Chapter 185 Searching for Chicago
She took a taxi.
Initially, the cab driver refused to take her, but after Chicago said she was going to see her dad and offered two crisp bills, he agreed.
On the way, Chicago borrowed the driver's phone to call Darwin.
But, most likely, because it was an unknown number, there was no answer.
The taxi arrived at the Solomon Building.
Chicago, holding her kitten, got out of the car and politely said to the driver, "Thank you."
The cab driver, smiling warmly, watched Chicago enter the Solomon Building before driving off.
As soon as Chicago stepped into the lobby, a security guard approached her.
"Where did you come from, kid?"
Chicago was unlucky, the guard had just found out his daughter, whom he had cherished for years, was the child of his wife and another man.
Seeing a child now, the guard was irritated.
"I'm here to see Darwin!" said Chicago.
"Get lost!" The guard's face showed impatience.
Chicago had never been treated this way before, "I'm Darwin's friend, I need to see him for something..."
At that moment, the kitten in Chicago's arms meowed a few times.
The guard glanced at Chicago's bag.
Chicago could feel the man's malice and stepped back.
"Leave now or I'll kill your cat!" the guard threatened menacingly.
Chicago left the building feeling wronged.
But she didn't go far, just squatting in a corner, opening her bag, and looking at the kitten.
"We'll wait right here for Uncle, he's a good man and will surely shelter you." Chicago whispered to the kitten.
Only she knew how scared she was at the moment. For the first time, she was without the protection of Wendy and the others. She had crossed a great part of the city to find her Uncle. And she had encountered an aggressive, cat-threatening bad man. Chicago bit her lip, widened her eyes, and refused to cry.
"People at work will leave eventually; we'll wait for Uncle to get off." she said, stroking the kitten's head, trying to comfort it and herself.
Thus, she waited until noon.
The office building buzzed with people streaming out.
Chicago quickly stood up, scouring the crowd, afraid she might miss something.
The security guard seemed to know Chicago hadn't left and, fearing she might sneak into the building amidst the crowd, stood at the door with his baton, glaring at Chicago.
Afraid he might harm the kitten, Chicago stepped back further.
Until the crowd dwindled, Chicago still had not seen her uncle.
She felt a bit lost and bewildered. Cradling the kitten, she squatted back down where she had been before. Unable to hold back any longer, tears began to fall in big, heavy drops.
Uncle, where are you? I'm hungry, and the kitten is hungry, too. I'm scared, and the kitten is scared.
Darwin had an important meeting. When Charles called, the meeting was in full swing.
Seeing Henry's caller ID, Darwin assumed there might be an issue at Solomon Energy, so he paused the meeting to answer the call.
He learned that Chicago might have gone to the Solomon Building to look for him.
Immediately, Darwin postponed the meeting and rushed towards the Solomon Building.
The meeting venue was only a seven or eight-minute walk from Solomon, but Darwin sprinted there in four minutes.
"Mr. Solomon!" The receptionist was unaccustomed to seeing Darwin around this area.
Darwin usually arrived in a car to the garage and then took a private elevator directly to the president's office.
On seeing Darwin, the receptionist immediately stood up.
"Has a cute little girl been here looking for me?" Darwin asked, out of breath.
That morning, security had shooed away a child, and the receptionists had seen it too. But they didn't realize the child was there to see Darwin. Thinking that the security's rough manner indicated the child was causing trouble, they assumed she was just a random nuisance.
"There was a child..." one said hesitantly.
"Where is she?" Darwin asked sternly.
The receptionist's face became serious, "She... was chased away by security."
Darwin's expression darkened instantly.
"Mr. Solomon, during lunch, I saw her around the corner near Gate 1!" another one quickly interjected.
Darwin strode towards Gate 1 immediately.
Coincidentally, just as he reached Gate 1, he heard a man berating loudly, "Stop crying here, too bad for you, what are you, parentless? Don't you know the rules? Get lost before..."
The security guard swung his baton.
Suddenly, someone kicked him hard in the back.
"Who…" The security guard turned around and went soft with fear upon seeing who it was.
Darwin didn't waste time on him.
Looking over, he saw the pitiful child, her nose red from crying.
She looked on, bewildered as the guard fell and then turned her gaze towards Darwin.
That did it. She had been holding back her tears until she saw Darwin, her little mouth quivering, "Uncle..."
"Chicago!" Darwin ran over to her.
"Did he hit you?" Darwin asked urgently.
Chicago shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears and her mouth turned down in distress.
"I called you..." Chicago said, sobbing.
Darwin's heart twisted with pain.
He picked Chicago up, placed her head on his shoulder, and patted her back, "I was wrong, I won't miss your call again."
Clinging to Darwin's neck, Chicago began to sob.
"Mr. Solomon... I didn't know, I really didn't!" The security guard watched the scene in surprise.
He hadn't imagined that the child who suddenly showed up asking for Mr. Solomon would actually know him.
Darwin looked at him with a cold glance.
Without a word, he carried Chicago straight into the office building.
It was noon. The lobby was filled with Solomon's staff members. They all showed surprise as Darwin entered carrying a child.
Did Mr. Solomon always have such a soft spot for children?
Once inside the CEO's office, Darwin redialed Charles' number.
The call connected instantly, "Did you find her?"
"I did." Darwin replied, then handed the phone to Chicago, "Charles..."
Chicago was still sobbing.
"Charles?" She uttered.
"Have you been crying?" Charles's voice was deep, "Stay there, I'm coming to get you!"
"No... no need." Chicago sniffled, "I'll... I'll go home by myself."
Darwin patted her head and took back the phone.
"She's fine, an unfriendly security guard scared her, I'll handle it." Darwin said.
"Uncle," Charles said in a very stern tone, "if you can't be with Chicago all her life, you shouldn't give her a way to contact you."
Darwin's brow furrowed slightly.
"It's lunchtime, Chicago must be hungry. I'll send you a list of what she can't and doesn't like to eat, please get her lunch."
"Okay." Darwin agreed.
The call ended shortly after.
"Uncle…" Chicago called to Darwin.
"Yes, I'm here." Darwin immediately responded.
"I came to you because there's something really, really important." Chicago spoke, opening her little bag and presenting the sleeping kitten to Darwin.
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