Chapter 1470
"Darwin, Fiona's not made of glass! She won't break! Or are you saying I can't hug her?" Melissa teased, clinging onto Fiona with a mischievous grin, then leaned pitifully on Fiona's shoulder. "Fiona, Darwin's being so mean, I'm scared of him!"
Darwin was speechless.
Melissa was almost 18 now, and with her parents' good genes, she was stunningly beautiful, the beloved princess. She had always been Darwin's nemesis, knowing exactly how to get under his skin since she was little.
When it came to Melissa, Darwin was always outnumbered. Even his children sided with Melissa.
His daughter used to say, "Dad, Melissa is so tiny, just let her be!"
"Don't upset Darwin," Fiona said with a smile, tapping Melissa's nose. "And did you call Janna again? You little rascal, using your great-grandmother's name like that?"
"Great-grandmother, great-grandmother, it makes Janna sound old. We agreed to just use names!" Melissa released Fiona and knelt sweetly on the carpet, pressing her face against Janna's leg. "Janna, I missed you so much. My professor wouldn't give me time off, so I just ran away!"
Melissa was currently studying at Meridiania.
Following in Burl's footsteps, she was studying IT.
"You're still so young. Other kids of your age are just worried about school, but you're already in grad school. What's wrong with your professor, being so strict with you?" Janna said, clearly displeased.
Fiona sighed.
Darwin walked over, placing a bowl of fruit on the small table next to Janna, then gently rubbed Fiona's waist.
Fiona's back had been bothering her for the past few years.
Darwin was genuinely concerned that Melissa, in her exuberance, might hurt Fiona.
Fiona squeezed Darwin's hand lightly, signaling that she was fine.
"Exactly! When I finish grad school and start my PhD, I'll find a more lenient professor so I can visit you more often!"
"You don't need to visit too often. Traveling back and forth, even in first class, is exhausting. Twice a year is enough."
Fiona laughed.
Charlotte, however, responded seriously, "No way, I have to come back for every holiday!"
"Quick, quick!" Melissa suddenly exclaimed, as if she had just remembered something.
She jumped up.
Melissa pulled over two suitcases and under the curious gazes of the three elders, opened them.
"I had my friend make two dresses. This one is inspired by the gods from my friend's award-winning design last year, and this one is inspired by the butterfly illustrations from Charlotte's book, 'Kingdom of Insects.'"
Melissa shook out the dresses.
The one inspired by the gods was a very pale yellow, with gold thread embroidery depicting the goddesses from the Chicago pantheon.
The butterfly dress, inspired by the Blue Morpho butterfly, was predominantly blue.
It mimicked the butterfly's iridescent scales, giving it a magical, mysterious look.
"Your friend is amazing!" Fiona praised. "They perfectly captured the essence of Charles and Charlotte's works. They're stunning!"
"So, the question is, which one should I wear?" Melissa pondered.
"You shouldn't wear either. Charlotte and I will each take one."
Chicago's voice came from behind.
Fiona and Darwin looked up, their expressions softening instantly.
"Mom, Dad!"
Chicago ran over, hugging Fiona first, then Darwin.
Time had transformed the child who once barely reached Darwin's knee into a graceful, radiant young woman.
"Everything going well?" Darwin asked gently.
Chicago nodded.
"That's good." Darwin patted Chicago's back lightly.
Fiona shifted her gaze from the father-daughter duo to Charlotte, who was walking towards her with a more composed demeanor than Melissa and Chicago.
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