Too Much to Bear, My Love

“Do you think you can escape Oscar's clutches?”

Amelia was bereft of speech.

“Even you don't think you can escape his clutches. What makes you think he will let you leave?”

Closing her eyes, Amelia said, “Tiff, I've found a job.”

Tiffany was flustered. “Amelia, are you kidding me? We're talking about the baby. Why are you talking to me about work? Don't you have enough money to spend? I can give you if you don’t. Why must you look for a job when you're pregnant? You're driving me crazy!”

Amelia patted her on the back of her hand and reassured her, “Tiff, don't worry. When I signed the agreement with Oscar, he agreed not to interfere when I wanna work. In other words, if the company I work for sends me to another province or abroad for a few months, he can't say no."

Tiffany looked at her in surprise and asked, “Really?” But after giving it some thought, she still felt apprehensive. “Amelia, what if Oscar wants to see you on a whim and goes to visit you? It'll blow your cover, won't it?”

Apparently, Amelia had not thought about that.

Tiffany got even more frustrated. “Argh, Amelia, I thought you were a smart girl! How can you be so foolish and let Oscar call the shots in your marriage? What are you thinking?!”

Amelia remained silent.

Gritting her teeth, Tiffany took a few deep breaths before inferring, “Babe, you were born to tick me off.”

However, Amelia patted the bed calmly as she finally said, “Don’t be mad. I heard that Cassie is coming back, so I think Oscar won't have time to visit me. In fact, I think we're gonna divorce soon.”

Tiffany simply listened to her in silence initially, but something popped into her mind and she abruptly sat up. “Amelia, I don't think you should divorce. You're the legit Mrs. Clinton, so you don’t have to make room for a vixen just because she comes back.”

“Tiff, what's wrong with you? You've only just recovered. Don't get so jumpy,” said Amelia while tugging at her pajamas.

Tiffany lay back down and turned to look at Amelia.

“Babe, tell me honestly, are you really willing to give up the fruits of your labor?”

“What? As I said, I don't have the right to decide anything in my marriage with Oscar. Anyway, it's getting late. It's my first day at work tomorrow.”

“Babe, you're kidding, aren't you? You're gonna work tomorrow? Also, when did you find the job? Why didn’t I know at all?”

“The CEO of the company and I went to university together. I said I needed a job, so he gave me an untaxing job.”

“Who's it?” In the next second, Tiffany widened her eyes and said anxiously, “Amelia, don't tell me it's Carter Scott. If it's that b******, I'm gonna strangle you.”

“It's been so many years, and yet you still remember him?” Amelia asked, amused.

“Let me tell you something—1I'll never forget him until the day I die. If it hadn't been for him, you wouldn't have chosen to go into a contract marriage with Oscar. I wouldn't have become a freelance writer because of my fear of interpersonal relationships in the workplace. I wish I could chop him up into pieces now.”

Amelia found her response amusing.

"Tiff, you're being unreasonable. Carter didn’t do anything wrong back then. He just didn’t help us when we were wrongfully accused, which is justifiable. We can’t vent our anger on him.”

Tiffany clenched her teeth. “It seems that you've really gone to that jerk for help.”

Shrugging, Amelia replied with a smile, “It's all water under the bridge now, Tiff. Besides, it was our fault at the time, so we can't blame others. Carter got caught up in his family affairs that day. You can't expect him to come and save us. Come on, don't sulk.”

Tiffany heaved a sigh and explained in a softer tone, “I do know that he’s not to blame, but at that time we were desperate and had several millions worth of debt around our necks. If it weren't for that, you wouldn't have gone to Oscar and been labeled a gold digger, while I wouldn't have developed a fear of interpersonal communication in the workplace. Thinking about it now, I'm so angry and frustrated.”

“Tiff, I've long since moved on. I didn’t think that you would still be so mad. Carter's really not to blame for that incident back then, so you should stop blaming him.”

Tiffany's anger was deflated as she replied, “How can I still blame him when you, the biggest victim, don't even blame him? But I'm curious. You and that jerk haven't been in contact for many years; why did you get in touch with him now?”

“Well, he WhatsApped me a few days ago to ask me how I've been all these years, and I told him about looking for a job.”

“So you sold yourself out so easily?”

“I asked him for a job as compensation for what happened back then.” “How can you be so barefaced and ask him for a job, Amelia? Are you trying to piss me off?”

Amelia said softly, “Tiff, have you forgotten? When we were in debt, we swore to God that as long as we could be rich and no longer be looked down upon by anyone, we would stop at nothing as dignity was not worth a penny in the face of reality.”

Tiffany did not refute her.

“You can do that to Carter, but why can’t you do the same to Oscar? You're just sugarcoating it when in fact, you're tender-hearted. Anyway, I should stop here. I'll go to the company with you tomorrow so that I can teach that b****** 3 lesson if he takes the opportunity to bully you.” "He's not a scourge.”

“That b******'s more terrifying than a scourge.”

Amelia was at a loss for words.

The next day, Tiffany insisted on going to the company with Amelia regardless of how hard the latter tried to dissuade her. In the end, Amelia had no choice but to take her with her.

They went to the busiest street in the city’s business district and entered a building with a signboard that read “Majesty Group.” Looking around, Tiffany asked, “Amelia, I don't think this belongs to the Scotts, right?”

“Yeah. Carter rents the 12th floor here as an office space,” Amelia explained.

Tiffany curled her lips in disdain. “That b****** still has the capability even without his family's help?”

“As long as you aren't biased against Carter, you'll find that he's quite attractive. Back then, I was thinking of setting the two of you up together.”

Tiffany gave her a dirty look but said nothing as the elevator door opened.

When they came to the 12th floor, a slim secretary greeted them politely, “You must be Ms. Winters. Mr. Scott's waiting for you in his office. This way, please.”

Following the secretary, Amelia and Tiffany walked into the office. Then, the secretary said, “Mr. Scott, Ms. Winters is here.”

While the secretary spoke, Tiffany was staring at the man behind the desk, who was none other than Carter.

“You may leave now, Linda,” instructed Carter.

Linda did as told.

“It's been a long time, Amelia, Tiffany.” Standing up, Carter went around the desk and reached out to shake hands with the two of them, but unexpectedly, Tiffany mocked, “Carter Scott, just drop the pretense.” Instead of getting mad, Carter replied with a smile, “After so many years, you haven't changed a bit.”

Tiffany huffed in exasperation.

Amelia extended her arm to shake hands with Carter and said, “Don't mind her, Carter. As you know, she's always been plain-spoken.”

Carter flashed her a smile.

Standing at 185 cm tall, he was good-looking and exuded an air of nobility. Despite being nicely dressed in a suit and tie, Tiffany still saw him as a brute.

"Amelia, I'm sorry for what happened back then. Because of my family affairs, I couldn't help you in time, causing you to be neck-deep in debt. By the time I settled my problems and went to find you, you had already left.”

Tiffany curled her lips in disdain. “Carter, you were still kinda sincere back then even though you're the son of a rich man. Now that you've started your own company, you've become so pretentious.”

The smile on Carter's face remained unchanged after hearing Tiffany's remark.

Meanwhile, Amelia tugged at Tiffany's sleeve while giving Carter an apologetic look, saying, “Tiffany still holds a grudge for what happened back then. I hope you won't take it personally.”

Shaking his head, Carter gave her a gentlemanly smile and changed the subject. “Why didn't you tell me Tiffany is looking for a job too? If you had told me earlier, I would've gotten two jobs ready.”

“She came to keep me company. By the way, what do I need to do here?” Amelia immediately replied before Tiffany could.

“You'll be my assistant as it's a rather undemanding job.” After a seemingly inadvertent glance at Amelia's belly, Carter hesitated for a moment before asking, “Are you married?”

Amelia was taken aback, but soon she regained her composure and replied, “Yeah, I got married four years ago.”

A look of disappointment flashed across Carter's eyes.

Then, Tiffany was heard deriding, “Ha, Carter Scott, do you think you can win her over by getting her to work for you? Tell you what, she’s not only married but also pregnant. So you'd better give up the idea.” The was a slight change in Carter's expression, but it soon returned to normal as he said with a smile, “Although it's a little late to say this, congratulations on getting married, Amelia!”

“Thank you!”

“Also, don’t get me wrong. Our company is hiring an assistant designer and an assistant to General Manager. I thought that since we know each other, you can work with me,” explained Carter.

“Don’t mind Tiff's nonsense. I'm already happy that you think of me as a friend enough to give me a job.”

Carter shook his head. “Nah, Amelia, I gave you the job because you have a flair for design. You're a very talented woman. Although we've lost contact for a few years, I know that the life you breathe into your design won't just disappear. In fact, I'm glad that you asked for a job from me. With you joining us, my company will definitely flourish.” Amelia did not know how to respond to his words, whereas Tiffany crossed her arms and commented, “Carter Scott, after you became a boss, you've perfected your corporatespeak. Even I can't help but get goosebumps.”

With a smile still tugging at his lips, Carter suggested, “It'll be lunchtime in a few hours. Why don’t you hang out at my office first and I'll treat you to lunch later?”

“Am I not going to start work today?” asked Amelia.

“I can't make you work on your first day. Besides, it's the weekend tomorrow, so whether you work today makes no difference. You can start work next week.”

“All right.”

“Since you don't need to work today, let's go, Amelia,” Tiffany urged “What's going on with you today, Tiff?” Amelia knitted her brows.