to bed. If need be, I don’t mind waking up a few times in the middle of the night.”
Tiffany gave Kurt a quizzical look before asking, “Are you sure?”
Kurt nodded, much to the delight of Tiffany.
“You’re going to be Tony’s best nanny, Kurt! He’s all yours then!”
Already immune to Tiffany’s nonsense, Kurt barely responded.
With Kurt’s help, Amelia and Tiffany finally managed to get a good night’s sleep. Earlier on, they were still worried about how they’d get through the night with a wailing infant, yet now it was the most peaceful night. As such, Tony’s mother and godmother slept very soundly in their respective rooms, not waking up even once to check on him.
Subconsciously, they knew that Kurt was the bodyguard sent by Oscar. As such, they could trust him with Tony and also trust that he wouldn’t hurt them in any way.
In other words, Amelia still had a lot of trust in Oscar and believed that he would never cause any harm to her or Tony.
It was eight in the morning when Amelia and Tiffany finally woke up. After a quick wash, Amelia came out of her room to look for Tony when she bumped into an apron-clad Kurt serving breakfast.
Taken aback, Amelia wanted to help Kurt with the dishes when he took a step back.
“Ma… Amelia, I’ve prepared breakfast for you. Mr. Clinton has instructed that since you’ve yet to recover, it’s important to have nutritious meals.”
Amelia fought back mixed emotions and licked her lips. “You were sent here by Oscar?”
Kurt nodded.
“D-Did he say anything?”
“Mr. Clinton told me to take good care of you and make sure you don’t tire yourself out.”
“Anything else?”
Kurt looked at Amelia in confusion, not knowing what else she wanted to hear from him.
Embarrassed, Amelia changed the subject with a wave of her hand. “I’m going to check on Tony. Did he disturb you in the night?”
“Tony was very well-behaved and slept through most of the night. He’s still sleeping in the crib now.”
“Kurt, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think Tiffany and I could’ve gotten through the day, much less the night.”
“I’m only doing my job. I take my orders from you, which makes Mr. Anthony my responsibility too. It’s only right that I help protect and look after him.”
Amelia grew flustered and waved her hands. “Kurt, don’t say that. We’re of equal standing. If you continue saying things like that, I’m going to feel really bad. Oscar sent you here to protect me, but he didn’t ask you to take on the role of nanny too. Next time, leave the meal preparation to us women. You can sit and wait for the food.”
“But I’m used to cooking, and I’m pretty good at it too. Even Mr. Clinton has complimented my food before. Ma… Amelia, why don’t you give it a taste first before deciding if you want me to continue cooking?”
Sensing his enthusiasm, Amelia had no choice but to comply.
“Since you’re here to protect me, I should be the one paying you, shouldn’t it?”
“No need. My pay gets wired to my account every month.”
Amelia didn’t say anything more as she went to check on Tony, who was sound asleep and looking as adorable as ever.
After looking at her son for a while, Tiffany’s voice— loud and surprised—suddenly rang out outside.
Amelia couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s silliness. It sure feels different with a man around the house.
Soon after, Amelia and Tiffany sat down to enjoy the breakfast that Kurt had prepared.
To both their surprise, Kurt wasn’t lying when he said he was good at cooking. In fact, his food was better than famous hotel chefs. Even Tiffany, who had always been very proud of her culinary skills, had to eat humble pie in front of Kurt.
“Kurt, tell me, what’s your secret behind this chicken noodle soup? How did you cook from scratch?” Tiffany asked, hoping to pick his brain.
Happy that his food was so well received, Kurt briefly shared his recipe with Tiffany.
“That’s all? It’s that simple?”
Kurt nodded.
The food he cooked had always been simple—nothing more, nothing less.
Feeling defeated, Tiffany pouted and turned to Amelia. “Babe, I’ve always thought my food was good. Now I realize there will always be someone better than me. I’ve really met my match this time.”
Amelia merely laughed at how disappointed Tiffany sounded. However, she had to admit that Kurt’s cooking was so good he could probably reach the pinnacle of the culinary world.
Amelia started to feel and look much better, perhaps due to Kurt’s attentive care and excellent food. Just like that, three days passed in a blink of an eye. On the first day, Amelia could still joke and laugh with Tiffany and Kurt. For the next two days, however, Amelia felt herself having to force a smile. Ever since she left the Clintons, none of them had come to see her. Not even Oscar, whom she had been secretly pining for, had shown up since he ordered Kurt to protect her.
Amelia would be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed. She and Oscar had only just confessed their love to each other and should be enjoying each other’s company. Unfortunately, Stephanie ruined all that, which resulted in a temporary separation between the couple.
Now that she was staying at Tiffany’s, the Clintons never once paid a visit, thus making Amelia feel even more dejected.
She often got lost in her own thoughts while staring at Tony, who bore a striking resemblance to Oscar. Oscar Clinton, do you really not want me anymore?
With the Clintons seemingly out of her life, Amelia started to chide herself for her indecisiveness. They merely left her alone for a few days, and Amelia was already starting to worry herself sick.
She held her forehead as she silently lamented. Amelia had hoped to let Oscar realize they could reach a fair solution, but instead, she continued to let him lead her by the nose.
The feeling of always being the passive one did not sit well with her. In fact, she hated it.
After playing with Tony, Tiffany got a bowl of pumpkin soup for Amelia. She knew something was up with her friend as she asked, “Babe, what’s wrong? Are you not happy?”
Amelia took the soup from her, even though she didn’t have much of an appetite.
“No, no. I’m happy. Especially since I have Tony and you.”
Oh, what a silly woman. I can tell you’re lying.
“Have you seen your face? How is that happy? Yes, you have Tony and me, but you’re still missing someone.”
Amelia instantly shot a look at Tiffany.
Unfazed, Tiffany shrugged and prodded Amelia’s head. “Babe, stop being such a loser. The Clintons have already climbed all over your head, and now you’re getting upset because they haven’t contacted you in three days? What if this goes on for half a month? Wouldn’t it drive you crazy? This is the time to put your relationship with Oscar to the test. If his feelings for you can’t even withstand this test, why stay with him? Honestly, if Oscar ignores you over something this small, I don’t think he’s worth committing your whole life to.”
Amelia fell silent as she pondered Tiffany’s words.
Tiffany made a lot of sense, but it was easier said than done.
“All right, let’s stop thinking about it. Chin up! Tony needs you to bring him up big and strong. The Clintons are going to take the high road, so all the more we shouldn’t lose to them!” Tiffany exclaimed, all puffed up with pride.
Amelia couldn’t help but break into a smile, except that smile still seemed rather forced. Despite Tiffany’s best efforts, Amelia’s heart remained heavy and her spirit miserable.
