Chapter 395 Make Some Extra Cash

Shortly after, Burl, Charles, and Chicago were seated together in the living room.

Burl looked particularly nervous.

Eagerly watching Darwin, he called Fiona to assure her he was fine, just a bit groggy from a deep sleep.

"Burl…" Chicago glanced at Burl with clear eyes filled with disappointment and gloom that caused Burl even more unease.

The rumor that Darwin might have a dangerous blood clot in his head started with Burl.
It had frightened Charles enough to quickly look up information online, where there were cases of people not waking up.

That's when they decided to inform their mother immediately.

"Everyone makes mistakes; I was also concerned," Burl mumbled.

Charles shook his head.

At that moment, Darwin ended the call.

"What did my sister say?" Burl asked.

"She's on her way back," Darwin replied, his tone surprisingly cheerful, as if he was in a pretty good mood.
"Since you're okay, I'm off to help my sister with her studies," Charles said as he rose to his feet, taking Chicago's hand and heading toward the study.

Chicago was dragging her heels.

"Charles, is a hematoma in the brain a serious condition?" Chicago had just learned about the dangerous condition that lurked in Darwin's head.

Charles was silent for a moment. "It's hard to say."

Chicago hung her head low, falling silent, too.

Upon entering the study, Charles pulled up the recorded stream from yesterday, adjusting it to where Chicago had left off, and opened her textbook.

"I'll teach you."

Chicago blinked. "Charles, I’m not scared of being illiterate anymore. I want to paint more and sell them."

"Sell them?"

Chicago nodded. "To make more money."

Charles paused, then it dawned on him. "You want to use the money for Darwin's treatment?"

"And for Charles," Chicago quickly added.

Charles was at a loss for words.

A mixture of emotions played across her tiny, expressive face.

After a moment, Charles brought up news articles related to Darwin and read them to Chicago.

Listening to the news, Chicago's mouth formed an 'O' in shock.

"Uncle's a tycoon?"

"Yes," Charles replied, resetting the textbook's position, "the family doesn't need you to make money, nor do we need another little illiterate. Go on, study."

And so, young Chicago, still reeling from the revelation of her father's wealth, began her studies bewildered.

Charles taught with dedication.

Chicago also studied earnestly, but her mind was busy figuring out just how wealthy a tycoon could be.

However, with her equally weak understanding of mathematics, she needed help to grasp the extent of that wealth.

Fiona returned before long.

Burl, afraid of getting scolded, had already taken advantage of Darwin's distraction to dash off to his job at Solomon's.

Upon leaving, he had responsibly messaged Fiona: "Sis, I'm off to work. I won't be home for dinner. Love you."

The message was sent at 3:30 PM.

Under normal traffic conditions, it took Burl forty minutes to get to Solomon's, just enough time before the end of his shift.

"Real nice…" Fiona muttered to herself, amused and slightly annoyed.

As she changed shoes in the foyer, Darwin, who had been waiting in the living room, quickly got up and greeted her.

Seeing Fiona, a smile instantly blossomed across his face.

"Welcome back!"

Fiona looked up at him.

His complexion did seem much better than the day before.

Still, Darwin had always been a light, vigilant sleeper, so sleeping so profoundly for so long was out of the ordinary.

"You should pop by the hospital," Fiona suggested as she walked past.
"Honey, I'm fine," Darwin said with laughter and frustration, "Didn't my primary doctor share the test results with you? You can relax..."

"But he also said that suddenly feeling sleepy is unusual and carries certain risks," Fiona responded.

Darwin felt helpless.

Then, in an overreach, he performed his next act.

"You're coming with me."

Fiona shot him a speechless look.

At that moment, the door to the study burst open, and Charles came storming out, fuming with anger.

It was rare to see Charles this upset.

"Charles, what's wrong?" Fiona ignored Darwin and strode over quickly.

At the sight of Fiona, Charles's expression froze momentarily before shifting to a complex mix of emotions.

"Weren't you helping your sister with her studies?" Darwin walked over as well.

At the mention of this, Charles's frown deepened.

After a moment, he said, "I can't teach her!"

"Can't teach her?" Darwin was baffled. "But she's so smart; how can she not get it?"

Charles didn't even want to recall the recent experience.

A ten-minute tutorial video covered a single page from the textbook.

To Charles, it seemed straightforward, but just as Chicago had grasped one concept, the next second she was blanking out.

After repeating this cycle three times, Charles felt an unprecedented sense of defeat.

After the fourth attempt, Charles had left the room in a huff.

"Sure, she's smart, but her mind's not on it!" Charles lamented, frustrated.

Fiona gently patted his head.

"Daddy will go have a look," announced Darwin, and he headed towards the study.

Upon opening the door, Chicago was slumped over the desk, looking quite upset.

When she heard someone enter, she quickly turned around, "I..."

But when she saw it was Darwin, the spark in her eyes faded, and she slumped back down, hanging her head low.

Darwin walked in and sat across from her. He glanced at the open textbook and the homework book marred by red Xs. Towards the back, one X was marked with such force that it had torn the page.

Before Darwin could speak, Chicago blurted out, "I just can't learn it; there's nothing I can do."

Darwin patted her head reassuringly and spoke softly, "Chicago, you're so bright. Dad believes there's nothing you can't learn if you set your mind to it."

Chicago peeked up at him from the crook of her arm, half-doubtful, half-hopeful.

"Charles doesn't believe that," she murmured before burying her eyes again.
"Charles believes it too," Darwin stated with conviction. "He thinks your repeated failures are deliberate, that you just don't want to do well."

"I did not!" Chicago immediately sat up, huffing with defiance.

Darwin looked at her and slid the notebook back in front of her. "Prove it to him. I'll be right here with you."

Chicago's eyes met Darwin's. A moment later, she refocused on her homework. She picked up her pen, clicked on a video, and started to relearn the material.

Fiona had managed to soothe Charles and now made her way to the study. The door was ajar, and she peeked in to see Darwin seriously correcting Chicago's writing. Her hand rested on the doorknob; she hesitated, then turned and returned to the living room.

Charles was still worried about his sister and hadn't gone to his room. When he saw Fiona return, he asked with a puzzled look, "Mom, why are you back?"

"Dad's helping her learn," Fiona said as she sat on the couch and opened her arms to Charles.

He walked over, and she immediately scooped him into her embrace.
The Substitute's Revenge: From Secretary to Queen
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