Chapter 362 I Want It All
They had only walked a short distance from Kenny’s house when Chicago suddenly stopped.
"What's the matter?" Darwin asked.
Darwin quickly asked, "Hey, Jessie!" From a short distance away, a beautiful Golden Retriever with a glistening coat turned her head.
Excited, Chicago bounded towards the friendly creature. The Golden Retriever recognized Chicago and eagerly dashed over to greet her.
From the shadows, the dog's owner, who was preoccupied with a phone call, jolted as the leash was yanked from her grasp. Wincing, she let go, and Jessie, now free, raced to Chicago's side.
The two friends, who hadn't seen each other for days, were overjoyed. Jessie circled Chicago multiple times, her tail a blurred fan of happiness.
As Darwin looked on, the scene was peaceful, but he was nearly scared out of his wits. He was about to approach when someone beat him to it. “Where’d this kid come from? Did anyone bother to watch her?"
A woman in sleek yoga gear had irritation etched on her face, and she called out disdainfully to Chicago without missing a beat.
Chicago paused, instinctively shielding the Retriever, while looking bewilderedly at the approaching woman.
Aurora had been having a rough couple of days. She could stand setbacks at work, it wasn’t like she was hurting financially. What really irked her was her inability to stop herself from lingering near Kenny's place. She would often see him and his new girlfriend, who clearly didn't compare to Aurora, being affectionate.
A few nights ago, she had even seen them sharing a heated kiss in the car while walking her dog. Aurora knew that Kenny was heading back to college soon, she continued to hover around, hoping to run into his girlfriend. She had to tell that woman what kind of man Kenny was and that she was nowhere near good enough for him. She should have backed off gracefully!
Luck wasn’t on her side. She hadn’t run into Kenny’s girlfriend, and she had also been nearly tripped up by some neighborhood brat.
"Jessie! Come here!" barked Aurora, scolding the dog with a sternness that didn't match the situation.
Her head hung low, the Golden Retriever shuffled back to its owner. To Chicago's horror, Aurora picked up the leash and spitefully smacked it across Jessie's head.
"Jessie!" Chicago cried out, ready to rush forward.
"Chicago," Darwin intercepted, quickly scooping Chicago into his arms and glaring at Aurora in disapproval. "Grown-ups like you should know how to handle a dog without throwing a fit at someone else's kid."
Aurora stared at Darwin in shock. "Who are you?"
"I'm her dad. Is there a problem here?" Darwin's commanding presence left Aurora speechless and unable to say a word.
"It's not my fault, miss. You shouldn't have called Jessie over. Please don't hit her," Chicago pleaded with teary eyes, gazing sorrowfully at the cowering Golden Retriever whose eyes brimmed with unshed tears.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Solomon. I didn't know she was your daughter." Aurora was in the middle of negotiating a deal with Solomon, and she couldn't afford to offend Darwin. She softened her expression as she turned to Chicago. "Sweetie, I didn't mean it, and Jessie isn't hurt. I won't do it again, okay? Don't be upset."
As Darwin saw Chicago's worried and distressed face, he felt a pang in his heart.
"You’re a good girl, Chicago. None of this is your fault. That lady was out of line to mistreat an animal like that. She's the one to blame," Darwin said sharply, each word poking at Aurora's conscience. "Don't be upset, let's go home."
Chicago nodded meekly, her gaze still lingering on the Golden Retriever.
With a meaningful glance at Aurora, Darwin scooped up Chicago protectively and walked away.
Resting her head on Darwin's shoulder, Chicago looked back at the dog with a mix of remorse and affection.
Once they were gone, Aurora sighed in relief.
"Where did Darwin get such a big kid from?" She mused, eyes downcast, a surge of apprehension and anxiety within her. Thankfully, she'd only given the child an earful and hadn’t laid a hand on her. Otherwise, she would be in real trouble.
"This damn dog is always causing me grief!" Aurora grumbled, giving poor Jessie a reproachful kick. The pup cowered and whined softly.
She cast another glance at Darwin and his daughter disappearing into the distance, her mood souring even further.
She turned around, her eyes falling on the house by the lake. That was Kenny's place. "Ever since Kenny left, that woman's been coming home late at night. She must be messing around. She's no good, I'm sure of it!" she hissed, clenching her teeth. "Just let me catch you slipping!"
As Thalassa parked her car, she saw Darwin comforting Chicago as she approached.
"Wow, Mr. Solomon, you've got a way with kids, huh? Have you settled everything in just one day?" Thalassa clapped her hands playfully.
When Chicago heard Thalassa's voice, she wriggled out of Darwin's arms and ran toward her. "Fairy Godmother!"
Her voice trembled with distress, and she was on the verge of tears.
Thalassa’s amusement turned to concern as she crouched down and enveloped Chicago in a comforting hug. "My little sweetheart, what happened? Did someone yell at you? Did they hurt you?"
Her gaze shifted to Darwin, ready to go to battle on Chicago's behalf.
"The mean lady hit Jessie on the head," Chicago cried. "It was so loud. Jessie must be in so much pain!”
Bob adored his Golden Retriever Jessie. Why would he ever hit her? "Who is this mean lady? Is she a dogsitter or someone else?” Thalassa asked as she gently stroked Chicago's back.
“She’s not a dogsitter. She’s some lady I don’t know,” she replied.
Thalassa knew Jessie, although they had never met. She knew about the dog mostly because of Chicago’s stories. Jessie was a gorgeous two-year-old Golden Retriever that belonged to Bob and Grace.
“Don’t cry,” Thalassa comforted as she lifted Chicago into a hug, patting her shoulder gently. “I’ll talk to Bob about it soon. We’ll get that mean lady fired!”
“Yeah!” Chicago nodded seriously.
Bob and Grace were getting on in years, and that woman seemed nasty. What if she ended up bullying them?
She had to go!
Chicago’s happy day ended in sorrow because of this incident.
Thalassa drew a bath for Chicago and took her time consoling her until she began to recover from her sadness.
Downstairs, Darwin shared some tea with Janna.
After hearing about what happened that evening, Janna sighed. “Chicago's such a sweet and smart kid, but she feels too much... She’d get upset about the slightest injury to flowers or plants, even when she was younger.”
Janna paused before adding, “I'm not sure which of you two she takes after.”
Darwin could only smile wryly.
“To be honest, I'm a little disappointed in you,” Janna retracted her gaze from Darwin. “But now that you’re married, there’s no changing it. So tell me, what are your intentions? Did you marry Fiona just because you wanted children?”
Darwin looked at Janna. “I want it all,” he responded without hesitation.
Janna snorted, “You want it all? What was with your attitude before?”
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