Chapter 443 You Are The Key
“That’s not what I mean, Mom. I’m saying that you shouldn’t run your mouth like that in front of a child. You’ve always been very understanding. You don’t want your grandson to feel hurt, right?” explained Oscar calmly.
Fury surfaced in Olivia’s eyes as she chided, “You’ve disappointed me, Oscar. I’m doing everything for your own sake, but here you are, scolding me for it. I’ve given birth to you for nothing!”
Oscar gazed at her quietly.
“Go to work. There’s nothing for us to talk about anymore.”
“Mom…” Oscar called out exasperatedly.
“Leave now!” instructed Olivia sternly.
Feeling slightly angry too, Oscar stood up from the sofa. “You’re unbelievable, Mom. You didn’t use to be like this.”
Olivia leaped up from the sofa furiously too. Placing a hand over her chest subconsciously, she huffed and yelled, “Look at how insolent you are! Are you going to anger me like that just for a woman?”
Owen stood up and patted her back. He consoled gently, “Olivia, calm down. Don’t get too agitated.”
Olivia took a few deep breaths before calming down. However, her chest still hurt vaguely.
Her health had been deteriorating for the past two years. Although she still maintained her beauty, she was over sixty years old. Now that she had aged, her body would ache whenever her temper rose.
A hint of guilt appeared in Oscar’s eyes as he lowered his head and apologized, “I’m sorry, Mom.”
Olivia shot Oscar a complex look. Due to Amelia, their relationship had fallen to rock bottom. Although she did not want to fall out with her son, she felt uncomfortable whenever she saw how protective Oscar was toward Amelia. That was why she would blurt out those irrational words.
Olivia sighed, feeling quite upset. She had personally pushed Oscar further away from her.
After catching her breath, Olivia said, “Oscar, I don’t want to argue with you. You’re the most important person to me. I have dedicated all my efforts to you and you’ve never disappointed me. Are you going to make me so sad just for a woman?”
Oscar lowered his head. After a moment of silence, he asserted, “Mom, I love her. It’s so rare for me to love someone so much. For my sake, can you drop your prejudice toward her? This is my only wish. You loved her so much back then! Is it so hard to love her again?”
Olivia glared at him resentfully.
“After saying all that, you’re still unwilling to give up on that woman for my sake, right?” demanded Olivia angrily.
“Mom, I love her. I’ll never give her up,” declared Oscar with equal firmness.
Olivia smirked coldly. “As expected of my son! You’re just as obsessed as your father. However, even though your father loves me, he was still very filial to your grandma when she was still alive. He did not even dare to say a single word back to her! On the other hand, you keep retorting me. You probably want me to die as soon as possible, right?”
Frowning, Oscar raised his head and glanced at Olivia.
He had no idea how their conversation deviated so much.
To be honest, he was quite upset too.
He respected his parents a lot. Regardless of how assertive he was to others or in business negotiations, he genuinely respected Olivia. However, they were arguing with each other for the sake of a woman. This was not the outcome he wanted.
“Mom, calm down,” coaxed Oscar.
Olivia waved her hands and said, “Go to work. If we continue talking, I’m afraid that we’ll keep arguing. You are very important to me. I don’t want you to be the one who’ll hurt me the most.”
Oscar pursed his lips. A grim look flashed across his eyes as he took a deep breath.
“Go now! Will you be happy only after you drive me mad?” screamed Olivia, losing control over herself.
Eventually, Oscar left.
“Why are you doing this?” Owen sighed before continuing, “I’ll go out and talk to Oscar for a while.” With that, he left. Olivia slumped onto the sofa and breathed in deeply with her hand over her chest.
“Oscar!” Owen walked out and called out to Oscar.
He stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Dad.”
Owen walked to him and patted his shoulder. “Don’t blame your mother. She grew up in a wealthy family and had a good relationship with my parents after marrying me. Since I’ve always doted on her, she has never suffered any grievances. When Amelia married you for those five years, your mother really showered her with love. Hence, when Amelia left with Tony without any notice, she felt furious and hurt. That’s why her attitude toward Amelia is so extreme. When she likes someone, she will put her all into liking the person. Similarly, if she decides to hate someone, it is difficult to change her mind. If you convince your mother slowly, she might start to understand. However, if you keep talking back to her just to defend Amelia, she’ll just hate her even more. “
Owen was still rational.
Although he was a quiet man, he had always been the calmest. That was why the family was always harmonious.
“Sorry, Dad,” apologized Oscar.
Owen patted his shoulder and said, “You don’t have to apologize to me. All you have to do is to appease your mother. You’re her most precious son, so she can’t bear to make you feel sad too.”
Oscar fell into deep thought when he heard that.
“Dad, I’ll try my best to improve her relationship with Amelia,” promised Oscar.
After thinking about it, Owen asked, “Is she the only woman you want?”
“Dad, I love her a lot.” Meeting Owen’s gaze directly, Oscar asserted, “Dad, you’ve been in my shoes before. You love Mom equally deeply, so you should understand how I feel. Once you love someone, you no longer care about her family background or work. All you want to do is to give her your everything, just so she can live happily.”
Owen had personally witnessed Oscar’s changes over the past few years. Actually, he did not oppose Amelia’s return. However, since Olivia’s attitude was so firm, he could not relent so easily.
“If your mom agrees, I have nothing else to say,” relented Owen.
“Thank you, Dad.”
“Don’t thank me so early. My stance is still the same—your mom’s attitude is mine.”
Oscar nodded.
After Oscar left, Owen returned to the house.
Olivia was sitting on the sofa and fuming alone. Owen walked over and said, “Olivia, Oscar is already over thirty years old. What’s the point of getting mad at him? Both of you will be unhappy that way.”
Olivia glanced at him from the corners of her eyes.
“Are you blaming me for being unreasonable too?”
Owen sighed.
“Olivia, you know that that’s not what I mean. Your stance represents mine. I just want to remind you about how Oscar’s life has been for the past few years. It’s undeniable that he loves Amelia. Do you really want to force Amelia to leave and make your son become a workaholic again? Or do you want him to drown his sorrows in alcohol? I’m sure you want neither of that, right?” Owen hit the nail on the head.
“You…”
“I’m not trying to chastise you, Olivia. I want you to calm down and consider whether your son’s happiness or your mood is more important.”
Olivia fell silent.
Owen continued, “Of course, if you don’t like Amelia, I have ways to stop her from marrying into the family. However, considering Oscar’s personality, I’m afraid that he’ll give up on his current life and start anew. In that case, you’ll not only lose your son but also your grandson.”
“He won’t dare to!” rebuked Olivia furiously.
Owen shook his head.
After she had a meltdown, Olivia was starting to calm down. She was also afraid that Oscar would give up on his life in the Clinton family and start anew. If so, she would certainly lose both her son and grandson.
Sighing, she lamented, “Forget it. I’m getting old and can’t meddle with my children’s affairs anymore. However, let me make myself clear. I don’t want to intervene in their matters, but if Amelia wishes to marry into the Clintons again, I’ll never agree. If Oscar dares to leave, I’ll commit suicide. I don’t believe that he’ll ignore his own mother’s life.”
Owen sighed too. “Why must you do this, Olivia?”
“Owen, this is an unresolvable grudge within me. It’s very hard for me to like her again.” Olivia explained, “When she left with Tony, she really hurt my feelings. Whenever I see Tony trying to win my favor for her sake, my heart would ache terribly, as if someone was piercing it with a needle.”
“Tony is still young.”
“That’s why I feel so sad. If she didn’t teach him that, would he have thought of doing that? I was wrong about her. How dare she use my grandson! When I think of him, I feel so upset.”
Owen pulled her into his arms and persuaded, “Take it slow. I’m sure Amelia had her own reasons back then. Just empathize with her.”
“What do you mean by that? Who is going to show me empathy then?”
Owen fell silent.
It was probably difficult to resolve their tense relationship so quickly, for Olivia had already set her mind to it. Once she hated someone, it was hard to change her mind again.
There was a long way to go. The only solution was to mediate their relationship slowly. If they were too hasty, it would be counter-productive.
“Let’s take a look at Tony,” suggested Owen.
However, Olivia became unwilling. “Go yourself. He’s just a little traitor! I doted on him for nothing.”
“Why are you being mad at a child? He’s still young, so he doesn’t know how adults think. If you continue to look so grim, he’ll fear you even more. Do you want him to be scared of you?”
Olivia retorted furiously, “Since when do I want him to fear me? I’m just upset. I’ve missed him so dearly for two years, but whenever he sees me, he acts like he’s seen a tigress. Am I that scary?”
“You’re not a tigress. You’re a goddess!”
Olivia broke out into a smile despite being angry.
“All right, stop being mad. Otherwise, you’ll have wrinkles.”
“I’m already past sixty years old. Wrinkles have appeared on my face ages ago. I’m afraid that I’ll faint from anger one day because of these youngsters.”
“Then, let’s just keep everything out of our sight. I’ll bring you overseas to travel and clear your mind. Perhaps, your mood will improve.”
“Let’s talk about this next time.”
