Chapter 319 A Warning from His Own Son
After learning he was Charles's father, Darwin immediately sought out information about the tissue typing process. He discovered that his current condition didn't meet the donation criteria.
"I won't go."
Darwin sat down, his reply cold and detached.
Burl: "..."
If it weren't for the kids being there, he might have lashed out. (Though, Burl was sure he couldn't take Darwin in a fight, he felt the urge to try!)
At that moment, Fiona, having composed herself, came back.
"Big sis!" Burl, as if seeing a lifeline, jumped up, ran to Fiona, and tugged on her arm, using his eyes to signal her to take a look at Darwin.
"It's okay," Fiona said softly, shaking her head. "I'll go with you for the typing."
"No!"
Burl vehemently refused. How could he leave the kids alone with Darwin? If it had been possible, he would have taken them along for the typing.
"Chicago's gameplay is so bad, sis. You'd better stay and teach her. The guys can accompany me; it'll be fine!" he said, before striding off without waiting for a response.
Chicago: "..."
Then she muttered, "Uncle is so weird. He was all teary, wanting Mom to come with him earlier, and now he suddenly acts all tough."
Fiona almost burst into laughter.
But her smile faded upon seeing Darwin.
"Mom," Charles called to Fiona.
She immediately went over to him, "Grandma Rhoads will be here soon, sweetie. After she visits, we'll go for the check-up, okay?"
Charles reached up, touching Fiona's cheek, "Mom, you haven't had breakfast yet."
Fiona paused, realizing that indeed she hadn't...
"I forgot," she said, looking apologetic.
Charles sighed, "And you're drinking coffee on an empty stomach again. That'll hurt your stomach!"
"Mama's not listening to you, Bro!" Little Chicago stood with her hands on her hips, mock-serious like Darwin, "Chicago's gonna be mad too!"
Fiona couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
Her gaze instinctively flickered to Darwin.
Darwin was sitting there with an unreadable expression, his emotions veiled.
Being used to Charles’s reprimands, it felt strange for Fiona to be reprimanded in front of Darwin for the first time.
"Alright, son, Mama promises to set an alarm and eat breakfast from now on," Fiona solemnly pledged, "Can you cut Mama some slack, please?"
Charles's gaze briefly swept over Darwin, "Your job today was odd, constantly on the phone with what seemed like different companies."
Charles was too astute.
He also kept an eye on financial news and such.
The Rhoads family's scandal of defective products had Darwin featured in the financial headlines, and he had made some arrangements.
A glance was all it took for him to infer the cause and effect.
"Little guy, keeping tabs on Mama's calls, huh?" Fiona feigned ease, "Don't worry, it's just the backlog of work piling up, it’ll ease up soon."
"Okay."
Charles nodded, "I asked Wendy to save some warm milk and toast for you. Go ahead and eat."
"Thanks, sweetheart!"
Fiona kissed Charles on the cheek, " Enjoy your time with Darwin, and Mama will be back in a little while."
"Okay, Mama," Chicago sweetly replied, "Chicago will be a good host to Darwin!"
Once Fiona left.
Chicago immediately reverted to her usual demeanor with Darwin.
"Darwin, my Mama's been really working hard lately, so if she seems a bit distant, don't take it personally, okay?" Chicago spoke in her soft, endearing tone.
Darwin's breath hitched slightly.
He took Chicago's little hand, "Do you love Mama a lot, Chicago?"
Chicago shook her head.
Darwin paused, then responded solemnly, "I really, really love Mama, starting from when Chicago was in Mama's belly. I’ve loved Mama more than anything!"
Proudly, she added, "Chicago's Mama is the prettiest, coolest, kindest, and best Mama in the world!”
Darwin looked at her little proud face.
A reluctant smile finally appeared on his face.
"Do you even remember what it was like in Mama's belly, Chicago?"
Chicago nodded with utmost confidence, "I remember! Mama used to sing to Chicago and Bro, and she told us that story!"
"What story?" Darwin asked, curious.
"Mommy once told me about the time she nearly lost her life to a really bad guy," Chicago said, gazing at Darwin, her eyes steadily brimming with tears, her voice choked with emotion. "But hearing the voices of Charles and Chicago brought her back from the edge. Ever since then, she's had this intense love for Charles and me. It's such a romantic and touching memory!"
The mention of the 'really bad guy' by Chicago made Darwin think back to that harrowing episode when Fiona was kidnapped and nearly strangled to death. Was it during that near-fatal moment that Fiona had clung to life upon hearing the voices of Charles and Chicago?
"Uncle Darwin," Charles, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up.
Looking into his nephew's eyes, which were a pale hue, much like his own, Darwin could see a certain reserved coolness about the young boy. "Yes?" Darwin responded.
"To me and my sister, Mom is everything. She's the most important thing in our lives, and nobody will ever change that. If anyone tries to hurt her, neither Chicago nor I will ever forgive them," Charles said emphatically, each word deep and measured.
Right on cue, Chicago nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yeah, no forgiveness for the big baddie!"
The man in question had gone pale, a silent exchange of determined stares between him and Charles. Darwin caught the unspoken warning in Charles's gaze.
"I'm tired. I want to rest for a while. You two have fun," said Charles, standing up. Without another word, he retreated back to the hospital room.
Darwin watched the small figure walk away, his heart a tumult of emotions.
Meanwhile, Fiona dealt with a few more messes within the Rhoads family business as she ate. "The dessert shop that was exposed in the media was indeed one of our franchisees. Their franchise period actually ended last year, and due to a lapse in management, the storefront wasn't updated in time."
"As for the allegations concerning the medical incident, strictly speaking, that was an instance of medical disturbance, and the hospital is currently pursuing legal action against those causing the trouble."
Those issues were relatively straightforward to resolve. Other incidents, like finding foreign objects in the food or allergic reactions to cosmetics, were rarer occurrences and would take more time to investigate thoroughly.
"Get in touch with the consumers who made these allegations. If they are indeed our customers, we'll need to actively offer compensation. If they're not, let's gather solid evidence. For now, shut down the implicated production lines and take full control of the departments in charge," Fiona instructed.
"And the press conference?" someone asked.
"6:30 PM, and I'll be there personally."
"Understood," came the reply before the phone was hung up.
Fiona attempted to rise but felt a sudden wave of dizziness and hurriedly sat back down.
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