Chapter 281 Begging For Privacy
As soon as Amelia calmed down, she realized she had lost her composure and quickly tidied her hair. She then lowered her head and uttered, “I’m sorry. I lost my cool just now.”
Oscar looked at her warmly before pulling her into his arms. He rested his chin on her head as he said, “No matter what, you still have me.”
Amelia’s eyes reddened as she took in his manly scent. She knew that she was too attached to him, which was a bad sign.
When she had recollected herself, she broke away from his embrace and said while avoiding eye contact, “I’m fine now.”
Feeling the emptiness in his arms, Oscar’s gaze turned cold.
“I’ll go and check on Tony.” With that said, she hurriedly left the bedroom.
Oscar’s eyes darkened as he watched Amelia leave, his hands slowly clenched into fists.
He then left the bedroom. When he found Olivia, he pulled her outside and solemnly bowed to her before saying, “Our divorce is already a certainty, Mom. However, I promise her that she’ll be my wife again not long after. I hope you’ll respect my decision and not interfere with our marital affairs. Tony is still young, so it’s only right for him to follow his mother. I hope that you won’t put Amelia in a tight spot on purpose. The divorce is the result of our discussion.”
Olivia felt her chest clenching in anger.
“Do you know how ridiculous you sound now?” she asked with a nasty scowl.
With a straight posture and a hardened expression, he replied, “I’ve made up my mind, Mom.”
Olivia’s hands were trembling with anger. Her lips twitched several times before she finally found her voice. “I disagree, Oscar. I disapprove of the divorce. Tony is still young, and I won’t let him grow up in a single-parent environment. Our family has no tradition of divorce either.”
After a short pause, she continued, “When you brought Amelia to me back then, I said that you were both not compatible. But you still insisted on marrying her. At that time, I was afraid that Cassie’s departure would be too devastating for you, so I turned a blind eye. I told you before that once you’re married, you are not allowed to get a divorce. No matter how you fool around outside, you must return to your family. I’ve nothing against you having other women, but there’s no doubt that Amelia is the future lady of this household. Hence, I firmly disagree with the divorce.”
Oscar looked at his mother and suddenly turned meek. “I have my reasons for doing this, Mom. I’ve also mentioned before that Amelia will be back soon and you have my word for that. I’ve never been impulsive, so please let me be this time.”
His words made her even angrier.
“This is outrageous! How can you treat a divorce as if it’s child’s play.” Olivia waved a dismissive hand and added, “Say no more. I disagree with the divorce, and Tony must remain in the Clinton family. I cannot allow the first grandson of our family to grow up in the streets. Do you really think she can take him away? Over my dead body!”
After saying that, she entered the hall without sparing him another glance.
Oscar’s face darkened. He did not expect the gentle and soft-spoken Olivia to be so against the divorce. Seems like I’ve underestimated her views on marriage.
Owen, who was reading a book in bed, glanced at Olivia as she stormed into the bedroom. Placing the book down, he got out of bed and walked to her side. “What’s the matter. Why are you so angry?”
Olivia heaved a deep sigh before replying, “I bore a son and a daughter, and yet all they do is make me worry and angry. Will they not give up until I’m dead?”
Owen was confused by her words as he had no idea about the divorce.
After shooting him a look, she said anxiously, “It’s your son. He’s going to divorce Amelia.”
A hint of shock flashed over Owen’s eyes. “How can this be? Wasn’t everything fine during dinner just now?”
“They’ve already discussed this. Your son also said that Amelia will take custody of Tony after the divorce. They’re both treating marriage as though it’s merely child’s play. It’s driving me crazy!”
“Calm down first. It may have just been an impulsive decision. They’ll reconcile after a day or two,” Owen said as he held her in his arms.
Despite his words, Olivia’s anger had yet to subside. “Don’t you know your son well? If he hadn’t thought about it carefully, he would never have said it. Since he said they’re getting a divorce, it must be true. In any case, go talk to him. I won’t give Tony to Amelia.”
Upon hearing that, Owen lowered his eyes.
“I’ll talk to him as soon as possible.”
That night, Owen went to have a long chat with his son. Oscar’s insistence on getting the divorce as well as giving Tony’s custody to Amelia did not sit well with him.
Having the same views as his wife, he slammed the table hard and exclaimed, “This is outrageous! I did wish for the two of you to divorce in the past. But you have Tony now, and your relationship is getting better and better each day. Why are you both still acting like children and insisting on divorce? Is your mindset degrading as you age?”
Oscar pursed his lips silently.
After some thought, he replied, “Amelia and I have already discussed it, Dad. It’s definitely not a joke.”
“Stop messing around!”
Owen was fuming with anger. “Everything had been fine between the two of you. I’ve witnessed your sweet affections. Is there anything that cannot be resolved that you have to get a divorce? What else could this be besides that?”
“This is merely an expedient strategy, Dad. I’ll get her back. She will always be the daughter-in-law of the Clinton family.”
It was obvious that Owen disagreed with his son’s words.
“Oscar, I always thought that you’re mature. However, this matter has revealed how childish you are. Marriage is not child’s play. Despite that, you both still spoke about divorce so rashly. Honestly, I’m very disappointed,” he said reproachfully.
Oscar lowered his head and humbly accepted his father’s reproach.
“Don’t bring this up ever again. If it happened because your relationship is breaking down, your mom and I would not have uttered a word of objection. However, this is obviously an irrational decision made by both of you. Hence, your mom and I cannot sit here and not do anything,” said Owen sternly.
Hearing that, Oscar lifted his head to face his father and said in a serious tone, “Dad, I have really thought it through. I hope you’ll respect my decision.”
“You b*stard! You still insist on it even after my advice. All right then, have it your way. But Tony must remain in the Clinton residence,” Owen ordered, coming to the same decision as Olivia.
Oscar’s eyes glinted. “Tony is very young, Dad. He should follow his mother.”
What he said further infuriated Owen.
“You idi*t! He’s my first grandchild. How can he be raised outside of the family?”
“This is merely a temporary split, Dad. After a short break, I’ll definitely bring them back. Amelia will still be your daughter-in-law, and Tony remains the first grandchild. Nothing will change,” promised Oscar.
Owen gave him a dismissive wave. “Stop trying to reason with me. I can’t understand the mindset of you young people. However, there’s no way I’ll give up Tony’s custody. You don’t care about the embarrassment, but your mother and I do.”
Upon hearing that, Oscar also took a tough stance. “Amelia and I are Tony’s guardians, Dad. Only both of us have the right to decide who should get his custody.”
Owen stared intently at his son.
“I’ll be frank once again, Oscar. I don’t object to the divorce if you insisted, but Tony must remain in this family,” Owen said firmly.
Oscar pursed his lips and said nothing as he stared at his father indignantly.
“You may leave first. We’ll discuss this again tomorrow.” Owen waved his hand as a clear sign for him to leave.
Oscar did as he was told and left.
It was destined to be a restless night for everyone in the household.
The next day, Owen dismissed the maids after breakfast and the family sat down, split into two factions. On one side were Owen, Olivia, and Stephanie, while the other was naturally Oscar and Amelia.
While glancing at Amelia, Owen spoke directly, “Amelia, I heard from Olivia that you’re planning to divorce Oscar. Is this true?”
Amelia clasped her hands together as she tensed up.
“Initially, I intended to speak to you and Olivia about this in a few days, Dad, but since you know about it now, I have no reason to hide it anymore.”
“You and Oscar have always got along well. Why did you suddenly decide to divorce?” asked Owen in an aggressive tone.
“Dad, I-”
Oscar reached out to pat Amelia’s hand as he replied on her behalf, “Dad, the divorce is the result of our discussion. I’ve let her down, so please don’t give her a hard time. I was the one who brought up the divorce.”
Owen’s expression instantly darkened.
“Speak up, Amelia. Are you really planning to divorce Oscar?” Owen asked again while still staring at her.
Amelia fell silent for a while before finally nodding her head.
“All right. Marriage is between the two of you. It is not good for me to intervene too much. But Tony must remain in this family.” Owen put on a negotiating stance.
Amelia’s hands were tightly interlocked as she grew paler.
“You are, after all, still our daughter-in-law. So we won’t treat you badly after the divorce. I’ll allow Oscar to arrange your subsequent living expenses, but you cannot visit Tony. He’s the future heir of this family and cannot become soft-hearted all because of familial bond,” said Owen coldly.
Amelia’s eyes widened as she looked at Owen, flabbergasted.
“I don’t need anything else after the divorce, Dad, but I must have Tony,” Amelia exclaimed as her heartbeat raced due to her nervousness.
Owen smirked as he replied, “You’ve been in our family for so long, Amelia, so you should see things more clearly than others. There has never been a case of a member of this family living outside. You can have the divorce, but not Tony.”
Amelia’s hands were clammy with sweat as she cast a helpless glance toward Oscar.
Oscar patted her hand again as a sign for her to remain calm before saying, “I’ll take care of the matter regarding Tony’s custody, Dad. Can you and Mom give us some privacy?”
