Chapter 284 Why Leave Anything for Someone Else?
In the following days, the online buzz around Darwin and Fiona naturally subsided. Ashton claimed she was buried in work, but the reality was her face was bruised, and she was being pampered at her new husband's home. However, she had managed to communicate with the designer and settle on a rough architectural style.
Darwin's recovery was going well too. The worst of his back injuries had scabbed over, and Fiona tightly controlled his work hours, leaving him mostly idle.
Fiona, due to gearing up for a major project with RH Company, found herself buried in work every day.
Darwin, on the other hand, lounged around like a bored puppy, meandering just outside Fiona's work bubble, occasionally making noises.
These antics raised eyebrows among Fiona's studio colleagues, who began to exchange surprised and gossip-hungry looks.
At first, Fiona reprimanded him, but as it became a regular occurrence, she grew indifferent. Darwin, emboldened by the lack of scolding, even started to cheekily pop into camera view during meeting breaks.
The initially awkward studio team gradually warmed up to his appearances, and before long, they'd even greet the suddenly emerging Mr. Solomon.
Had Fiona not been there with her intimidating presence, felt even from miles away, some might have dared to call him 'brother-in-law.'
By six in the evening, Fiona had just wrapped up the day's meetings.
A lavish dinner waited neatly on the table in the lounge, yet she had not made it there.
Wrapped in Fiona's embrace, Darwin, undeterred by his still-recovering body, kissed her with a fierce hunger.
"Enough already," FIona breathed, pushing his face gently away with the heel of her hand, leaning back.
Darwin buried his face in the crook of her creamy neck, nuzzling her like a puppy.
"Enough? Hardly," he muttered, clearly unsatisfied.
Laughing, Fiona pinched his chin and lifted his face, "So, what do you want, Mr. Solomon? Can you even... handle it now?"
A blatant challenge!
A red-hot provocation!
"Shall we give it a try, Miss Rhoads?" Darwin allowed Fiona to hold his chin, his beautiful eyes swirling with desire and a willing submission.
"Try nothing, let go; I'm dizzy with hunger," retorted Fiona, swatting at Darwin's hand.
This time Darwin complied.
He had seen Fiona's medical report a few days prior.
She was prone to low blood sugar.
As they sat opposite each other, Fiona took a couple of bites and asked, "Have you found Lilian's brother?"
Darwin's smile faded, "Not yet."
"It's strange. There's no record of him at immigration, and his cards show no recent transactions," Fiona mused as her eyelids lowered.
"Chances are, it's not looking good," Darwin added.
Aside from the police, his own people were looking for Thomas.
It was like casting a wide net over the sky and earth, but even so, not a trace of Thomas could be found.
Fiona nodded in agreement.
That day, when Charles and Burl had pinpointed the hitman's location, Fiona was so enraged that she almost bought the story that Anniston was behind it.
But luckily, the doctor had warned that Darwin currently needed to avoid stress.
Ashton clenched her teeth and tried to suppress the unsettling feeling, but over the past few days, the more Fiona thought about it, the more something seemed off.
The Blind Serpent, an organization serving only the rich, had a starting bounty of millions.
Given Anniston's current financial state, coming up with such a sum would greatly strain her purse.
Furthermore, having met her only once, it was unlikely that Anniston harbored such immense hatred as to spend a fortune to have her killed, right?
If she really wanted someone dead, between her and Darwin, Fiona believed Anniston would choose Darwin.
That was one red flag.
Then there was the matter of the signal.
Was Anniston really foolish enough to leave her phone at home after what had happened?
The timing was too coincidental.
And then Fiona came across an update on Lilian's mother's case.
Lilian had informed the police that before the incident, her mother had visited her, tearfully revealing that Thomas had taken the money meant for her treatment and whisked a woman away to the Maldives, leaving Lilian's mother to fend for herself even though she was due for chemotherapy the next day.
Lilian had given her mother twenty thousand dollars and had been trying to reach her brother for the past few days.
As Fiona read on, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
So, she had Darwin send people out to search.
After more than a week, saying Thomas had vanished off the face of the earth wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Her assassination attempt, Thomas's disappearance, and Mrs. Robbins's drowning—all these events had occurred almost simultaneously.
Curiously, Lilian and Anniston, once at odds, had recently grown close.
The bodyguard Darwin assigned to protect Lilian reported back that within a week, Lilian and Anniston spent as much time together as they would in three years. They dined, shopped, went to spas, and Lilian even accompanied Anniston to a private clinic for a check-up.
And deliberately or not, she had avoided all medical facilities associated with the Solomons and Rhoads families. The hospital's healthcare system wasn't even part of the AP network.
"What's on your mind?" Darwin's voice cut through Fiona's thoughts.
"Nothing," Fiona shook her head, "Actually, I need to go home tonight."
Darwin's recovery was making swift progress, which, ironically, had been disrupting Fiona's sleep.
"Why?" Darwin frowned slightly.
His life had never seemed better than it had these past days—waking up and falling asleep with Fiona by his side.
Fiona looked at him, this time with less hesitation, "To spend time with the kids."
"Is your daughter here?" Darwin's eyes brightened at first but then dimmed, "And him? Did he come, too?"
Fiona glanced at him, "Let's talk about this once you're better, okay?"
"So, he's coming, isn't he?" Darwin put down his fork, "I can have someone go pick up the kid; actually, its good that he's coming. Let's take this chance to get the divorce sorted out."
Regardless.
Her marriage was still hanging by a thread, and he was nothing more than her lover!
Fiona couldn't help but chuckle at his demeanor, "The kid's coming with Janna."
After a moment's thought, Fiona spoke earnestly, "Darwin, I'm not sure what my child thinks of you, or if she even wants to meet you. I need to ask for her opinion first."
Darwin paused, slightly taken aback.
The usually confident Mr. Solomon suddenly felt an unfamiliar wave of panic.
"What if your daughter doesn't like me?"
He was trying to mask his anxiety and fear, but Fiona saw right through it.
"It would be quite the predicament, indeed. If that's the case, Mr. Solomon will have to try even harder."
Darwin had not expected such a response.
"You... wouldn't leave me because of this, would you?"
Fiona was momentarily lost for words.
Why would such a vulnerable statement come from Darwin's mouth?
"Mr. Solomon, I recall giving you a chance before I left," Fiona said, looking straight at Darwin.
Of course, Darwin remembered.
They had agreed to go and get married.
And then, one thing after another fell apart.
"Mm," Darwin nodded, "It was my folly for not seizing it, ruining everything we could have had."
Talking about the past still pained Fiona.
She withdrew her gaze from Darwin, stood up, and walked over to him.
Darwin looked up at her.
Fiona had rarely seen him this pitiful before.
Those few times, when he'd look at her through drunken eyes, gazing at someone far away.
Now, he was sober, looking at her with an even more pleading expression, seeking her mercy.
In a flash, Fiona's perspective cleared.
Why should she let someone else enjoy the shade of a tree she had been nurturing for ten years?
Fiona reached out and gently pinched Darwin's cheek.
"If you don't hold on this time, there won't be a next."
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