Chapter 230 Can I Make It Up to You with Some?
She was well aware of it, that much was crystal clear.
Not that it needed saying, but if Lilian got into a fight with Ashton, she’d get whooped, no doubt about it.
And Kenny...
Was he genuinely smitten by Ashton, or just playing along with her act?
“What kind of clout is he banking on?” Ashton speared Darwin with an icy look.
Her gaze shifted to Fiona.
“Lilian and I are not involved in the way you're thinking,” he clarified.
Fiona lapsed into silence.
Whether they were involved or not didn’t matter to her anymore.
“Shall we order? Aren’t you hungry?”
Ashton noticed a shift in Fiona’s mood as it turned sour.
“Sure!”
Over the past while, he had practically memorized the menu. In no time at all, he had ordered the dishes.
“Baby, you’ve been working so hard on that project you’re slimming down. I've ordered all your favorites, so make sure you eat up!” Ashton cooed sweetly to Fiona.
Her irritation melted away.
Like Ashton said, the marriage certificates were signed. Could they really just call it quits immediately?
"Mr. Walker, with your status, you must have done some digging into my Ashton before tying the knot, right?" Fiona cut to the chase, her presence dominating.
“Yeah.” Kenny nodded.
“I’ll lay it out plainly then. Her backing has never been the Shaw family or her mother—it's me.” Fiona locked eyes with Kenny. “The Walkers are influential, but don't mistake, the Rhoads family isn't to be trifled with. If you let her get hurt, you'll regret it.”
"Understood!" Kenny nodded emphatically, seriousness shining in his eyes.
Fiona said no more.
Unwittingly, Ashton had landed in the lap of luxury, becoming part of one of Armie Country's most prestigious families.
Whether this was good fortune or misfortune was yet to be seen.
As for Kenny, he seemed decent enough at first glance.
Most notably, every time Ashton spoke, he listened earnestly.
The look he gave her brimmed with fondness.
Ashton, by his side, seemed genuinely at ease.
Which was nothing like when she was with Chris.
After dinner, Ashton showed none of the awareness you’d expect from a married woman.
She linked arms with Fiona, clinging affectionately to her.
Kenny, meanwhile, walked behind with Darwin.
Darwin was always the silent type, but he was particularly taciturn tonight.
"You and sis in law..." Kenny pondered before deciding to speak up.
It wasn’t gossip for him.
This sister-in-law was close to his wife, after all.
He needed to grasp the situation enough to steer clear of any potential minefields.
"She'll be divorced soon enough," Darwin answered coldly, "or a widow."
The affairs of the Rhoads family, especially those concerning Janna Rhoads, were always intricate.
For days on end, Darwin had been hitting a wall—a formidable wall as solid assolid as iron when it came to prying into certain matters. Specifically, he was stumped by who Fiona, the woman who tied the knot with him, had really married.
It was a known fact to Darwin that Janna Rhoads had once extended an olive branch to Dagmar, who had since been thriving under the Rhoads' medical empire. Aware that Fiona had always lingered behind the Rhoads family, he promptly dug into Dagmar's marital status:
Single, after the tragic loss of the twins.
In his gut, Darwin felt certain that Fiona harbored no affection for Dagmar. It was all a figment of Dagmar's wishful thinking. Thus, he didn't buy the idea that Fiona would actually settle down and start a family with Dagmar. And that led to the nagging question:
Where the heck was the elusive husband hiding?
Kenny's initial surprise was faint, fading rapidly. If Darwin was involved, even the most sensational affairs somehow seemed plausible.
"Just try not to spook my wife when you're on the job," Kenny requested amiably.
Darwin shot him a look.
"Are you for real?"
"We've got the marriage certificate. It doesn't get more real than this," Kenny said, the corner of his lips upturning with a smile.
The words 'marriage certificate' were particularly grating to Darwin at this moment. He, too, had been on the brink of getting that very certificate with Fiona five years ago—if it hadn't been for the subsequent ordeals. By now, he could have been Fiona's husband, with a pair of adorable kids playing at their feet.
Before much longer, Fiona found her car.
Instinctively, Ashton reached to open the passenger door, ready to hop in.
Kenny was speechless.
"Mrs. Walker," he called out, giving her pause.
Right, Ashton remembered, she and Kenny had just married... this evening marked their first night as newlyweds.
"I'll give you a lift home," Kenny offered, looking at Fiona. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Why would I mind what you and your spouse do?" Fiona shot a glance at Ashton. "Just let me know if you're not coming home tonight."
"I'll be back! Of course, I'll be back!" Ashton's face flared red.
Fiona couldn't help but chuckle.
"Let's go."
Ashton headed to the other side of the garage with Kenny. Fiona stood there, watching the two, their silhouettes fading into the distance. Together, they actually looked quite the pair.
May the heavens bless Ashton with the very best partner this time around. Fiona withdrew her gaze.
And there was Darwin, still standing there, unmoved.
"I'm not driving you. Call your chauffeur, or take a cab," Fiona said, dismissing him with a turn, then got into her car.
Yet, she had underestimated just how thick-skinned Darwin was.
He opened the passenger door and slid into the seat, his movements swift and decisive under Fiona's shocked gaze as he fastened his seatbelt.
"Darwin," Fiona spoke, her eyes reflecting a mix of disbelief and resignation. "What's the point of this? I just don't get you. You weren't like this with me before. You were all about Lilian, and now that you have her, you're hung up on me again? Do you always think the grass is greener on the other side?"
"No!" Darwin's voice was firm.
"How can it not be? Besides, I'm not even in your league to begin with. How many times do I have to tell you—I'm married, I have kids!" Fiona's voice bore a hint of weariness. "The tabloids have snapped pictures of me with my kids. If you wanted to verify, you could've easily found out."
That was an incident from three years ago.
Chicago was still a toddler then. On that fateful day, paparazzi had managed to catch them as they stepped out. Both mother and child were bundled up, their features hidden from the camera's curious lens.
"We need to talk about this," Darwin said gravely.
"There's nothing to discuss. I'm not getting divorced," Fiona declared with conviction.
Darwin's gaze was intense, almost unnervingly so. Fiona thought to herself that if he dared to treat her as he once did, she would fight back with all she had.
"Do you love him that much?" Darwin asked.
"I do. Very much," Fiona replied frankly.
Darwin's eyebrows knotted in frustration. "You used to love me that much too, and now you don't. You could fall out of love with him in the future just as easily!"
"Darwin, is something wrong with your head?" Fiona's tone was stern. "I have no desire to continue this with you. Our relationship is marred by the lives of two children—that was a decisive reason for wanting to escape you. It's an insurmountable divide, a clear sign from fate. How many times do I need to say it for you to understand?"
The mention of the children was a painful reminder, a wound that never fully healed for Darwin.
"I owe you for that. I'd do anything to make it up to you, Fiona..." Darwin reached for her hand, but Fiona recoiled without hesitation.
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