Chapter 167 Birds Of A Feather Flock Together
Cassie then looked at Stephanie and stated, “Steph, don’t blame for being ruthless when we’re now in the same boat. You don’t want Amelia Winters to steal all of Mrs. Clinton’s attention, while I don’t want Oz to fall in love with her. We have the same motive, and we’ll have attained our goal when we successfully drive her away.”
Upon hearing this, Stephanie mulled it over for a while. Then, a fearless smile bloomed on her face.
“I think this is quite a good turn of events, Cassie. You were simply a meek girl in the past, and I was even worried that you’ll be bullied because of your easy-going disposition. Thus, it’s good that you’ve now learned to scheme against others. This is something crucial to people from affluent backgrounds, after all. We’ve got money and power, so it’s only a matter of utilizing some connections when we do something wrong. Would the police really dare arrest and imprison us?”
As Stephanie said this, she was incredibly arrogant without the slightest hint of fear on her face.
Cassie merely smiled at her words, but inwardly, she was scoffing with contempt. Her comfortable life has her feeling that she’s infallible, but she knows nothing else apart from branded bags, clothes, and shoes. All she does is eat, drink, and play. When it comes to working, however, she’s a completely useless spoiled brat!
Subsequently, Stephanie picked up an apple and queried, “Can you eat an apple now, Cassie? I’ll pare an apple for you.”
Cassie nodded in response.
While paring the apple, Stephanie asked, “What are you planning to do about Amelia, Cassie?”
After a moment’s contemplation, Cassie mused, “Steph, what way is there to have a woman miscarry without arousing suspicion?”
Stephanie pondered for a moment before answering, “There are plenty of ways considering the current medical advancements. But if we use medication to do it, it’ll be easily discovered by the doctor. Therefore, the only recourse is a physical collision. A pregnant woman is very fragile.”
The moment Cassie heard this, she snapped her fingers. “Great minds think alike, Steph!” she exclaimed with a bright smile.
“But how should we accomplish it in such a way that Oscar doesn’t suspect anything?” Stephanie wondered.
Staring right into her eyes, Cassie declared, “That’s where you come in.”
At a loss, Stephanie pointed at herself. “Me?”
Cassie nodded and explained, “You’re Amelia’s sister-in-law, so she won’t turn you away if you were to approach her no matter the misunderstandings between you both. Thus, you just need to obtain her trust and ask her to accompany you shopping. Then, create a commotion on a busy street. In the midst of the chaos, someone accidentally collides with her stomach. Everything is then solved, no?”
At this, Stephanie swung her gaze over and gaped at her in surprise.
“So, you’ve actually planned everything and were just waiting for me to take the bait, Cassie?” she demanded indignantly.
Her scheming makes me look like a fool! She has dug a hole in the ground, and I actually jumped in foolishly. In the end, I didn’t know that I’d been duped and even offered myself up as a victim! Ugh! How infuriating!
It was as though Cassie could read her thoughts, for she hastily refuted and coaxed, “I’ve already been planning this, Steph. Initially, I didn’t plan on dragging you in, but it just so happens that you came to visit me tonight. I only told you about my plan because you abhor Amelia as well. Will I be plotting against you when we’re in the same boat?”
Stephanie then ruminated on it for a moment.
It does make sense. If I hadn’t overheard Mom saying that Cassie is now in the hospital after having suffered a miscarriage, I really wouldn’t have known that something had happened to her.
Meanwhile, Cassie continued, “Steph, if you’re afraid, just forget about everything I said. My child is gone, and your brother is already thirty years old. Hence, if the baby in Amelia’s stomach is gone as well, no one knows when your brother will have a child. Mrs. Clinton is sure to be hankering after a grandchild, so I don’t want you to take the blame.”
However, if she truly hadn’t wanted to drag Stephanie into this matter, she wouldn’t have said anything earlier.
Stephanie was actually quite conflicted, but she then remembered that her status in the Clinton family would be particularly awkward should Amelia give birth to a boy.
I’m the lady of the Clinton family, yet I have no room to breathe with Amelia there! Mom is always lecturing me with her as the yardstick and asking me to learn from her. As the lady of the Clinton family, I know better about manners and etiquette than anyone else! How is she better than me?
Because she was always compared to Amelia, her jealousy and resentment toward her multiplied day by day. For that reason, she easily took the bait even when Cassie had just sown a bit of discord.
Curling her lips in contempt, she mocked, “She’s just a woman with no manners. Is she worthy of giving birth to a child of the Clinton family? I’m even afraid she’ll bring the child astray!”
Just for the sake of their self-interests, Cassie and Stephanie would go as far as making a move against an unborn child. Hence, this was no idle prank. Rather, they were truly cruel without a shred of compassion.
People claimed that children and infants were always to be spared, yet they were even planning to murder an unborn child. Therefore, it went without saying that they were truly sinister.
Upon hearing that, the corners of Cassie’s mouth lifted. “It’s decided then, Steph. We’ll execute the plan when I’ve recovered and been discharged from the hospital. She’s going to give birth soon, so we’ve got to do it before that. Otherwise, we won’t have an opportunity when she has given birth.”
Stephanie nodded in agreement.
In the next moment, Cassie again spoke. “Steph, I think you should build a relationship with Amelia. You’re her sister-in-law, so it’s only natural that you show some concern for her,” she urged.
When Stephanie heard this, a flash of aversion flittered across her eyes.
At this time, Cassie panted slightly as she hugged a pillow against her chest. She wasn’t fully recovered, so it was already a miracle that she had managed to speak for such a long time.
Stephanie naturally noticed that something was amiss and hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong, Cassie?”
“Women will be weak for some time after suffering a miscarriage. I can’t quite catch my breath, so I’m a bit breathless. I’ll be fine after resting for a while,” Cassie replied weakly.
Stephanie then helped her onto her back while chiding, “Don’t overtax yourself if you’re weak. On the other hand, Oscar is really something else. Doesn’t he know that he should stay and take care of you in the hospital when you’re in such a state?”
At this, Cassie’s gaze dimmed a fraction. In a disappointed voice, she murmured, “Your brother’s attention is now mostly on Amelia.”
Upon that, Stephanie pulled the blanket over her before saying, “Don’t think too much. Oscar loves you. When you were abroad, he always took out the little gifts you gave him every once in a while and looked at them. And every time I told him that you were going to be back soon, he was always over the moon. “In my opinion, it’s impossible for him to have fallen in love with Amelia in such a short time. I think he just went back because he’s worried about the child in her stomach. That’s the first grandchild of the Clinton family, so it’s only natural that he’s concerned. Thus, don’t read too much into things.”
Cassie merely stared at the ceiling blankly. “I hope that’s truly the case.”
After doing and saying all that, Stephanie picked up the half-pared apple and continue paring it. When she was done, she cut off a slice and handed it to her. “Here, Cassie. Have some fruits.”
Cassie took the slice of apple, but she didn’t eat it.
Seeing that, Stephanie asked, “Do you not feel like eating apples?”
Cassie shook her head. “I’m just wondering whether Oz is being intimate with Amelia now,” she murmured.
Stephanie, on the other hand, munched on the apple and insensitively retorted, “Isn’t it normal for them to have physical contact when they’re married?”
All at once, Cassie’s expression darkened. However, she swiftly concealed it, so Stephanie didn’t notice anything amiss.
“That’s true. They’re married. I forgot that I’m the disgraceful and abhorred third party,” she deliberately lamented in a pitiful voice.
Conversely, irritation swamped Stephanie.
“Cassie, you never used to complain so much in the past. You’re noble, beautiful, and classy. Do you think Amelia is your match when you’re fully recovered?”
At her remonstration, Cassie’s heart jolted. I thought she’d side with me. Never had I thought…
“Steph, Oz loved me in the past, so I was naturally confident that I could win him back. But now, his heart has been stolen by that woman, so I really don’t know if I can still do so.”
Waving a dismissive hand, Stephanie cockily proclaimed, “Oscar has a fatal weakness – loyalty. On the surface, he appears rather aloof and distant, but we both know that he’s absolutely loyal once he gets into a relationship. When he falls in love with a woman, it’s for a lifetime. Therefore, I can guarantee you that he won’t forget you so easily.”
This was also something Cassie was once very certain of. The only reason she left without a single word back then was her conviction that Oscar wouldn’t forget her so easily. Of course, she never once considered whether another woman would be able to win his heart.
However, reality proved that she had overestimated his feelings for her and underestimated Amelia’s allure toward him. That was why she panicked and went as far as risking her life by tumbling off the stairs so that she would miscarry, and in turn, obtain his love. But in the end, she hurt herself and paid the price of possibly never having any children in the future. Yet, she didn’t obtain all of his love.
I have no idea where everything went wrong. He loved me a lot, but in just a few months, his attitude toward me has undergone a one-eighty turn.
“Stop letting your imagination run wild, Cassie. Your task now is to just sleep. I don’t want anything to happen to you, for Oscar will kill me otherwise,” Stephanie stated.
Stretching out a hand out of the blanket, Cassie grasped her wrist and implored weakly, “Have a chat with me, Steph.”
Stephanie was just about to say something, but her cell phone chose this moment to ring. She took out her cell phone and glanced at it before saying, “Sorry, Cassie. I’ve got to take this call.”
Then, she got up and went to the side to answer the call. When she came back, she insouciantly blurted, “Cassie, my friend asked me to make a trip to the nightclub. She said a new group of muscular men has just started patronizing it today, and they all look really nice. So…”
Cassie naturally knew what she meant, so she replied smilingly, “Go on, then. But do be careful. Nightclubs are a messy place with all kinds of people there, so keep your guard up.”
“Don’t worry. What else can people do at nightclubs? It’s just drinking, dancing, and going to a classy yet romantic hotel to have some fun if they stumble into someone they fancy. When they wake up, they both go their separate ways, neither knowing the other. Even if they were to meet in the day, they’ll pretend to be strangers. What’s there to be afraid of?” Stephanie scoffed.
Cassie merely flashed her a smile in response.
Stephanie then waved and bid her farewell. “Bye, Cassie. I’ll come and visit you tomorrow if I’m free. And I won’t forget about the little secret between us. I can promise you that Amelia will definitely be no obstacle to you.”
After saying that, she left right away.
As Cassie stared at the closed door, her expression collapsed in itself, her lovely face twisted with malice. At this very moment, she looked exceedingly ghastly.