Chapter 331 Going Public
Chicago's mouth hung open in astonishment. "Darwin is our dad?"
"Yep," Fiona confirmed with a nod. "We weren't fighting then. Darwin was just worried about my health and didn't want me to work. He lost his temper in the moment. Kind of like how Mommy sometimes gets too anxious and snaps at you, Chicago."
Chicago looked down, as if she was realizing something.
"So, it's not that jerk Darwin who didn't want me and Charles?"
"Honey, it's not that he didn't want you—it's that he didn't know..." Fiona trailed off as she realized it wasn't entirely a lie. Darwin really hadn't known they were still around.
"I like him even less now, Mommy!" Chicago puffed up, agitated.
"But what if he starts behaving better?" Fiona coaxed gently. "Remember how Uncle Burl used to annoy you, but once he started being nicer, you started liking him again?"
"It's different!" Chicago crossed her arms, growing more upset.
Fiona sighed. "But what can we do? I’m already married to him, and we're going to live together from now on."
"What?" Chicago turned around, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor.
"Yeah." Fiona looked at her innocently and nodded.
Chicago turned away, completely flabbergasted.
Thalassa looked worried. "What is she talking about? Chicago's mood swings are something else. Her emotions change from one minute to the next. She's all deflated now!"
"Who knows? Charles, why the heck did you close the door?" Janna sounded anxious too.
Charles glanced at the grown-ups, shook his head, and strolled back to his room with his hands behind his back.
Chicago wanted to take a moment to cool off alone.
But it was dinner time.
Her stomach growled with hunger, and after giving it some thought, she begrudgingly decided to end today's time-out.
Before going back inside, she suddenly asked, "If we’re going to live with him, what about Grandma Rhoads? And Uncle? What about my little animal friends? Will he like them?"
"Chicago, he loves you, you know. You can talk to him about anything," Fiona said gently, caressing her cheek. "He won't dislike your friends."
Chicago's eyes fluttered downward, shadowed by her long lashes.
"I remember talking to him about my friends when we went to the amusement park. He seemed okay with them."
"Exactly. Don't be down, Chicago. Remember, you've always wanted him to be your dad. Now he is. That's great, right?" Fiona reassured her with warmth in her voice.
This revelation seemed to weigh heavily on Chicago.
"I'm hungry," she muttered, her head drooping.
"Then let's have dinner!" Fiona declared, grabbing her hand, and sliding the patio door open.
They were greeted by the gazes of Thalassa, Janna, and Stuart.
"I've made up with Chicago. Aren't you guys happy to see that?" Fiona raised an eyebrow inquiringly.
Janna snorted. "Why wouldn't I be thrilled? You two always stick together."
With that, Janna stood up and left the room, clearly upset.
Fiona handed Chicago over to Thalassa and followed Janna out.
"Grandma," Fiona called, catching up.
"Just got a call from PR," Janna said gravely. "Solomon's given us a piece of land. It’s a plot we would never have outbid them for. Plus, there are some unresolved issues. Someone's posting retractions online, and someone else has turned themselves into the cops."
Fiona's eyes dropped. This must be Darwin's doing, she thought.
"What deal did you make with Darwin?" Janna asked sharply, concern creasing her brow. "You didn't give up custody of Charles and Chicago, did you?"
"Of course not!" Fiona replied instantly.
"What then?" Janna had worried all afternoon.
"I married Darwin," Fiona revealed.
Janna stopped dead, shock written on her face. "You did what? You married him?"
Fiona nodded. "It means we no longer have to fight for custody."
"Is marriage just a game to you? A bargaining chip?" Janna snapped, anger rising in her voice. "Your relationship with him is a tangled mess. You haven’t even figured that out yet, and you married him? How do you know the Solomon family won't have more tricks up their sleeve?"
"He wouldn’t do anything, even if it was for Charles and Chicago," Fiona responded calmly. "Grandma, any trouble I've caused... it ends today."
Janna was beside herself as tears formed in her eyes. "Are you out of your mind? When have I ever considered your issues a burden?" She reached for her phone. "I'm calling Darwin now! I need to understand what he's really planning."
Fiona firmly grasped her hand, stopping her.
"He's already showing weakness," Fiona whispered.
"It’s only a piece of property, and he wants to take my daughter from the Rhoads family over that? He must be dreaming!” Janna was seething with rage and wished she could stab Darwin.
Fiona gently stroked the back of her hand and consoled her. “I’m really tired, Grandma. I don't want to struggle anymore. Let it be. He'll deal with Solomon, and I'll handle my affairs. We'll let nature take its course so long as Charles and little Chicago grow up well.
After a pause, she added, "At worst, I'll be a widow."
"How can you be so resigned to your fate?!" Janna scolded, her frustration apparent.
As they were talking, Stuart came rushing over.
"Ladies! Something terrible has happened!" he exclaimed upon reaching Janna, brandishing his phone. "That scoundrel Darwin has announced his marriage to Chelsea on all of Solomon's social media platforms!"
"What?!" Janna snapped, grabbing the phone to see the outrageous truth.
"He's shameless. How dare he such rumors!" Stuart was indignant. "Ma'am, we need to get the PR department on this immediately and discredit him completely!"
Janna was speechless. She jabbed Fiona's arm fiercely. "You, just... you're letting me down!"
Stuart urged, “We need to hurry! It'll be trending any minute!”
"There’s no point in releasing a statement," Fiona said apologetically as she shook her head at Stuart.
"Why not?" he asked, baffled.
"Because the marriage is real," Fiona admitted regretfully.
Stuart staggered back, his expression dramatically incredulous.
Just as Stuart had predicted, #DarwinChelseaMarriage shot up the trending list within minutes, and not long after, it exploded as the top trending topic.
"The marriage announcement has been made on the internal and external networks, all of the company accounts, and even the official website. It feels just like back when the whole internet declared their love for Secretary Woods!"
"After all these years following Mr. Solomon's love life, we finally see the day he gets hitched!"
"Okay, I hate to be a buzzkill, but I have to say, if Secretary Woods was alive, we might have seen this grand announcement five years ago. Today marks a day of unresolved feelings for Secretary Woods too..."
The internet buzzed with activity.
Locked away in the Klein Mansion, Lilian sought refuge in the room farthest from the living room where the ashes were kept. Clutching her phone, she discovered the overwhelming official announcements pouring into the company's group email inbox.
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