Chapter 32
Griffin dabbed at his tears, his little lips muttering, "Auntie told me the truth; she's the kindest person I've ever met. Where's the harm in that? I need to reflect on myself. It’s a kindness for her to let me stay in this house."
Darian's face darkened further. "Is this what you've taught him?"
"I... I didn't..." Ophelia looked at Darian, knowing she'd been played by the kid.
Now at a loss for words, she began panicking inwardly and cast a pleading glance at Thalia.
Quick-witted, Thalia promptly said, "Young master, this time the young master was indeed at fault first. Ms. Ophelia has been extremely forbearing with him."
Darian's icy gaze shifted to Thalia. "You always seem to take her side."
Thalia paused, her voice trembling, "Sir... I'm just stating what I've seen. It’s just the facts."
Darian glanced at Ophelia.
Ophelia clutched her chest, her weeping making her look the picture of pity.
"Why did you pull out the flowers?" Darian's tone softened considerably as he looked down at the little guy in his arms.
"Daddy, I thought you promised to make a mini amusement park there for me, but in the end, he gave it to Auntie..." Griffin lowered his head in grievance.
Darian frowned.
He remembered the incident; the little guy was often downcast, so he had planned to cheer him up with a home amusement park.
But then Ophelia expressed her wish to plant flowers, and he, without much thought, agreed.
He realized he was wrong. Promises shouldn't be taken lightly or changed so easily.
"Yeah, I was wrong this time." Darian patted the little one's head. "I'll take note; it won't happen again."
"Really? Can I still have that area turned into an amusement park?"
"Yes."
Griffin nestled in Darian's embrace. He peeked out stealthily and made a face at Ophelia, sticking out his tongue silently, "nyah nyah nyah~"
Ophelia's eyes widened in shock. "You! Darian, he's faking it!"
By the time Darian looked down, the little guy was still showing a face full of hurt, fear, and sorrow, with his little hands constantly rubbing his reddened eyes.
Ophelia was utterly dumbfounded.
When did Rowan become so formidable?
"Make sure she understands. From now on she is not to set foot inside the Fitzgerald residence without my permission."
Darian’s icy voice filtered into Ophelia's ears, chilling her to the core.
Slowly turning her head, she looked at Darian with trembling eyes. "Darian, you... you're banning me from coming here now?"
"Show her out."
Darian left her with nothing but the cold view of his retreating back as he walked away from the living room with Griffin.
"Darian! I really didn't do anything!"
Ophelia was shaking. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she stood there, helplessly watching him leave.
But Darian wasn't prepared to hear any of her excuses.
This threw Ophelia into a state of profound anxiety.
"Ms. Ophelia." Thalia stepped forward, pity in her gaze as she handed Ophelia a few tissues.
Wiping the tears from her face with a mixture of anger and despair, Ophelia watched the direction they had gone. "Rowan, just you wait. I'll be back."
Griffin watched Ophelia being driven out by Darian with a sly smile in his eyes.
"Are you done with your act?"
Darian's indifferent voice came from above.
He hoisted him onto a chair, sat him down properly, and wiped his face clean with a tissue.
Blinking twice, Griffin tried to wriggle out of the situation under Darian's piercing gaze. "Dad, I wasn't acting."
Darian let out a scoff, "If I couldn't see through that ruse, you'd be the one parenting me."
Griffin tilted his head to look at him. "How did you know, Dad?"
"You've never liked her, but you've never been scared of her either. You were shaking like a leaf just now. If that's not acting, what is?"
Having raised his son for five years, Darian knew him well; the boy inherited his mother's stubbornness. He had a competitive streak that left no room for compromise.
However, the cunning he'd just witnessed was a mystery—certainly not from him.
That night, Darian intended to dig into the man who had been involved with Cecily, only to come up empty-handed.
A shadow crossed Darian’s eyes, his expression turning sour. "If you figured it out, why would you help me?"
Darian's sharp brows lifted slightly, "Because it was half-true."
A child wouldn't know these things unless an adult had told him. He had made it a rule to never discuss the matter at home, and the only one bold enough to breach the topic was Ophelia.
The moment Darian chose to adopt Rowan, the boy became his son. And as his father, he would not allow anyone to mistreat him.
"Remember this, if anyone ever says those things to you again, don't listen to them. You are my child, and you always will be. This will always be your home."
Griffin looked into Darian's eyes; his usually fierce 'bad daddy' had a surprisingly tender light in his gaze at that moment.
"Really? So, if I get bullied again, will you protect me like you did today?"
Darian ruffled the youngster's hair, smiling lightly, "Yes, I will."
Feeling the warmth from the hand on his head, Griffin thought that maybe his 'bad daddy' wasn't as bad as he seemed.
"Don't just stand there, eat your dinner and get to bed. The maid said you've been on the computer all day. Don’t you care about your eyes?"
"I haven't been on the computer all day; I did a lot of things today."
"Like what?"
"Like scaring off the witch, for instance."
Darian was silent.
After dinner, Griffin returned to his room and waited for Rowan to come online with his computer.
He couldn't wait to share his day's achievements with his brother.
...
Darian sat in his study.
Larkin walked in with a DNA test report in hand, "Mr. Fitzgerald, the paternity test results are back."
Darian took the report, his palm tightening unconsciously.
He hesitated for a moment...
Flipping to the last page, he saw the test results...
No blood relation!
Darian's eyes squinted with an edge of danger, and though his expression remained calm, a sense of suffocation surged within him.
Rowan was not his child, after all.
Darian lifted a hand to massage his temples.
Larkin, observing from a corner, recognized this gesture as a sign that Darian was suffering from another headache.
"Mr. Fitzgerald, do you need me to fetch Miss Cecily?" He inquired.
Darian furrowed his brows slightly, "Yeah."
"Also, Mr. Fitzgerald, I forgot to report something last night. Miss Cecily seemed quite concerned about the young master. She even called later to ask about him."
Darian's eyes narrowed.
She was concerned about Rowan?
She did seem genuinely worried yesterday, but her behavior was so natural that he didn't suspect anything at the time.
Now, with Larkin mentioning it, doubts started to flood his mind.
That woman usually couldn't stand being near him, and yet she had readily agreed to treat him the day before.
It all must be for a reason; she was merely using the treatment as an excuse to get close to the child.
Heh.
A thin, mocking smile crossed Darian's lips.
Cecily... She was crafty indeed.
She was willing to bend over backward to treat him, just to get close to the boy.
At that moment, a servant reported, "Sir, Miss Cecily has arrived. Should I let her in?"
A flicker of coldness flashed through Darian's eyes, "Tell her to leave."
"Leave?" Larkin blinked, surprised, "But, Mr. Fitzgerald, Miss Cecily is here for your treatment, are you sure?"
The handsome rage on Darian's face intensified, "Without her, am I going to drop dead?"
Larkin bowed his head, feeling the pressure in the room, unsure where Mr. Fitzgerald's sudden anger stemmed from.
"Just tell her to go, and she doesn't need to come back."
"Understood."
Larkin went out to meet Cecily personally and explained the situation to her.
"Are you certain this was a direct order from Darian?" Cecily asked, disbelief evident in her voice.
"I’m sure, so Miss Cecily, sorry to have wasted your time," Larkin said with a rehearsed tone.
He was about to turn and walk away when...
"Hold on a sec?" Cecily caught his attention, frowning as she asked, "Is he out of sorts or something?"
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