Chapter 34
"Mr. Fitzgerald, Doctor Declan is here."
Declan Martinez sauntered in after Larkin and upon seeing Darian having breakfast. He made himself comfortable at the table without an invitation and started to eat from a bowl.
"Mr. Darian, you wanted to see me?" Declan asked, noting the 'I-had-a-rough-night' look on Darian's face.
He had a hunch. Darian probably needed his medical expertise.
Declan tilted his head, eyeing Fitzgerald. "Doesn't make sense. I heard the doc already treated you. Why do you still look like you didn’t catch a wink of sleep? Could it be that the doctor’s reputation is all just hot air?"
Declan rubbed his chin, pondering to himself.
Griffin interjected while sipping his porridge, "It’s not that. Dad wouldn't let the doc treat him."
Declan glanced at the kid, "Your daddy didn’t want treatment?"
"Yes, he's being all fussy."
Darian remained silent.
Declan pulled a half-smile, "Mr. Darian, why's that? Didn’t it work?"
"It did."
"It did?!" Now Declan was even more confused. "If it worked, why refuse treatment?"
Darian glanced at him and muttered, "You ask too many questions."
Declan stuffed a slice of bread into his mouth, "I'm just looking out for you."
"Cecily is the doctor ."
Declan froze, astonished. "You mean that amazing holistic healer is your wife?"
Fitzgerald frowned, "Don't call her that."
Declan blinked, "Then what? Your ex-wife? Miss Cecily, Dr. Cecily?"
"Whatever."
Out of curiosity, Declan leaned closer to Darian, "Mr. Darian, if your wif...”
He caught the warning look from Darian and quickly corrected himself, "If your ex-wife is such a great healer, that’s even better, right? Why on earth would you not let her treat you? If I were you, I’d be knocking on her door, begging her to help me out."
Griffin supported Declan's remarks, nodding vigorously in agreement, “Absolutely! Totally!”
At least he’d be getting treated.
What was he finding fault with?
Darian glanced at them with a cool gaze, “Well, look at you two, a regular united front.”
“Darian, we're just looking out for you, don't take it for granted,” Declan said earnestly.
Griffin gave Declan a thumbs up, “Right on, cool uncle, preach!”
After exchanging a knowing look, Declan and Griffin turned back to Darian, “But Darian, why won’t you let her treat you? Is it because you two had another argument?”
Darian shot Griffin a look, “Finished eating? Then it's time to practice piano.”
The piano teacher had just arrived.
Griffin’s spirits deflated instantly.
Practice piano?
He didn’t even know how to play.
Once he tried, he’d be totally busted.
“I... uh...could eat a bit more,” Griffin mumbled, looking for any excuse to delay.
Darian eyed the finished bowl of porridge and the small buns, then raised an eyebrow at the kid.
Griffin muttered, “I need to use the bathroom.”
With a swift movement, Darian scooped him up and seated him at the piano, “When did you become such a lazybones? You think you can always finding excuses to dawdle?”
Griffin sat on the bench, his anxiety rising as he faced the piano.
Fortunately, Darian didn't linger by his side.
After a stern order to practice properly, he headed back to the dining room.
As he sat down again, Darian casually answered Declan’s earlier question, “Because her intention in treating me is to see the kid.”
“To see the kid?” Declan glanced at the small figure by the piano in the living room, “So your ex came to treat you just to get close to the kid. Is she trying to take him back?”
Darian narrowed his eyes slightly, “No matter what her intentions are, I won’t let her succeed. She’s the one who abandoned the kid back then, and now she dreams of getting him back? Not happening.”
Declan shivered as he looked at Darian's dark and intimidating face.
Cecily may truly want her child back, but that boy, whom Darian had lovingly raised for five years, wasn't just a keepsake she could reclaim on a whim.
But still...
"Mr. Fitzgerald, whatever it is, don't be too hard on yourself."
Darian's gaze drifted to the figure of the young lad, his eyes shadowed with an unreadable darkness.
Then came the piano tutor, approaching Darian with news, "Mr. Fitzgerald, the young master has been making excellent progress on the piano. You might want to come and have a listen."
Checking his watch and realizing he wasn't in a rush, Darian stood up and walked over.
Griffin sat at the piano bench, racking his brain for a way out of his current predicament. To his surprise, Darian came over and settled onto a nearby couch, ready to listen to him play.
Griffin blinked his large eyes twice, perplexed, "Dad, what are you doing?"
"Listening to you play the piano."
The tutor coaxed Griffin, "Young master, didn't you want to play for your dad? He's here now. Let's play it like we practiced, okay?"
Griffin's expression went from baffled to utterly shocked. Play in front of Darian?
Why hadn't his brother warned him about all the skills required to survive in this household?
The tutor kept praising him, claiming he was a natural, a prodigy even.
Darian looked at Griffin, a hint of amusement on his face, "Begin when you're ready."
It was a disaster waiting to happen. He didn't know how to play. He was about to be exposed.
Griffin felt anxious.
The tutor positioned the sheet music for Griffin, "Young master, you may start."
Standing aside with brimming confidence, the tutor awaited Griffin's performance.
Darian watched the little guy on the piano bench with anticipation in his eyes.
Griffin stared at the row of piano keys. Hacking, horseback riding, shooting, even combat training he had tackled, but he had never even touched a piano.
What sort of miserable days had his brother been living? Forced to practice writing and now piano too.
Since Griffin was not moving, the tutor thought he was just nervous and kept encouraging him, "C'mon, young master. Just play it like we practiced."
Griffin gently pressed a piano key, and it let out a resounding "thud."
"Let's just give it a shot..." He muttered to himself, still hopeful despite his lack of musical knowledge.
Griffin held one key down, rhythmically loosening and pressing his finger...
"Thud, thud, thud! Thud, thud, thud! Thud, thud, thud~"
Singing loudly, Griffin tried to drown out his own shoddy playing with the sound of his voice.
Then, sudden silence fell over everyone.
A few seconds passed...
"Haha... HAHAHAHA!"
Declan tried his best to hold back, but he couldn't help bursting into laughter.
He gave Griffin a thumbs-up through tears of mirth.
Griffin, still singing confidently with a voice that could drill through walls, was oblivious to their mocking.
Darian frowned, pressing his fingertips against his temples.
"Stop! Rowan, please stop! Rowan, can you hear me?"
Griffin seemed lost in his own musical world; he was unstoppable.
Darian was getting a headache from the noise.
After suffering through the entire song, Griffin finally gave everyone a break and turned around, beaming at Darian, "Daddy, did you like it?"
Darian scowled, "You spent half the semester learning that?"
"Mr. Darian, we can't crush the child's confidence," Declan whispered over to him.
Darian swallowed his initial response, barely containing his frustration, "It's... not... bad..."
"Really, Daddy? Since you liked it so much, I can play it for you whenever you can't sleep at night, okay?"
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