Chapter 183 The Deceased Fiancée?
After Fiona arrived home, it was time for the children to go to bed.
Chicago was throwing a small tantrum because she didn't want Wendy or Stuart to tell her a bedtime story. When she saw Fiona return, Chicago immediately ran to her. Fiona picked her up and asked, "What's this about being moody again?"
Lately, Chicago had been having quite a few of these moods.
"I wanted to wait for Mommy to come back and tell me a bedtime story." Chicago pouted.
Fiona kissed her cheek and turned to Stuart and Wendy, "You two can go rest."
"Yes, Ma'am" they said in unison.
Fiona carried Chicago upstairs where Charles was already in bed reading a book. Seeing Fiona, he slightly lifted his eyes, "Did the dinner end early?"
"There was a minor incident, so I took the chance to slip away." Fiona explained as she put Chicago back in bed and kissed Charles' forehead. He didn't seem to react much, but his little feet wiggled twice, obviously happy.
"This book is about physics, isn't it?" Fiona noticed the cover.
"Yes." Charles nodded. "It's interesting."
Fiona felt a surge of pride in her heart. Her son was indeed smart.
"Mommy, I'm the same age as my brother, and he can recognize so many words, but I..." Chicago sat on the bed's edge, looking enviously at her brother.
She too felt helpless. She wanted to learn to read quickly, but every time she tried to read a book without pictures, just looking at the text would make her yawn.
"You're so talented at drawing and painting, and your sense of color is beyond anything I can achieve." Charles said, trying to sound grown-up.
"Really?" Chicago's eyes sparkled.
"Uh-huh." Charles wanted to add that Chicago was lively and adorable, always able to charm anyone, no matter where they were. This was something he couldn't do. He always found the world too noisy, wishing those unrelated to him would keep their distance.
"Okay now, my son and daughter, both of you are genius treasures." Fiona said with a light laugh. No matter what pressures and irritations the dinner had brought her, right now, in the presence of her little loved ones, all that stress just vanished.
In the warm light of the children's room, Charles leaned against the pillow with his book, and Fiona told a sleepy Chicago the story of Snow White. By the time she got to the part where Snow White was sent into the forest by the Queen, Chicago was fast asleep.
Fiona carefully tucked her in and, looking at Charles, saw that he had closed his book and laid down as well. Fiona walked over with a smile and gave him another kiss on the forehead.
"Good night, Mommy" said Charles.
Fiona watched him, her heart full.
Although Charles, Chicago, and her own household never lacked servants to take care of things, Charles still took on a great many responsibilities for Fiona.
"Charles…" Fiona began softly.
"Hmm?" Charles looked at her, puzzled.
In the past, after he said goodnight, Mommy would say goodnight and then leave the room.
"Having you as my child is my greatest fortune." Fiona said earnestly and tenderly. "I want to thank you."
Charles was never good at handling such situations.
He squirmed a bit and turned his head away, "I understand, goodnight."
Fiona chuckled, "Yes, goodnight, Darling."
Charles closed his eyes tightly.
After turning off the light and leaving the children's room, Fiona gently closed the door.
After a moment, Charles slowly opened his eyes. He blinked thoughtfully.
He figured Mommy must be troubled by something.
Fiona stood at the door of the children's room, hesitating. Instead of going back to her room, she went to the wine cellar.
Just as she had opened a bottle of wine, a phone call came in informing her about a situation concerning the White family.
Fiona hung up feeling agitated.
She could have handled this alone with ease, why did Darwin have to get himself involved?
It wasn't a trivial matter. To those paying attention to Darwin, it would not go unnoticed. And that certainly included Lilian.
Fiona had no desire to rekindle any ties with Darwin and Lilian, much less revisit old wounds. But with Darwin's actions that night, she couldn't avoid it anymore.
Annoyed, Fiona poured herself a glass of wine and downed it in one gulp.
Right after she finished, her phone began to vibrate with an incoming call.
Although the number was unfamiliar, she had etched the digits firmly in her mind.
Not a single detail had faded after five years.
Just as the ringtone was about to end, Fiona answered the call.
Her voice was indifferent and distant, "Who's this?"
There was a brief silence on the other end, "Miss Chelsea, this is Darwin."
"Mr. Solomon, I believe I made myself quite clear at the party today.," Fiona's tone was unwelcoming.
"I'm sorry, I did act impulsively then." Darwin replied, his voice always pleasant, "You really do resemble my late fiancée."
His late fiancée?
When had that been a thing?
Did men like him start rumors after someone passed away?
"So, Mr. Solomon, have you come to your senses now?" Fiona inquired.
A resigned chuckle came from the other end, "Yes, I have."
"That's good." Fiona said shortly.
"I apologize for my forwardness tonight and would like to invite you to dinner as a form of apology." Darwin continued.
"Mr. Solomon," Fiona said indifferently, "my studio has recently been in business competition with Solomon. I don't think it's appropriate for us to meet privately. I appreciate your sentiment, though."
"Is that so?" Darwin sounded full of regret.
"I have another matter to attend to, so I'm hanging up now." Fiona stated, and then she promptly ended the call.
On the apartment balcony, Darwin stood tall, a nearly finished cigarette pinched between his slender fingers. He took a deep breath out. After extinguishing the cigarette, he turned and went back into the living room. On the sofa, his blanket was neatly folded.
Darwin made a trip to the bathroom and, returning, curled up on the sofa, unlocking his phone over and over again, looking at the new number stored in his contacts.
Time and again, he fought the urge to call back. This time he needed to keep his composure. He needed to lure her in deep, then hold on tight, so she'd never be able to escape.
After hanging up the phone, Fiona instinctively wanted to add Darwin's number to her blacklist.
But he was a stranger she'd only met once, someone she could encounter at any time in the business world. What could be her reason for blocking him?
In the end, Fiona simply deleted the call log. Then, she poured herself another drink. And then another. Fiona was starting to feel tipsy.
She furiously typed on her phone and cursed, "Darwin, you jerk!"
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