Chapter 360 Anything's Fine
Aurelia thought that when men acted childish, they were sometimes even worse than two kids.
Nathaniel was being childish now, and she couldn't understand why he was so upset. Seeing that bouquet made him uneasy. The idea of her going to work for the next few days and facing the man who had feelings for her was driving him crazy.
"Aurelia, how many more times do you need to come to the company?"
Aurelia paused to consider his question, thinking about the company's situation. Over the past few days, she had gained a general understanding of the business, but since it was a publicly traded company in an industry she was unfamiliar with, there were still many details she didn't understand. She had a long way to go in learning.
Considering Coral Bay Karma Jewelry, they also needed her there. She had to weigh the pros and cons and decided to put things here on hold for now. Ultimately, she needed to return to her design career.
"One more week. Once everything here is on track, I'll leave the rest to Patrick and head back to Coral Bay."
Nathaniel had mixed feelings. It was good that she wouldn't have to see that annoying Patrick every day, but the thought of her taking the kids back to Coral Bay in a week made him uneasy. Even if he settled things here at Imperick and followed her, they couldn't live together as a family of four as they did now.
Nathaniel suppressed his emotions and decided to enjoy the time he had with her every day.
"Let's go eat. Do you have anything in mind?"
It was still early, and Aurelia wasn't hungry yet, so she just said, "Anything's fine."
"Anything's fine" was a bit of a challenge for Nathaniel, a straightforward man. Zack had once told him never to believe a woman when she said "Anything's fine." If you really take it literally, you're in trouble.
Nathaniel regretted not asking Zack how to handle this situation when they talked about it.
The family got into the car, and as soon as Nathaniel fastened his seatbelt, his phone rang. He answered it, and a desperate voice came through.
"Bro, help me!"
He looked at the screen, then put the phone back to his ear and asked calmly, "What's wrong?"
Oscar cried on the other end, "My dad's going to kill me. If you don't come soon, you won't see me again."
Nathaniel instinctively glanced at the back seat and met Aurelia's eyes, as if seeking her opinion.
Oscar's voice was loud enough that even without speakerphone, Aurelia heard some of it. She smiled faintly and said, "Let's go save Oscar first."
Nathaniel was particularly attentive to her emotions now. He knew his flaws—carelessness, straightforwardness, and inflexibility. He tried to control these traits in their interactions. Seeing that she wasn't upset, he started the car and headed to Oscar's family hotel.
Oscar was currently locked in a hotel room by his father. Arthur had somehow found out that Oscar was living with another man, and they were very close.
Arthur was furious. His men even handed him high-resolution photos, showing every detail of his son and the other man.
He had always suspected something was wrong with his son, but now he had undeniable proof, which pained him deeply.
Arthur leaned back on the sofa in the room, looking utterly defeated.
He had once fantasized about having a grandson calling him grandpa, but now he felt it was all a joke.
Oscar was tied up in a chair. The rescue call he made earlier was made by coercing a waiter while Arthur was in the bathroom.
The father and son had been at a tense standoff for two hours, neither willing to back down.
Arthur had lost hope in his son. The family business had other successors, and he had wisely had a daughter who would come of age in a few years.
But he couldn't understand or accept his son's sexual orientation.
"Look at these, pick one you like, and I'll arrange a meeting."
A row of photos of girls was laid out in front of Oscar, all from prominent families.
Oscar, having chosen his path, wasn't one to compromise easily. He knew himself well enough to avoid hurting any girl by pretending to be interested. That would be irresponsible.
"Take them away, take them away."
Oscar didn't even glance at the photos.
Arthur, tired of arguing, signaled to his assistant to replace the photos with a new batch. In just half a day, countless photos were laid out in front of Oscar.
In the end, Arthur didn't even care about the girls' family backgrounds. As long as they were female, he would present them to Oscar. His only requirement was gender, which was already a low bar compared to other wealthy parents.
The assistant, following Arthur's orders, replaced the photos and tried to persuade the angry young master, "Why don't you just pick one? This won't end until you do."
Oscar glanced at Arthur, whose eyes filled with anger. Since everything was out in the open, he decided to be completely honest.
"Dad, stop wasting your time. I'll be frank with you today. I'm just not interested in women. You can't force me. My sexual orientation is innate, decided from birth. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself."
Arthur was so angry that his throat felt dry. He closed his eyes and reflected on his life. When he was born, a fortune teller had predicted he would gain great wealth but would lack in descendants. He hadn't believed it, especially after having a son and a daughter.
But now he realized the problem was his son's sexual orientation.
When Nathaniel arrived with Aurelia and the two kids, the room was very quiet.
Nathaniel's father, Matthew, had always been close to Arthur, and Nathaniel grew up under Arthur's watchful eye.
Seeing Nathaniel come in with his family, especially the two adorable kids, Arthur broke down, wiping his eyes roughly and losing his composure in front of the younger generation.
Nathaniel didn't know how to comfort him. The generational gap in beliefs would take time to bridge and accept.
"Mr. Moore, why don't we eat first and take our time to talk things over?"
Oscar saw Nathaniel as a savior. Nathaniel had always been admired by Arthur, the epitome of the "perfect child" parents often talked about. At least Arthur would listen to him.
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