Chapter 438 Fire
Maggie bent down, picked up the bottle, and looked at it. "Ariel, what's this?"
Ariel stammered, "Vitamin pills. The doctor said I was low on vitamins, so I'm taking these."
Maggie didn't think much of it and handed the bottle back, smiling. "You should rest more and not overwork yourself. Need help with that ointment? It might be tricky for you."
Ariel replied, "No need, I'll do it at home. Mrs. Flores, I'll make dinner. You should rest; being pregnant isn't easy."
Ariel took the bottle and hurried to the kitchen, looking flustered.
Maggie sensed Ariel was hiding something but didn't push it.
In the afternoon, after school, Arya picked up Adalia and came back. Maggie privately asked Arya and finally learned how Ariel got her injuries.
Arya said, "I heard Ariel on the phone this morning, probably talking to her daughter. Ariel's been a long-term victim of domestic violence."
Maggie was puzzled. "Why doesn't Ariel get a divorce?"
Arya shook her head. "Divorce isn't easy, especially with abusers. They're unreasonable and clingy. Look at Isabella; if James weren't paralyzed, she'd still be suffering."
In marriage, women often had the short end of the stick. Some marriages were hard to leave and don't get better.
With a knowing tone, Arya said, "Look at your dad. Now he's shamelessly trying to reconcile with me, divorcing Ashley. I exposed his fake divorce certificate, and he dogs me, trying to get back to me. What does he care about? The Fiorello family's background. Men are practical; they know how to weigh the pros and cons."
Seeing her clear-headed mother, Maggie felt relieved. Women needed to know how the world ran and move on when their men were not reliable. She was most worried Arya would be deceived by Mark again.
Arya held Maggie's hand and sighed, "You stood up for me, reclaiming the grievances of these past decades."
Mark, leveraging his status as Fiorello's father-in-law, was doing well in business. Maggie's refusal to acknowledge him didn't affect his business much. Fiorello couldn't publicly disown his father-in-law.
As long as Mark didn't go too far and didn't damage the Flores family's reputation and interests, Fiorello could ignore it.
Mark was smart. He knew how to use this relationship to maximize his benefits and knew Fiorello's limits.
Mark wanted the company to grow and prosper, aiming for a win-win situation. He wouldn't be foolish enough to do anything under the Flores family's name that would displease Fiorello.
To appease Arya and stabilize Maggie, Mark genuinely gave Maggie shares in the Jackson Group and issued a statement that Maggie would be the company's heiress.
Mark was now waiting for Maggie to have the baby so she could join the Jackson Group and prepare to take over the company.
Maggie asked, "Mom, if he really gets divorced, what are you planning to do?"
"The past is in the past." Arya wasn't fixated on Mark and wouldn't place her hopes on him.
The more hope, the more disappointment.
She had seen through what kind of person Mark was.
As they were chatting, William hurried in and greeted Maggie, "Mrs. Flores." Then he went upstairs.
William came to find Fiorello in such a hurry; could something have happened at the company?
Fiorello had been busy in the study all day.
Maggie, feeling uneasy, struggled to go upstairs. She heard William reporting, "Mr. Flores, the cause of the factory fire has been investigated. It was arson. Two-thirds of the factory's goods were destroyed. With only three days left until the delivery date, there's no way to gather that much stock in time. The fire also resulted in five deaths and thirteen injuries. We've managed to keep it out of the news for now. I've booked you a flight for 8 PM tonight."
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