“Olivia, Oscar, you both heard it. Cassie’s miscarriage this time has damaged her womb. There is a high possibility that she can never get pregnant again. What are your plans for her?” Elizabeth questioned them aggressively with her arms crossed. Olivia coughed and spoke modestly, “We are very sad that Cassie is in this condition. We will definitely get her the best doctor possible. Besides, the doctor said that it would be difficult for her to conceive, not totally impossible. With the advanced medical technology available nowadays, so long as there is still a chance, Cassie can no doubt still be treated.”
Elizabeth snorted frigidly and looked at Olivia with contempt. “Olivia, you are a smart woman,” she said, “you have used your intelligence to win over the affection of two men gracefully. This is something that I could never compare to you. Now my daughter has fallen in love with your son. Even if she was wrong to flee her own wedding back then, she is back now. And she willingly bore Oscar’s child. Now she can’t have children in the future because of this child. Shouldn’t Oscar make it up to our Cassie?” A flash of anger appeared in Olivia’s eyes. “I am very sad that Cassie is in this state,” she said, “but if you are asking Oscar to divorce Amelia and marry Cassie, I will not agree. Amelia is my favorite daughter-in-law.
The fact that Cassie ran away meant that they were not destined for each other. Now, what’s done is done. We will hire the best doctors for Cassie, but as for giving her a rightful status by marrying her… I am against it.” Elizabeth sneered at Olivia’s words. “Charlie, you heard her. This is the woman that you once liked. You didn’t know that she was such a heartless and cruel person, did you?” Charlie stared helplessly at his wife and attempted to calm her down. “Olivia and I are just old friends, it’s really not what you think. Come on, that’s enough. Both of our families have been friends for many years, you are just making the whole situation tense and awkward for everyone here.” Elizabeth shot him an ambivalent look and questioned,
“You’re saying that I’m being unreasonable right now? It’s Olivia who is insulting our Cassie! You are Cassie’s father! You’re not speaking up for your daughter but siding with her instead. Just who is your family?” The anger on Olivia’s face became even more apparent. Oscar, who had been silent all the while, stood in front of his mother to shield her. “Mr. Yard and Mrs. Yard,” he said, directing their attention to him, “I will not shirk from my responsibility toward Cassie but now is not the time yet. We should let Cassie recover and wait for Amelia to give birth first.
No matter how degenerate I am, I can’t just abandon my pregnant wife and marry another woman. I don’t think the both of you would approve of that as well.” Glaring at Oscar, Elizabeth did not back down at all. “Oscar, I watched you as you grew up. In the past, you wouldn’t just brush me off with such flimsy words. Be honest with me, are you planning to kick Cassie to the curb since you’ve had your way with her already?” Oscar shook his head to deny her assumption and spoke steadily. “From the start, the only woman I wanted to marry was Cassie. But in life, once some things are over, you miss them forever. Even if she returns another five years later, I am still willing to marry her. A lot of things are out of my hands at the moment,
so I can’t marry Cassie as of now.” The rage in Elizabeth’s heart was reaching a boiling point. “Well done, Oscar,” she jeered, sarcasm oozing from each word she uttered, “my daughter has become infertile because of you. And you are simply saying that you can’t marry her so callously. Do you really think that the Yard family can’t do anything against the Clintons?” Unaffected and unruffled, Oscar replied, “Mrs. Yard, there’s no point for us to keep going in circles regarding this issue. For the woman who I wish to marry, I will hold for her the grandest wedding possible. But I have no intention of getting married now.
Even if you were to put a gun to my head, I would not bow down to your wishes.” Hearing his reply, Elizabeth became even more aggressive. “Oscar, so what you’re saying is, you don’t plan to be responsible towards Cassie?” “To be frank with you Mrs. Yard,” said Oscar, “I have already hired a renowned Irushean designer to work on Cassie’s wedding gown. But I am sick of you and Cassie constantly forcing me to marry her. I do intend to get married, but I must not be forced to do so. If this is how it’s going to be, I would rather not marry her.” Elizabeth’s expression changed instantly. She knew Oscar meant what he said and he was fully capable of getting out of the marriage. He was young in age, but among his peers, he was the most outstanding.
Even those sly old foxes in the corporate world could not blatantly play their tricks when facing him. If the Yard family had to go up against a man like this, they did not have much chance at all. With this consideration in mind, Elizabeth took a deep breath and mellowed her tone. “Oscar, I was too worked up just now. You have to understand how stressful it is for a parent to see their children in the hospital. And to learn that they might never be able to get pregnant again! Anyone would be agitated. So please forgive my rashness this time.” Oscar looked at her and said, “Mrs. Yard, I’m not blaming you for anything. It’s just that I have to carefully consider my relationship with Cassie.” Elizabeth’s face fell. “Oscar, what do you mean by this?”
“The literal meaning,” he replied coolly. The calmer he was, the scarier he seemed to them. “After five years, Cassie is no longer the same girl that I once knew. I do not know whether she is suitable to become a daughter-in-law for the Clinton family.” “You intend to abandon Cassie after all,” sneered Elizabeth. “There is no free lunch in this world – everything comes with a price. Because of you, Cassie may never bear children again. Like it or not, you will have to marry her. Otherwise, I will make sure it will not end well for you!” she threatened. Olivia interrupted, “Both of our families have had close connections for many years, why do you have to speak so harshly? Relationships should be consensual. I feel sad for the loss of Cassie’s child too, but you can’t make Oscar responsible for everything. He has his own wife and child. By asking him to leave them, aren’t you forcing him to be a deadbeat husband?” “
My goodness, Olivia. Do you hear yourself? If your daughter was toyed with and then cast aside, would you be able to say such haughty words? Charlie always says that you are the most intellectual and considerate lady, but it seems you have the most wicked heart of all,” retorted Elizabeth. Charlie was alarmed and quickly cut in, “Dear, please stop. Do you really want to end our friendship with the Clintons?” Elizabeth glowered at him and shrieked, “She is implying that your daughter is the other woman that is holding onto her son! And you’re still speaking up for her! Until now you are still not over her?”
Charlie was exasperated. At the same time, Olivia started to see red. Because of her friendship with Charlie, she was also acquainted with Elizabeth for many years. All this while, she thought that Elizabeth was cultured and sensible. Yet, it seemed that she had this side to her that was wildly irrational. Looks can be deceiving. It took Olivia a long time to really learn what kind of a person she truly was. Undeniably, Elizabeth had done a good job concealing this unflattering trait of hers. Oscar spoke up, “Mrs. Yard, you are too emotional now. I think it is not a good time for us to further discuss this. We will wait for you to calm down before we talk again.” With a wave of her arms, Elizabeth immediately countered, “Don’t you play games with me, Oscar.
If you don’t give me a satisfactory answer as to how you will make it up to Cassie, I will storm to Clinton Corporations and make it known to all those people who look up to you what kind of a scumbag their beloved Mr. Clinton is.” Charlie quickly wrapped his arms around his wife and said, “Dear, you need to calm down.” Elizabeth struggled vehemently and shouted at him, “Look at Cassie’s condition! How do you expect me to stay calm? If you are reluctant to speak up because of old times’ sake, then I will play the role of the bad person here.” Olivia took a deep breath and reminded, “This is a hospital. It would not do us any good to have a row here.” She then offered, “The both of you haven’t eaten, right? Let’s look for a place to take a bite. It would be more convenient to have our conversation in a private room.” Elizabeth considered the option. Finally, she relented and nodded in agreement. The four of them went to the hotel nearest to the hospital and requested for a private room.
After ordering a few dishes, the atmosphere immediately tensed up. Elizabeth crossed her arms and said, “Olivia, don’t blame me for speaking rudely in the hospital. I was just worried for Cassie. If it were your daughter, I am sure you would be even more anxious.” Olivia suppressed herself before the snide remarks could tumble out of her mouth. No matter how spoiled and unruly my daughter is, she would never stoop so low and become a mistress. She also wouldn’t keep showing off in front of others after getting pregnant. If Stephanie was this shameless, I would personally send my in-laws a big broom for them to sweep her out of their house. Mustering all of her self-control and with a fake smile plastered on her face, Olivia said, “I fully sympathize with what Cassie has gone through. But Stephanie is not that type of person. I don’t think she would ever get pregnant out of wedlock.
So you don’t have to worry about that.” Elizabeth’s expression changed and she questioned, “Olivia, what do you mean?” Unhurriedly, Olivia responded, “It’s nothing. Since you kept hypothesizing Stephanie in this kind of situation, let me tell you how it would be if it were her. Steph has been brought up well. She may be spoilt, but she would never be a home-wrecker. If she shamelessly becomes a mistress, I might just break her legs and keep her at home. We are rich anyway, we have enough money to support her.” Both Elizabeth and Charlie’s faces soured at her statement. Charlie looked at Olivia with disbelief. “Olivia, you… “
Olivia merely smiled, and did not say anything. However, the enraged Elizabeth would not go down without a fight. “Olivia, you’re too much! Even if my daughter has become a mistress, half of the responsibility is on your son! If he could keep it in his own pants, my Cassie wouldn’t be able to do anything even if she were Venus reincarnated. Besides, in an affair like this, Cassie may not even be the one who started it. Aren’t you implicating your own son as well if you say that my daughter is a mistress?” “Oscar only made the mistake that all men in this world would make. As long as he changes his ways and goes back to his family, then all is forgiven. I think Oscar did a good job on this,” said Olivia. Elizabeth’s face was completely distorted with anger. Full of disbelief and shock, Charlie said, “Olivia, I didn’t expect you would say something like this.”
For a brief moment, guilt flashed across Olivia’s eyes. But to protect Oscar and Amelia’s little family, she could not back down. “I think of Cassie as a goddaughter, but she is not suited to be a daughter-in-law for the Clinton family. Regardless of whether she had the child or not, I will not allow her to marry into our family. I hope both of you can understand this. One humiliation is enough, I do not wish for our family to be the laughing stock of the upper-class society for a second time due to the same woman,” said Olivia. “We know we owe you one for what Cassie did, Olivia.
However, you can’t just deny everything good about Cassie just because of that. She has really improved a lot after she came back. She even willingly bore Oscar’s child. Who doesn’t make some mistakes when they were young. Why won’t you give her a chance to prove herself?” Olivia did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Oscar is already married. Very soon they will have their own child. I will do my best to make it up to Cassie, but if you insist on Oscar marrying her, I will not agree to it.” Elizabeth stood up angrily and screeched, “Olivia Clinton, you think Cassie is a beggar? Do you want to just dismiss her with money? The Yard family is not that much worse off than the Clinton family. If we went all out, taking down the Clinton family may not be an impossibility for us.”
