Chapter 27
"No." Cecily replied.
"Then why are you sitting so far away?" Darian’s voice carried a note of displeasure.
Cecily chuckled, "Why would I sit any closer?"
He frowned. "Don't you think it's strange to sit so far away?"
Accepting the plate a servant handed her, Cecily replied, "Doesn't seem strange to me. Wasn't it always like this before? You could handle it then, but you can't handle it now after five years?"
Darian stared at her, his expression visibly darkening.
Her tone carried a slight mockery, and Darian understood exactly what she meant.
Without another word, Darian started eating.
Cecily, ignoring him, also began her meal.
In the shadows, a servant stealthily snapped a photo and then sent it off to Ophelia.
Ophelia's eyes widened as she saw the image of Darian and Cecily dining together.
They were dining together?!!
Ophelia felt a sense of crisis like never before.
‘Cecily, I knew you wouldn't give up.’ Ophelia’s fingers tightened, her teeth clenched with venom.
That woman was back to contend with her for Darian's heart.
No, she couldn't let her succeed.
Clutching her phone, Ophelia saved the photo and forwarded it to Cressida Fitzgerald.
Soon, her phone rang.
With a cunning smile, Ophelia answered, “Auntie.”
Her voice trembled with a hint of feigned distress, as though she were suffering a great injustice.
The cold voice on the other end asked, “I thought Cecily was dead?”
“Auntie, it’s a long story; I’ll tell you all about it...”
...
Dinner ended in silence, both parties unwilling to speak, as they simmered with unexpressed emotions.
By the time they finished, it was seven o'clock.
Cecily kept glancing towards the door, urgency hidden in her gaze, “Aren’t you worried your son isn’t home yet at this hour?”
Darian cast a glance at her, “You seem very concerned about my son?”
Caught off guard, Cecily pulled a smile, “He's just a child and it's late. Isn’t it normal to worry? But you, don’t you care about your own son?”
“He's protected,” Darian nonchalantly wiped his hands, “to prevent certain individuals from getting any ideas.”
Cecily felt the sting in Darian’s last remark but showed no sign of understanding the insinuation.
Just then, Larkin burst in, “Mr. Fitzgerald, the young master... He’s gone.”
Darian’s gaze turned sharp as a blade, “How incompetent can you be to lose a child again?!”
“Mr. Fitzgerald, the young master deliberately avoided our men.”
So, Darian’s eyes narrowed dangerously, “You’re saying you’ve been outplayed by a child?”
Under Darian's piercing stare, Larkin’s spine stiffened; he almost wanted to howl in frustration.
Was he oblivious? Did he not know that the young master has been a genius since birth? It was a breeze for him to shake off their guys if that was his wish.
Upon hearing that the child was missing, Cecily's heart began to race uncontrollably. "Did you search the area? What about the security cameras? Did you check those?"
"Our people have already searched the surrounding area. As for the cameras, they're all out of order; they didn't capture anything," came the reply.
It was strangely coincidental that all the nearby cameras happened to be broken, a fact that was highly suspicious.
Darian stood up and was striding toward the exit. "Get everyone on it. Search the entire city!" He commanded as he marched out.
...
Meanwhile, Rowan was aware that bodyguards were stealthily keeping an eye on him to ensure his safety. He needed to shake them off to avoid being spotted with Griffin.
They decided to meet discreetly inside Griffin’s car to keep a low profile.
It was the first time the two boys could look at each other so clearly and closely; they couldn’t help but feel a burst of excitement.
Griffin hugged Rowan spontaneously. "Brother, we’re finally meeting."
As Rowan felt the warmth of Griffin’s enthusiastic embrace, his usually indifferent expression softened, and he lifted his arms to return the hug.
"Why are you with our bad dad? Mom and I always thought... always thought..."
Rowan released Griffin and, noticing his reddened eyes, asked, "Thought what?"
"That you weren't around anymore. You're alive... Mom's going to be so happy."
"Really?" Rowan's eyes brightened. "Mom would be happy to know about me?"
"Yeah." Griffin nodded vigorously. "Of course, she'd be over the moon. We're her most beloved little ones."
A tremor ran through Rowan's eyes.
So, it wasn't that mom had willingly abandoned him.
She loved him too; he was also a child cherished by her.
"Then can I tell Mom about me?"
Griffin shook his head, "Yes, but not now."
He explained, "If Mom finds out you’re with our bad dad, she'd do everything to take you back. But, as you know, she can’t win against him. In that fight, the only one who'd get hurt is Mom."
"The same goes for me. I can’t let him know I exist. The grudge between Mom and him runs deep, and she feared his wrath would turn to me, so we must keep my existence a secret."
Rowan nodded in understanding, "Got it."
"You can't tell Mom, but you can stay by her side using my identity."
"Really?"
"Yeah, that's why I asked you to meet up. I want to spend some time with my estranged dad under your identity."
Griffin shared his plan with Rowan.
Rowan's eyes dimmed, "Griffin, Dad isn't as bad as you think. He realized his mistake last night and went to apologize to Mom."
"Really?"
Griffin couldn't imagine that intimidating man apologizing to his mom without scaring her away.
"Yes, really. Dad's not a bad person; he just has a terrible temper."
"Does he treat you well?"
Without hesitation, Rowan replied, "Yes."
There was no doubt that Darian was good to him.
"Well, at least he has some conscience. Don't worry, as long as he doesn't mistreat Mom, I won't give him trouble."
Rowan nodded, "Okay, we'll stick to the plan. You'll go to my place, and I'll go to yours."
"We should swap some details to avoid getting caught."
"Alright."
The two kids agreed and exchanged information, then swapped their clothes.
Everything was in place.
Griffin stepped out of the car in Rowan’s clothes.
Rowan eyed Griffin, "Griffin, be careful of that wicked woman."
"I will. Don’t slip up either."
"Got it."
"See you." Griffin waved goodbye to Rowan.
Rowan had taken this route purposely, knowing that his father would soon follow the same path to find him.
Griffin sat down in a well-lit spot, waiting for his dad.
‘Get ready for the new 'Rowan,' Dad.’
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