Chapter 322 A Wasted Trip To Beshya
Just like that, Oscar fell asleep in front of his computer with Amelia’s picture clutched tightly in his grip. On the next day, Oscar’s entire body was throbbing with pain. Although he tried to relieve the soreness by stretching, his arms still felt numb.
When Oscar made his way out of the study, he bumped into Olivia. Although Oscar’s demeanor took a sudden turn, he still greeted her politely, “Mom.” Due to Olivia’s recent involvement, Oscar hardly knew how to face her.
On the other hand, Olivia sized him up. It was clear that Oscar had lost a lot of weight. Furthermore, his sunken eyes and unkempt stubble gave him a very disheveled appearance. Oscar was a far cry from the confident man he once was. Olivia couldn’t help but feel anguished on his behalf.
“Did you spend the night in your study?” Olivia asked in a gentle tone.
Olivia’s tender mannerisms caught Oscar by surprise. Feeling taken aback by the tone of her voice, he asked her warily, “Mom, what are you up to?”
Olivia merely chuckled in amusement. “Don’t you recognize your own mother? Don’t look at me like that. Are you afraid that I’ve been eaten by a monster and replaced with a clone?”
Despite Olivia’s light-hearted joke, Oscar was as sullen as ever. He remained rooted to the spot.
“I know that you’ve been annoyed because I constantly used my health as an excuse. However, your dad has talked some sense to me. I don’t want to continue our argument all because I miss my grandson. Sooner or later, Tony will return. All I have to do is wait patiently for his arrival and mend our broken relationship. What if I end up all alone after my daughter marries because I ruined the relationship I have with my son?” Olivia remarked with a smile.
Oscar’s mood seemed to lighten when he heard this. Quietly he tried to discern if Olivia was telling the truth.
“I lost my temper because I missed my son.” Olivia patted him on the shoulder to reassure his worries. “Do you see me as a heartless monster? Relax, I won’t cause you any more trouble. I’ve instructed one of the staff to cook you breakfast. You should eat more, all right? You’ve lost so much weight that you look like a bag of bones. Just looking at you makes me worried.”
Finally, Oscar’s tensed expression eased up.
“Okay.” He nodded in reply.
Because Olivia had cleared the air with Oscar, breakfast ended on a high note. As soon as Oscar finished his meal, he went to work. Along the way, he called Hugo and questioned him about Amelia’s whereabouts. Yet, Hugo could not give Oscar a definite answer.
After Oscar ended the call, he diverted his focus back to the road. Moments later, another call came in. It was Julian.
“Julian,” Oscar greeted as he answered the call.
“Oscar, I asked my friends to dig around. Earlier, one of my connections notified me. It seems like he saw a woman who looked like Amelia in Beshya. He followed the woman and her son into a neighborhood and discovered that they have taken up residence in unit 1010. He also asked the guards there about them. The guards claimed that the woman moved here two months ago. Furthermore, the woman’s friend matches Tiffany’s appearance. It all seems too suspicious to be a coincidence. Do you want to see it for yourself?”
When he heard this news, Oscar was so shocked that his grip on the steering wheel slipped. As a result, he nearly lost control of his car. In haste, he regained control of his vehicle. “Julian, which neighborhood is it?” Oscar rasped nervously. Even his fingers were trembling uncontrollably.
Julian quickly gave Oscar the full address.
“All right, I’ll instruct someone to book a flight there now,” Oscar replied with a gulp.
“Let me tag along,” Julian added.
“Sure, I’m going to hang up the call now. I’ll call you again once the tickets have been booked.”
Without any delay, he called Linda. In the calmest voice he could muster, Oscar said, “Linda, book two tickets for the next flight to Beshya.”
“Yes, Mr. Clinton.” Linda didn’t question Oscar any further. After receiving his instructions, she quickly went online and booked two plane tickets for ten o’clock.
Upon purchasing the tickets, Linda called Oscar again. “Mr. Clinton, I’ve bought tickets for the flight that leaves at ten. You have one and a half an hour to reach the airport.”
“Okay.” Oscar ended his call with Linda and quickly informed Julian of the flight time. Both men then agreed to meet at the airport before ten.
Soon after, Oscar received a message from Linda that contained information about his flight.
At half-past nine, Oscar arrived at the airport. Promptly, he called for someone to drive his car home.
Oscar strolled into the airport empty-handed. He didn’t have anything besides his credit cards and some spare change. He was in such a hurry to board the flight that he didn’t even prepare a change of clothes.
On the contrary, Julian had a small bag with him. “Oscar, why didn’t you bring a change of clothes? We might have to spend a few days there,” Julian asked when he noticed Oscar’s empty hands.
“I didn’t have the time to pack. I can just purchase some clothes when we arrive.” Oscar made his way to the ticket booth and printed out their tickets before the duo headed to the departure lounge.
When Julian saw how Oscar couldn’t stop fidgeting in his seat, he could tell that Oscar was extremely anxious. “Oscar, you need to relax. You are a renowned president.”
Oscar chuckled as he crossed his arms and took a deep breath to regain his composure. “Just the mere possibility of seeing the woman I’ve been searching for in Beshya is enough to make me excited. I thought I’d gotten rid of this stupid habit, but it looks like I still can’t control my emotions whenever she is involved.”
Julian was afraid that Oscar had set his hopes too high. What if Amelia isn’t in Beshya? Oscar might have a mental breakdown.
“Oscar, you shouldn’t have such high hopes. After all, my friend didn’t get a clear glimpse of the woman’s face. He only stated that her side and back profiles resembled Amelia. Hence, we shouldn’t jump to any hasty conclusions,” Julian said in an attempt to lower Oscar’s expectations.
Oscar was taken aback. Nevertheless, Julian’s words had helped him to regain his senses.
He laughed bitterly. “I got it. Besides, this isn’t the first time I’ve searched for her. Even if our trip ends up futile, I won’t give up until I find her.”
Upon noticing Oscar’s downcast expression, Julian felt guilty too. If only I hadn’t suggested those horrible ideas. Maybe all of this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
Julian couldn’t help but chide himself for causing so much trouble.
“It’s all right for you still have my support. I’ll help you find Amelia. After all, Amelia’s departure was partly my fault too. Seeing you in such a helpless state makes me feel guilty,” Julian said in earnest.
Oscar merely patted his shoulders in response.
After being friends for so many years, they had formed an inseparable bond and didn’t need any words to convey their feelings.
At ten, both men boarded the plane. It only took them half an hour to arrive in Beshya. Once the plane landed, they quickly hailed a cab to the neighborhood.
Alas, they were blocked by security guards who refused to let them enter. Despite Julian’s best efforts to convince them, they remained adamant. Fortunately, Julian had a friend who lived in the same neighborhood. After a quick phone call between Julian’s friend and the guards, they were finally allowed to enter the apartment building.
Oscar swept his gaze around the neighborhood. He was rather satisfied with this place. Since the security here is tight, I wouldn’t have to worry about Amelia and Tony’s safety.
Julian and Oscar took the elevator upstairs before making their way to unit 1010. Julian stepped forward and knocked on the door. On the other hand, Oscar had his gaze fixated intensely on the entrance. He was so nervous that his entire body had become as stiff as a board.
Despite Oscar’s eagerness, the door remained firmly shut. Gradually, Oscar’s excitement was replaced by a feeling of annoyance.
“Maybe she’s out right now,” Julian mumbled awkwardly.
“Why didn’t you ask your friend to keep watch?” Oscar’s cold gaze swept to him.
“Oscar, they aren’t perverts. Standing in front of a woman’s home for an entire day would cause misunderstanding. Since my friends gave me the address, I asked them to take their leave. At the end of the day, they are bound to return home anyway,” Julian replied with a laugh.
However, Julian and Oscar ended up waiting in front of the door until it was dark. Just when they began to lose hope, the elevator doors slid open to reveal two young women.
When Oscar saw the woman on the right, his breath caught in his throat. At that very moment, he thought he’d finally meet Amelia. But upon closer inspection, Oscar realized that the woman before him wasn’t actually Amelia. This woman merely had an uncanny resemblance to her. Despite their similar appearances, she could never replace Amelia’s position as Oscar only had eyes for her.
As realization dawned upon him, Oscar’s heart sank in despair and anguish.
“Who are you guys?” the woman who resembled Amelia curiously asked as she noticed the two handsome men loitering outside of her unit.
Julian glanced at Oscar and asked her, “Miss, do you stay here?”
“Yes, my friend and I purchased this unit two months ago. Is there a problem?”
“I am sorry. It looks like we’ve come to the wrong place. We thought that one of our friends was staying here. However, we must have gotten the address confused. She told us that she would be waiting for our arrival, but there wasn’t anyone here to welcome us when we knocked on the door,” Julian explained with a sheepish smile. “I’m so sorry for disturbing the both of you. Oscar, let’s go.”
With that, Julian grabbed Oscar by the arm and dragged the latter toward the elevator. The other woman who’d remain silent thus far finally spoke up. “Amelia, don’t you think they were both incredibly dashing? We should have asked for their numbers.” It turned out that the woman who resembled Amelia shared her name as well.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Although they look handsome, you can tell from their appearances that they are both from wealthy families. They are the type who would break your heart without a second thought. Haven’t you learned your lesson when it comes to men like them? Quick, let’s head in,” Amelia scoffed in reply.
The other woman stuck her tongue out childishly at Amelia as they made their way inside.
Just like that, Julian and Oscar’s trip to Beshya ended before it could even begin.
After exiting the elevator, Julian cast a glance at the apartment they’d just left. Deep down, he felt extremely frustrated. Although they spent hours waiting, their efforts ended up fruitless.
“Oscar, I’m so sorry. I should have confirmed the person’s identity before telling you about it. You ended up wasting your time because of me,” Julian said apologetically.
A dark look loomed across Oscar’s face. Similarly, he was in a bad mood too. He sighed and shook his head. “Let’s go. It’s already late. Should we grab dinner?”
“Oscar, are you all right?”
The man in question merely shook his head. “Would you like to drink with me while we have dinner later? We can drink away our frustrations.”
Oscar’s suggestion was met with silence.
“You’re not going to accept my offer?”
“Of course, I will. I’m just trying to think of a wine that will be suitable for us to enjoy later,” Julian responded.
In the past two months, he’d spent most of his time keeping Oscar company. Throughout this duration, both men had developed a habit of drinking. In fact, this marked their third time getting wasted together.
