Chapter 898 An Odd Dinner
Hugo flashed a smirk as he swept a glance across Rory. “Ms. Sanders, I’ve always thought you are a smart lady. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have turned from an unknown girl from a small county into a celebrity. Are you going to play dumb with me? I don’t have the best temper, and I’m not as easy to talk to as Mrs. Clinton. If I get impatient, I can’t guarantee what I might do,” Hugo said as he rotated his wrists.
Shuddering with fright, Rory was rapidly analyzing the situation. The reality was that she would be in trouble if she didn’t tell the truth now. Rory had always been great at reading the situation and submitting to circumstances. Hence, she told Hugo everything that she knew almost immediately. Hugo listened and nodded in satisfaction.
“Ms. Sanders, you are indeed smart. It’s no wonder that Jennifer willingly gave you money for plastic surgery to let you enter the entertainment industry. You have worked in this industry for more than a year and are no longer the naive little girl from a small county. So, I believe you have something up your sleeves while Jennifer threatens you with your photos. You can hand it to me. After that, I’ll send you overseas with a sum of money,” Hugo persuaded with his arms crossed.
Rory glanced at Hugo, then took a deep breath before she lowered her head to rack her brains. She was contemplating if she should give what she had to Hugo. However, judging from his attitude currently, she knew she could not refuse to hand over what she had.
“Mr. Hugo, I need a few minutes to think. This should be allowed, right?” Lifting her head, Rory tried to buy herself some time. Hugo raised his chin, but he didn’t decline her request. After giving it some thought, Rory opened her bag and took out a nice-looking flash drive. Then, she handed it over to Hugo.
“Here is a video I secretly recorded, which contains the contents of the conversation between Jennifer and June. As you said, Jennifer has many things that may bring me down. If I am not prepared, I will not have a chance to fight back,” Rory said.
Hugo got up to take a laptop. Then, he turned it on before inserting the flash drive. Checking the content, it was indeed a conversation between Jennifer and June about how they planned to bring Oscar down.
A smile curled the corners of Hugo’s mouth. These two clowns are ridiculous. They must think they are omnipotent because other people did nothing to harm them.
“Mr. Hugo, I only did as I was told to in exchange for money. I never planned to harm Amelia. Also, I did plastic surgery to look similar to Amelia because Jennifer asked me to. As you already know, I come from a small county with no one to depend on. No connections or supporters. I had to rely on Jennifer to make it into the entertainment industry, so please spare me. I promise I’ll leave immediately and never appear in front of Amelia again.” Rory promised.
Hugo nodded in response.
“I can let you off. Before that, however, you need to take something. Come and have this. After that, I’ll ask someone to send you home.” Hugo took a black bottle from the table and poured out a few pills. Then, he offered them to Rory.
Rory stared at the pills for quite a while before she raised her head.
“What is this?”
“It’s some good stuff. You only need to take it. Don’t worry, as you won’t die from it. As long as you stay in your hometown obediently, someone will send you medicine every year. Your health will return to normal within three years,” Hugo explained.
Rory was reluctant to reach out for the pills.
“Stop wasting time. We’re not harming you only because Mrs. Clinton pleaded for you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be here talking to me since you intended to replace Mrs. Clinton. If I were you, I would take these pills as I was told, return to where I came from, and settle down with someone I like.”
Upon hearing that, Rory realized she had no choice but to obey. Thus, she took the pills from Hugo’s palm and swallowed them.
“I’ll have someone send you to the airport later. After you land in Horington, someone will follow you in secret. If you behave yourself, I will have someone arrange a stable job that pays well for you,” Hugo said.
Rory knew her dream of becoming a celebrity was shattered. However, at that moment, staying alive was more important than living the life of a star.
“I got it,” she responded.
Later, Rory was sent directly to the airport. The person bought two flight tickets for three in the afternoon that day. As soon as the time arrived, they boarded the plane, and Rory was escorted back to Horington.
“Mrs. Clinton, I’ve sent her back to Horington as you ordered,” Hugo reported.
Amelia nodded upon hearing that.
“Mrs. Clinton, I thought we could have taught a sly woman like Rory a lesson so that she will learn something from this. She might misbehave again in the future since we let her off the hook so easily.” Puzzled, Hugo glanced at Amelia.
Amelia snickered at that.
“She’s only an irrelevant woman who doesn’t deserve our time and effort. We only need to send her back to where she came from. Also, didn’t you send someone to follow her in secret?”
“Yes, I did. But I’m worried she might have gotten used to the attention given to her in the entertainment industry and wouldn’t be able to adjust to ordinary life. By then, she might be up to no good once more.”
“Hugo, you agreed that she’s a smart one. She will not appear in front of Oscar and me again if she doesn’t want to ruin her future. I don’t have a problem with how she gets back into the entertainment industry as long as she stays out of my sight.”
Hugo merely shrugged after he heard that.
In his opinion, Rory was just a minor character who couldn’t kick up too big a fuss. Hence, he had no further objections to Amelia’s decision.
As soon as Oscar arrived at the organization, Hugo handed the flash drive to him.
Oscar inserted the flash drive into the laptop and listened to the files intently. His gaze grew darker the more he heard.
“Boss, we’ve located Jennifer’s whereabouts. Should we send someone to capture her now?” Hugo asked.
“There’s no need for that, at least not now. I asked you to investigate the internal affairs of June’s company. Have you gotten your hands on any information?”
Lowering his head, Hugo apologized, “His company indeed has a problem with tax evasion. However, we failed to get any of his company accounts that show substantial tax evasion. I’m sorry for my incompetence.”
“I don’t want your apology, Hugo. Carry on with the investigation. I’m giving you another month,” Oscar said with an imposing tone.
“Yes, Boss.”
Then, Oscar unplugged the flash drive and handed it to Hugo. “You keep the flash drive. When you find evidence of his tax evasion and embezzling, send this flash drive along with the evidence to the police. Then, use it to sue them for intentionally setting up my family and me.”
Hugo nodded in response and took the flash drive.
Then, Oscar left the office to look for Amelia.
“Let’s go home. I’ve asked Mom to prepare your favorite dishes.” Oscar smiled as he held onto Amelia’s waist.
Amelia nodded upon hearing that.
The two left the organization while holding onto each other. Inside the car, Amelia received a call from Tiffany. The latter was inviting her to have dinner at Hotel Van Hutton’s private dining room number 202.
Tiffany sounded anxious over the phone. Before Amelia could ask her anything, Tiffany ended the call after telling Amelia to come immediately.
Nobody picked up the phone when Amelia redialed the number. Confused, she could only ask Oscar to change their destination to Hotel Van Hutton.
Without hesitation, Oscar changed their direction and headed to Hotel Van Hutton.
After getting off the car, the two walked side by side to private dining room number 202 on the second floor. Pushing open the door, Amelia saw an unexpected person.
Tiffany’s eyes sparkled with delight as soon as she saw Amelia and Oscar.
“Here, Amelia and Oscar. Come over quickly,” Tiffany said excitedly.
“It’s been a while, Amelia. You must have missed me.” A male voice sounded. Following that, Amelia was pulled into the man’s embrace. The next moment, Oscar grabbed the man by his collar and dragged him away from her.
“Long time no see, Oscar. Your way of expressing your enthusiasm is still so unique. It seems that you are getting more possessive toward Amelia, which makes me wonder what made you agree to let her study abroad for a year. But I have no complaints since I became her mentor for a year. She is an incredibly gifted lady.”
Oscar glanced at Teddy, who was busy talking away. A trace of guilt flashed in his eyes. He had heard what happened in that one year from Amelia, and that was the only reason he didn’t stop Teddy from hugging her. After all, these two had a deep friendship.
“Teddy, what are you doing here? Why didn’t you call me when you came to Chanaea?” Amelia asked.
“I wanted to surprise you and Tiff. So how did I do? Are you surprised?” Teddy asked.
When Amelia noticed who else was in the room, she no longer felt as happy. Derrick was sitting beside Tiffany and looking grim, while Finnick and Kate were next to him.
Never had she ever thought she would meet all the people she didn’t want to see together in one place for dinner.
Tiffany got up and went to Amelia. Subsequently, Derrick followed right behind her.
Wishing to understand the situation, Amelia shot Tiffany an inquisitive look. Tiffany shook her head in response, indicating that it was a long story and that she would explain everything later.
“Mr. Clinton and Amelia, you two are here. Ever since I met Amelia at the banquet, I’ve wanted to invite the two of you for a meal together. Coincidentally, you two have reconciled. Let’s celebrate your reunion with this meal. Please take a seat,” Derrick said courteously.
After giving it some thought, Derrick welcomed Teddy enthusiastically, “Tiff and I will be your hosts since you are a guest here in Chanaea, Mr. Rice. Feel free to order anything you want later.”
Plastering a business-like smile on his face, Teddy looked at Derrick.
“Thank you, Mr. Hisson. I heard Tiff and you are divorced, so I guess Tiff and Amelia should be my hosts instead. Oh, yes. I forgot to tell you that I’m pursuing Tiff now. It’s your loss that you gave up on such an incredible woman, but I’m lucky you did that. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to cherish Tiff,” Teddy said.
Derrick’s expression never changed. “You’re funny, Mr. Rice. I didn’t know you had a habit of dreaming.”
Afraid that the two might break into a fight, Tiffany squeezed between the men and said, “Let’s all take a seat.”
Derrick and Teddy shot daggers at one another before they sat down.
Tiffany pulled Amelia and sat her on the other side. Naturally, Oscar followed behind and settled down next to Amelia.
Right as everyone took their seats, the waiter came in to serve the dishes.
Teddy and Derrick placed food on Tiffany’s plate simultaneously. Tiffany’s hand froze in mid-air when she noticed the sudden abundance of food on her plate. In an instant, she lost her appetite.
The corners of Amelia’s mouth twitched as she saw the two openly vying for Tiffany’s affection by treating her well.
“Have some salad, Amelia,” Oscar said as he scooped some greens for her.
Snapping back to her senses, Amelia flashed a smile at Oscar. Then, she started to eat slowly.
Oscar pretended not to feel the tension at the dining table. Unruffled, he deshelled the prawns and gave them to Amelia. It seemed like they were the only people enjoying the food.
Meanwhile, Tiffany started to feel uneasy under the two men’s burning gazes.
“Listen, Derrick, Teddy. Although Tiff is pretty, you can’t fill your stomach from looking at her. Why don’t you two eat up? Tiff stayed up late last night to rush her manuscript. I’m sure she’s starving, so let her eat in peace.” Amelia finally spoke up as she could not bear it anymore. There was a hint of warning in her tone.
Derrick retracted his gaze. Picking up his silverware, he stopped harassing Tiffany with his staring. As for Kate and Finnick, they had remained silent from the beginning.
When they were almost done with the meal, Kate put down her fork and wiped the corners of her mouth. Then, she said, “Tiffany, I was wrong, and I apologize for what I did. Please come back to us as our family can’t do without you.”
Tiffany froze with a fork in her hand. She lifted her head to look at Kate, who had just apologized to her.
If it were before, she would have been overjoyed at hearing this. Unfortunately, things had changed, and she no longer felt emotional at getting an apology.
