Perhaps it was the day’s proceedings that made Amelia uneasy even in sleep. Oscar’s light touch woke her up immediately. He saw that her eyes were reddened from crying and felt another pang in his heart.
Amelia blinked rapidly, then reached out and caressed Oscar’s face. “Mr. Clinton, it seems that I’m only able to receive such affection from you in my dreams. I may be nothing more than a toy to you in reality, but in my dreams, perhaps I can be your wife.”
Oscar was stunned for a moment. He then realized that Amelia must have thought she was still fast asleep.
Looking at her bleary eyes, Oscar couldn’t help but laugh. He’d never really witnessed this vulnerable side of her before.
Seeing him laugh, Amelia couldn’t help but be pleased. She leaned forward and kissed Oscar sensually on the lips, saying in a low voice, “Mr. Clinton, will you touch me? I want to be the only one you touch.”
Oscar’s eyes shifted. Like a wolf ready to devour, he clambered atop Amelia, careful not to let any weight rest on her belly. He looked straight down into her face and said enigmatically, “Do you really want me to touch you that much?”
Amelia giggled, still imagining herself in dreamland. “Mr. Clinton, this feels incredibly real. I’ve dreamed of this moment so many times before, but never like this. I can almost feel your hunger! That’s just as well. You’ll forget all about Cassie and only think about your wife now.”
Oscar’s heart was racing. He said, teasing, “You don’t want me to think about Cassie?”
Amelia shook her head firmly. “Mr. Clinton, how I wish you belonged to me alone.”
Having declared thus, she pulled Oscar close and kissed him fervently on his lips, finding a savage joy in the impossibility of that moment.
She would not think about letting go.
Meanwhile, Oscar had abandoned every other thought. In their passion, both of them had lost themselves entirely to the world and time.
After the affair came to its inevitable conclusion, Amelia drifted off to sleep in exhaustion. Oscar couldn’t help but smile. “You sure know how to get out of things! I came here wanting to talk to you, but you’ve already fallen asleep.”
The next day, Amelia woke up to find herself wrapped in Oscar’s arms. She was momentarily baffled but quickly cast her confusion aside when she caught sight of his sleeping face. A smile still lurked at the corners of his mouth. She reached out and playfully pinched his cheeks.
Oscar woke up in pain.
He grabbed hold of Amelia’s hands and demanded, “What are you doing?”
Amelia leaned her head on his chest and said somewhat dully, “Mr. Clinton, when did you come back?”
“Have you forgotten how you pounced onto me last night?” Oscar nudged Amelia.
Amelia’s cheeks immediately turned crimson. Recalling the events of the previous night, she thought with a shudder, Wasn’t all that just a dream?
Among the memories rapidly filling her mind were the words she’d said last night. She would never have considered uttering them under normal circumstances.
“Feeling shy?” Oscar asked, feeling uncharacteristically jovial.
Amelia buried her face in his chest and said shyly, “Mr. Clinton, about last night—”
“Last night, you merely clasped me in your arms and said that you wanted me. You didn’t say anything else,” Oscar interrupted.
Amelia heaved a sigh of relief. However, there was a niggling feeling that Oscar was merely feigning ignorance.
Perhaps Oscar was aware that her interest in him had already exceeded that of a financial backer. He knew that she loved him but was unready or unwilling to accept that fact.
“Mr. Clinton, didn’t you meet Ms. Yard yesterday? Weren’t you going to stay over at her place?” Amelia asked.
“Are you upset that I didn’t?”
Amelia slowly rose. Ignoring Oscar’s burning gaze on her bare body, Amelia slowly got dressed and headed for the bathroom.
Oscar followed her in. He was only wearing a pair of boxers, and the sight of his taut, muscular body would have made any woman swoon over him.
Oscar gently hugged Amelia from behind and whispered in her ear, “Are you upset?”
Amelia shook her head. She took her time to rinse her mouth, then said, “Mr. Clinton, you and Ms. Yard are both extremely eligible individuals. Together, you’re a match made in heaven. I’ve just been a substitute all this while, just waiting for her to come along. It doesn’t matter whether I’m upset or not, does it?”
Oscar frowned. “Didn’t you say you weren’t upset? You’re so bitter with jealousy that you’re almost rank with it.”
Amelia turned to face him. She said earnestly, “Mr. Clinton, Ms. Yard is carrying your child now. Are you overjoyed?”
Oscar was speechless. Truthfully, Cassie’s pregnancy hadn’t excited any feelings whatsoever in him. Even when Cassie had placed his hand over her belly to feel the baby’s movements within, he had remained absolutely unmoved.
Oscar claimed to love Cassie. When Cassie had returned, however, he wasn’t as enthusiastic to see her as he had expected himself to be. He could put up with her pettiness but found himself lacking the urge to touch her, hold her, and claim her for his own.
The previous night, Cassie had said, stroking her belly, “Oz, I practically gave up my entire career for you and this child. You don’t seem as pleased as I expected you to be. Tell me honestly, do you still love me?”
He’d taken Cassie into his arms and comforted her then, saying, “Don’t be silly. You’ve really let your imagination go this time, haven’t you? Of course, I still love you. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
Reassured, Cassie had smiled and then asked excitedly whether he hoped for a boy or a girl. She’d then launched into a discussion of baby names.
Oscar had responded with vague interest. However, he knew that he was no longer quite as thrilled as he had once been.
Observing Oscar’s reaction, Amelia presumed that he was too overcome with happiness to speak. She muttered, “Mr. Clinton, I suppose it’s a sort of happiness that can’t be put into words. That’s just so. With the woman you love bearing your child, I wouldn’t believe you even if you said you weren’t happy.”
Oscar tilted her jaw, forcing her to look into his eyes. In a husky voice, he asked, “Are you jealous?”
Amelia struggled against his strong grip. “Mr. Clinton, I’m sticky all over with perspiration. I need a bath. Could you go out, please?”
“I’ll join you,” Oscar said suggestively.
Amelia bit her lip, saying, “Mr. Clinton, I’m going to be late for work. I’ll have to pass up on the privilege this time. Ms. Yard can have the honor of playing out the steamy shower scene with you instead.”
Oscar gave her a look, then left.
After he had gone, Amelia caught sight of her pale self in the mirror and sighed. She quickly undressed and showered herself.
When she had finished, she told Oscar, who was reclining on the sofa, “Mr. Clinton, I’ll make a move first. I’ve got to head off to work.”
“Wait,” Oscar said, just as Amelia reached for the door.
“What is it, Mr. Clinton?”
“I’ve changed my mind. Have the child. I’ll give you enough money for you to live off comfortably the rest of your life. My only condition is that you must leave this city and never see your child again,” Oscar stated.
Amelia gaped at him in disbelief. A look of despair flitted across her eyes.
“Mr. Clinton, are you being serious?” Amelia asked through gritted teeth.
Oscar merely nodded.
“You’re a cruel man, Oscar. Well, hear me—I will take my child with me. If you insist on leaving him here with the Clintons, I’d rather miscarry than let you have him. He means more to me than life itself,” Amelia vowed.
Oscar was slightly taken back by the strength of Amelia’s ardent gaze.
“Are you threatening me?” he asked.
“I am,” Amelia said evenly. “I love this child, and he may be the only thing I’ll have to count on in this life. You have everything you could ever ask for, so you don’t know just how precious something can be. If I leave my child with you, you’ll merely treat him as a toy to be played with and consequently abandoned. When your child is born to that woman, what would you care about mine? Someone like you only knows how to look down on others. By the time you realize he’s a real child and not just your plaything, he’d already be ruined.”
Oscar’s gaze remained on Amelia unwaveringly. He’d never imagined that her impression of him was so unbearable.
“Is that what you really think of me?” he asked.
“Yes,” Amelia said without hesitation.
Oscar stood up and strode over to Amelia. Towering over her, he said coolly, “Give me a reason.”
Bewildered, Amelia replied, “What reason?”
“A reason barbaric enough for me not to want my own child,” Oscar replied.
Amelia’s lip trembled. She’d been made articulate by the heat of her passion, but she found herself at a loss when it came to cool logic.
“So there’s none?” Oscar stroked her ear and said patiently, “You’re too unkind, Amelia. I’ve always treated you well. You’ve never even seen the limit on your credit card. Everything you eat and wear is the best that money can buy. I’ve given you everything, except perhaps my own heart. How dare you say that I’m cruel? What about yourself? Have you forgotten all the good I’ve done for you?”
Oscar’s handsome face was merely inches away from Amelia’s. She found herself mesmerized.
He suddenly leaned closer and took her in his arms. Amelia tried to escape but to no avail, finding herself engulfed in his embrace. He whispered in her ear, “You heartless woman! I was only joking with you just now. I will give you custody of the child if you want him. There’ll be conditions, though.”
Stunned, Amelia looked at him.
Oscar tenderly stroked her nose and said, “What is it?”
Amelia was rather disoriented. She couldn’t tell what the real Oscar was like. Was he harsh or affectionate? Cold or loving? Whenever she started taking him seriously, he would immediately transform into an entirely different persona. Her heart had been both mended and shattered by him in turn.
“Oscar, which is the real you?” Amelia asked impulsively.
Oscar’s eyes gleamed. Then he laughed and said, “It’s morning, and your brain’s probably still lacking oxygen. Look at you asking such a silly question!”
Amelia joined in, “I guess I slept for too long; I’m probably still half-asleep.”
“Let’s go downstairs and get breakfast. I’ll send you to work,” Oscar said.
Amelia nodded gratefully.
After breakfast, when they had both gotten into Oscar’s car, Amelia asked again, “Mr. Clinton, you’ll really give me custody of my child?” Her hands were placed protectively over her belly.
“I won’t renege on my promises to you. But as I said, I do have a few conditions,” Oscar emphasized.
Amelia gave him a look. “Say them.”
“After the divorce is finalized, I will give you a sum of money. As for the alimony, I’ll send you money every month on the condition that I get to meet the child twice a month,” Oscar said firmly.
“Won’t Ms. Yard object to that?” Amelia asked.
“Cassie’s warm-hearted and gracious. She’ll definitely support me meeting my own child,” Oscar declared magnanimously.
Amelia gave a wry smile. Despite all the evidence pointing to the contrary, Oscar firmly maintained that Cassie was indeed as pure as she made herself out to be.
