Chapter 261 Assassination Attempt

Ashton was clearly afraid of Darwin and didn't dare show her face. She clung to the window of the second-floor lounge, sneaking peeks from above. To her astonished eyes, Darwin's demeanor resembled that of a jilted lover.

"It's from Ashton; they’re gifts for the kids," Fiona said, eyeing Darwin. "Seems like the godmother cares more than the stepdad-in-waiting here."

Darwin was at a loss for words. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about presents.

"I was planning to set up a trust fund for our daughter," he mumbled, "it's a lifetime benefit..."

"Kids don't know what a trust fund is, Mr. Solomon. You should be more thoughtful," Fiona said as she climbed into the car.

With his head hanging low, Darwin ruminated. If only he knew, he would've gotten an extra gift for Chicago when he shopped for presents.

As the car merged onto the highway, Fiona tapped her fingers on her knee. "Darwin, let's not dwell on the past. But stop spying and investigating my life—it really makes me uncomfortable. I'm not your prey."

Darwin looked at her, "I already knew about this place. After Janna Rhoads caught that person, I stopped having you followed."

Fiona gave a noncommittal hum. The divider between the front and back seats was down, and Darwin turned to her, presenting something like a treasure. "I have something to show you."

"What?" Fiona was wary.

Dressed casually today, Darwin tugged at his collar, revealing a collarbone marked with yesterday's bite.

Fiona hesitated, instinctively avoiding the sight.
Under Darwin's flirtations yesterday, she'd gotten a little too into it, acting wildly without boundaries.

"You see..." Darwin said as he took her hand; the usually aloof Mr. Solomon seemed to even pout for a moment.

"What's there to see? Are you pretty much spoiling for a lawsuit if I give you a playful nibble?" Fiona retorted and turned her head, only to catch sight of Darwin's collarbone.

At first, she caught just a flash of red. But upon a closer look, she realized that the love bite she left on Darwin's collarbone was now obscured by a thin red line.

"You got a tattoo?" Fiona asked, her voice a blend of horror and amazement.

Darwin nodded, tapping his collarbone with pride. "Now it's a mark for life!"

Darwin was a spoiled man, with more quirks than one could count, and he was a complete germaphobe. Tattoos were not his thing; he loathed them. But now...

He actually had her bite mark tattooed onto him...

"Does it look good?" Darwin asked softly. "The tattoo artist originally wanted to go with black, but I thought about it, and it seemed unlucky. Red's better, right? It's like the red string of fate that binds two destined lovers."

"Darwin, this is... this is really out there," Fiona couldn't hide her astonishment.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that right now, she seriously suspected Darwin had fallen head over heels for her.

"You don't like it?" The spark in Darwin's eyes flickered out, "I was afraid the mark would fade. So, I woke up and called the tattoo artist over, and yeah, it hurt quite a bit."

Fiona was speechless.

Since when did he ever fear pain? What exactly happened?

"It's nice," Fiona finally admitted, not betraying her true feelings.

In her heart, she loved what Darwin had done. It was like fulfilling a dream for the Fiona who once felt so insignificant by his side.

Fiona lived not too far from the airport, just about a half-hour drive.

She was flying out on her private jet, and upon arrival at the airport, the staff swiftly took care of her luggage.

Darwin followed closely, like a puppy trailing after Fiona.

"You'll be back in three days, right?" He asked.

"Should be," Fiona replied. "You should go back to the monastery. How does it look if you leave in the middle of a vigil?"

"I came to cheer you up. Grandma would be happier than anyone," Darwin replied confidently.

Fiona couldn't argue with that logic.

Just then, another car pulled up nearby. Darwin instinctively drew Fiona closer to his side, leading her a few steps away. A second later, the car that appeared to be stopping normally suddenly veered off course as if its brakes had failed, heading straight for Fiona at a frightening speed.

In the nick of time, Darwin's quick reflexes allowed him to shield Fiona, narrowly dodging the oncoming car at the last possible moment.
As the car grazed past Fiona, it violently crashed into a thick pole, immediately spewing dense smoke from under the hood.

Darwin shielded Fiona and instinctively glanced inside the vehicle. To his horror, the driver, his head drenched in blood, clutched something dark in his hand. With a malicious grin, he briefly locked eyes with Darwin and then yanked the pin out of the black object.

Almost simultaneously, Darwin, gripping Fiona tightly, lunged forward, throwing them both to the ground. As the explosion boomed, his body reflexively covered hers, shielding Fiona from the blast.

All Fiona could hear following the deafening blast was a piercing ringing in her ears. In a daze, she observed the panicked faces of those around her. Her security detail, who had been lurking in the shadows, charged towards her, shouting loudly.

And Darwin's bodyguards—
Darwin...
Her thoughts raced back through the chilling events, sending a shiver down her spine.
"Darwin!" She cried out, turning back in agony.

Blood trickled from the corner of Darwin's mouth, and his brows were knitted tightly together. He was unconscious!

"Chelsea!"
"Mr. Solomon!" The bodyguards shouted as they approached.

"Call an ambulance!" Fiona screamed at the guards, her hands trembling violently. "Darwin! Can you hear me? Do you hear me?"

No response.

After feeling his back, Fiona's hand was instantly soaked with fresh blood. Terror enveloped her.

"Call an ambulance, now!" She urged once more with tears pouring down her face.

Then, in that moment, Darwin's fingers gently curled around her hand. Overjoyed, Fiona quickly grasped it. "Don't be scared! The ambulance is coming!"

But after that moment, Darwin became unresponsive again. Minutes later, when the ambulance arrived, Fiona followed it to the hospital, oblivious to whose blood was covering her.

The bodyguards, heart pounding with dread, had no idea how to report this to the boss . One moved closer, trying to reason with her. "Chelsea, it won't help to stay; you look awful. You should get checked out first, okay?"

"There’s nothing wrong with me!" Fiona spat back, ashen and shaking uncontrollably. "His back was mangled... You don't understand; he's been in a severe accident before... he was in a coma for a while... And he just had another blow to his head!"

Her guilt mounted as she continued, "I shouldn't have agreed to let him come!"

The bodyguard remained silent. Since the day he had met Miss Chelsea, he had never seen her so unhinged, so fraught with panic and in disarray.


The Substitute's Revenge: From Secretary to Queen
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