Chapter 274 Ulterior Motives
The hospital room was bathed in soft, comforting light.
Darwin, feeling a bit worn out, leaned back against the hospital bed, watching Fiona meticulously organize the contract documents. He felt dazed, as if he'd slipped back in time.
Noticing his silence, Fiona glanced up in curiosity and their eyes met for an instant. She smiled wryly, "Why are you staring at me?"
"You look beautiful," replied Darwin.
With a click of her tongue, Fiona separated the documents, setting aside the ones that didn't require Darwin's attention, and dividing the rest into several piles. "How much work you take on each day will depend on your recovery," she said.
"Sure," Darwin said, eager to agree. "Let's put the paperwork aside. Come over here and give me a hug."
"How old are you again, asking for hugs?" Fiona grumbled.
But she still walked over to him.
Darwin wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his cheek against her stomach. "I'm feeling vulnerable right now and need lots of Mrs. Solomon's hugs."
Fiona stroked his head gently, "There's something I think I should tell you."
"Yeah?" Darwin sounded content and cozy in her embrace.
"Lilian's mother was found dead today in a lake at a wetlands park on the outskirts of town," Fiona revealed.
Darwin stiffened slightly, then released Fiona. "How do you know?"
"It was all over the news; it caused quite the uproar. They snagged a photo of Miss Robbins identifying the body—she looked completely worn out," Fiona continued, "She's probably aware that you've woken up. You gonna call her?"
As she spoke, Fiona considerately handed Darwin his phone.
He glanced at the phone, then back at Fiona. He didn’t take the phone but hugged her again tightly, "I'll handle it tomorrow. I'll have someone from the company go check on Miss Robbins."
"That detached, huh?" She playfully tweaked Darwin's ear, asking nonchalantly, "Wasn't she your first love?"
Darwin pinched her waist in response.
"Ouch!"
Fiona smacked his hand away.
"That's nonsense, and you know it," Darwin said sulkily, "You know she's still holding onto something she can't let go of, and still, you suggest I call."
His tone was both angry and aggrieved.
Fiona couldn't help but laugh. "What could I possibly be plotting? Didn't you say she once saved your life? Her family is facing a tragedy, so how could you not call her? And why the guilt?"
Darwin was speechless.
"I can't win against you!"
He held her even tighter.
"Aren't you even curious about how her mother died?" Fiona pressed on, without any intention of letting the subject drop.
"How did she die?"
"The prevailing speculation is that her son absconded with the money Ms. Robbins had set aside for her cancer treatment, and, in her despair, she drowned herself in a lake. Coincidentally, that wetlands park had fallen into disrepair, so there’s almost no surveillance there. Plus, it's over twenty miles away from Ms. Robbins' mother's residence. Why would she go there to commit suicide?"
As he listened, Darwin's brow furrowed slightly. "Have the police determined the cause of death?"
"Right now, there's only a preliminary report. No specifics have been released yet," Fiona responded.
"Do you suspect that Lilian's mother was murdered?" Darwin inquired.
Fiona hesitated, "It just feels off. If it was murder, and it's targeted at the Robbins family, could Ms. Robbins also be in danger?"
Of course.
Fiona also had another hunch.
While watching Lilian appear in public today, she couldn't help but feel like... it was all a performance.
"Mhmm," Darwin nodded thoughtfully, "So, what do you think we should do, honey?"
Fiona looked at Darwin, with a trace of amusement, and affectionately tousled his hair — he enjoyed it as much as a puppy relished being petted.
"Learning to play it smart, aren't you?" Fiona said with a smirk and then pondered for a moment. "Until this case is cracked, we should discreetly arrange for protection."
Protection was also surveillance.
Anniston and Lilian had been too quiet lately.
"Got it." Darwin agreed wholeheartedly, pleased at their harmony on the matter.
That night.
Fiona didn't return to her hospital room, choosing instead to stay by Darwin's side as he slept.
When Darwin woke up in pain in the middle of the night, he felt immense relief at seeing the curled-up figure beside him.
He held Fiona's hand firmly.
If the pain he was enduring now was the price for his beloved's safety, he accepted it willingly.
*
"Slap!"
In the Anniston residence, a furious Anniston delivered a sharp slap to Lilian's cheek!
Lilian's covered her face with her hand as she stood rigid.
"Idiot! We're about to start the embryo implantation, and you’ve stirred up this mess. With so many eyes watching you, how do you plan to handle this without anyone noticing?" Anniston raged uncontrollably.
She had received the news.
Darwin was awake.
With him awake, things were bound to get more complicated.
And at this crucial moment, she was saddled with an incompetent partner who had thrust them both into the spotlight!
During a medical check-up, Lilian had handed over her previously frozen eggs to Anniston.
Anniston had been relieved, thinking this would save some time; otherwise, they would have had to wait for Lilian to recover from egg retrieval.
The embryo development had already been set in motion while Lilian was undergoing her medical checks.
The embryo transfer was supposed to happen in a day or two at most.
But...
"I won't be discovered by anyone," Lilian murmured, her hands cupping her cheeks. "You can count on it."
And Anniston knew it. Her planning was meticulous; their plans being uncovered was unlikely.
Yet, it was an infuriating surprise to her that Darwin had awoken. Lilian was merely a scapegoat.
"I still have some of Darwin's... assets. If you fail, I'll abandon the cause and find another woman to carry out the plan. Your move," Anniston said sharply, giving Lilian a cold glance before lifting the hem of her nightgown and marching upstairs without looking back.
Lilian stood frozen for a moment. What did Anniston really think of her?
Bitterness churned within her. Then, an elderly staff member descended the stairs. "Let me see you out."
Exiting through the front door was out of the question.
To remain undetected, she had to slip through hidden corners and crevices.
"Just a moment, I need to use the restroom," Lilian said softly.
The staff couldn't refuse and gestured towards the restroom.
Lilian nodded with a smile and moved in that direction.
She bypassed the restroom without a glance and headed straight to the room at the end of the hall—Anniston's study.
Swiftly entering, she dropped an object in a secluded corner and turned to leave, expressionless.
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