Chapter 363 What Right Does He Have to Feel Aggrieved?
Darwin remained silent.
Janna waved it off. "Alright, I can never understand you young people’s love affairs, but I'll say this. Fiona is my precious granddaughter. You’d better not hurt her again. I don’t care how ruthless you are. If you harm her, I’ll make sure you pay dearly, even if it costs the Rhoads family everything."
“I won’t do anything, Janna,” Darwin hastily assured her.
Janna coughed into her hand a few times and waved him off, “Aren’t you supposed to tell Chicago a bedtime story? Off you go.”
“Are you feeling alright?” Darwin asked with concern.
Janna shook her head. “It’s just old age. Don’t fuss. Now go.”
Darwin agreed, but before leaving, he insisted, “If you're feeling ill, you have to say something. Don’t just tough it out.”
After Darwin left, Janna let out a long sigh.
* * *
Chicago changed into her pajamas.
As Thalassa muttered to Chicago, a knock at the door interrupted their quiet chat. Darwin had arrived.
"Come in," Thalassa said, sharing a knowing look with Chicago. "Time for the fairy godmother to make her exit."
"Okay. Goodnight."
With a tender kiss on Chicago's forehead, Thalassa turned to leave. Charles, who didn't take kindly to anyone but his mom showing affection, waved at her casually. "Don't stay up too late reading. Make sure you get some rest."
"Goodnight, fairy godmother," Charles said with a calm, indifferent air.
Thalassa pressed her lips together, responding with a resigned "Goodnight," before stepping out.
She cast a glance at Darwin, then went back to her own room. Darwin pushed the door open and entered.
"Charles..." he began.
"I don't need a bedtime story tonight. Ask Chicago if she wants one," Charles quickly interjected.
Darwin scanned the book in his hands and realized that no children's picture stories were needed.
"I'm not into princes and princesses," Chicago piped up as Darwin sat down, looking somewhat perplexed.
Fairy tales were all about princes and princesses, weren't they?
"Got it," Darwin replied, trying to appear unaffected. "Chicago, how about I tell you a story my grandma used to tell me when I was a boy?"
"What kind of story?" Chicago's large eyes twinkled with curiosity.
"Have you ever heard of Aladdin?" Darwin asked.
Chicago shook her head; she had no clue who that was.
So, Darwin began weaving the tale of Aladdin in a gentle voice, coloring it with vivid memories from his childhood. Chicago listened with rapt attention, her eyelids drooping as she stubbornly fought sleep to hear more.
As Darwin finished the story, Chicago immediately fell asleep. He let out a relieved sigh before tucking her in carefully. He thought about giving Chicago a kiss, but since he thought she might not have fully forgiven him yet, he decided to wait for her permission.
With that in mind, he stood and approached Charles's bed.
Charles closed his book and placed it on the nightstand.
"Did I do alright today, Charles?" Darwin ventured to ask.
"Being a dad isn't just another job," Charles replied. "But you made Chicago happy today, so I guess you did okay."
Darwin shook his head with a helpless chuckle. "I don't think I've ever felt so out of my depth before."
"Will you be here tomorrow too?" asked Charles.
"I will," Darwin responded without hesitation. You didn't look so good today. Were you tired, maybe? Tomorrow..." he trailed off as he expressed his concern.
"I'll tell you if I ever feel tired or unwell," Charles said, gazing at Darwin. "You don't need to be so cautious."
Darwin was caught off guard for a moment as he realized that Charles was more mature than he had anticipated.
"How about we pick out some stuff for you and your sister's room, okay?"
"Sure." Charles nodded in agreement.
"Goodnight then."
"Goodnight."
Darwin ruffled Charles's hair gently and tiptoed out of the room.
Charles stared at the closed door then touched his forehead, wondering if Darwin had forgotten to give him a goodnight kiss. Shaking his head, he thought to himself, 'I still have a lot to learn about having a dad.'
Darwin stepped out of the children’s room and let out a long sigh. At this hour, everyone in Fiona's household was either asleep or enjoying some alone time in their rooms.
Descending the stairs, Darwin found Wendy preparing to leave. "Heading out, Mr. Darwin?"
He glanced at the time. "I'm going to wait a bit longer."
"Alright then, I'm off. Goodnight," Wendy said, and with that, she was out the door.
Darwin settled on the sofa, taking advantage of this moment of peace to go through his emails. He methodically read and responded to each task that seemed to surge from his inbox.
He glanced up at the clock periodically, aware of the backlog of tasks that had piled up for Fiona recently.
After wrapping up most of her work, Fiona finally got home close to 1 a.m. She was so exhausted she could have fallen asleep against the elevator wall.
She entered the living room, heels in hand, and was about to head upstairs when she noticed a figure curled up on the sofa.
She approached the sofa and found Darwin, his face half-hidden in the dim light. Despite everything, she had to admit that the man was undeniably handsome. That charm that had made her indulge in his presence and she had lived in a dreamlike state for years.
"Wake up," Fiona said softly, squatting down to gently tap on Darwin's shoulder.
Darwin frowned and slowly opened his eyes. He looked worn out from the day's activities with the kids.
He stared at Fiona for a few seconds as if he was returning from a hazy dream and asked, "What time is it?"
"It's one o'clock," Fiona replied. "Why didn’t you head back? You fell asleep here..."
Darwin buried his face in the crook of his arm. The couch had left him a bit sore. "I wanted to wait for you to get off work, and I guess I just dozed off without realizing it."
Fiona chuckled lightly. "Long day with the kids?"
Darwin lifted his head to look at her with a weary but contented expression. "It was tiring, but I’m happy.”
He had woken up with eyes that held no aggression, just the kind of clingy, needy look that reminded Fiona of a forlorn puppy.
A puppy?
Fiona felt like she was losing her mind as she saw that same helpless reflection in Darwin's eyes.
"Do you need to go back?" Fiona asked.
"Can I stay?" Darwin replied, his voice carrying a tinge of vulnerability.
Fiona was not accustomed to this.
It had to be her imagination.
Why was he upset?
"There's a guest room next to the study on the first floor. We change the linens regularly. Go get some sleep," Fiona said, pointing to the room before standing up to leave.
But Darwin suddenly grasped her wrist, causing her to pause in surprise.
"Stay and talk with me a little longer," he pleaded. "Chicago and Charles seem to like the other place, but if you don't want to move, I can move here."
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