Chapter 405 Stuart's Fate Unknown
Chicago stared at Darwin in surprise.
Her eyes were big and dark, and when she looked at Darwin like that, she had a cute impact that hit him hard.
Darwin's fondness and affection for her were so intense they couldn't be diluted.
Then she said to him with sympathy, "That's pretty sad."
He was a tall grown-up, a father to children, yet he had never tasted ice cream.
In a short while, Chicago and Darwin bought a box of tri-colored ice cream and sat outside the convenience store, eating leisurely.
"Do you have a good relationship with your great-grandmother?" Chicago asked as they chatted.
Darwin momentarily looked ahead and was silent. "She was very strict with me."
Chicago nodded.
Was that why he had never had ice cream all these years?
"But she gave me everything she could," Darwin turned back to look at the little one beside him. "So, yes, we were close."
"Chicago always had such a special bond with Grandma Rhoads," Chicago murmured, her spoon pausing mid-scoop of ice cream. A weight seemed to settle on her young shoulders as she added, "I just wish she didn't have to die. Once you're gone, you're gone for good, and that scares me."
Today, it had been a rough day for her.
But she had met her great-grandmother before. Although frail, she was still a sizable adult. How could someone so oversized fit into such a tiny box?
Her godmother explained the process to her.
"Do you miss Grandma Rhoads?" Darwin asked softly.
Chicago looked at him and nodded. "Grandma Rhoads' Charlie is dying. I don't want to bother her right now."
This was the first time anyone had directly told Chicago about this.
She had overheard her mom and godmother discussing it.
Darwin's heart sank with pity.
He sometimes disliked how overly mature Chicago and her brother Charlie could be. Being grown-up often meant facing more hardship than necessary.
"It's not like that, Chicago," Darwin said, his gaze intense and earnest, a departure from his usual gentle demeanor. "Grandma Rhoads loves you a lot, right?"
She nodded again.
"If she's upset, seeing you won't be a bother. It might cheer her up to see someone she loves."
"Really?" she asked, hopeful.
"Absolutely," Darwin said with conviction, then pulled out his phone.
He sent a WhatsApp message to Janna: "Grandma Rhoads, Chicago's missing you. Can we video chat for a bit?"
Seconds after the message was sent, Janna called.
"Look at that," Darwin said with a hint of pride, tilting his chin toward Chicago and answering the call.
"Chicago!" Before the girl could respond, Grandma Rhoads' voice filled the space.
Tears welled up in Chicago's eyes instantly.
"Grandma Rhoads..." she managed to say.
Seeing Chicago's tearful face on the video, Janna was immediately concerned. "Oh, what's wrong, sweetheart? Did Daddy upset you?"
Darwin was speechless.
Chicago shook her head, then smiled through her red eyes, lifting her ice cream for her grandma to see. "We're just at the convenience store having ice cream."
Janna's eyes sharply looked at Darwin. "You took her out for ice cream? Does her mother know about this?"
"It was Mommy who asked him to bring me here," Chicago blurted out eagerly. "Grandma Rhoads, I got soaked in the rain today and have a fever, so I can have some ice cream, right?"
"A fever?" Janna became anxious. "How are you feeling now? Did you take any medicine?"
"I took some medicine, but I still have a slight fever. It'll go away after I eat the ice cream!" Chicago declared confidently.
The air carried a hint of moisture later on.
Darwin held his phone, listening to Chicago and Janna's childishly endearing conversation.
His heavy heart found healing in their words.
They talked for a good fifteen minutes.
Then, there was a knock on Janna's door, and somebody came in.
After that, she apologized to Chicago. "Sweetie, Grandma has to go now. If you miss me, just let your mom and dad know, okay?"
"Okay!" Chicago waved at Janna. "Bye, Grandma Rhoads."
"Bye, my little Chicago. Take care."
After the video call ended, Janna's expression immediately turned stern.
She fixed her gaze on the newcomer. "Well? Still no sign of Stuart?"
The man's face was solemn. "We found the car."
"What do you mean you 'found the car'?" Janna's brows furrowed.
"Stuart's car... It's at the bottom of a cliff on the West Coast, smashed to bits. Only half of the frame's left; the waves have swept the rest away."
"A cliff?"
Janna shot to her feet.
With reddened eyes, the man lowered his head in sorrow. "Ma'am, it's Stuart—he..."
"Impossible!" Janna slammed her hand on the table. "Dead or alive, I want him found. Start searching immediately!"
"Yes, ma'am! Please take care of yourself and try not to get upset!"
"Go! Find him!" She struck the table again.
The man quickly left.
Once alone, Janna felt the room spin and collapsed into a chair.
Just two nights ago, Stuart had gone out to investigate something and had stumbled upon crucial evidence. He phoned Janna immediately, assuring her he would return at once.
But after the call ended, Stuart vanished.
The image of the car, reduced to a mere frame on a cliffside, tore at Janna's heart.
She tried to compose herself.
Opening WhatsApp, she scrolled to her conversation with Stuart. It stopped at a voice message from him, which she played. Stuart's voice came through, grave and weighted, "Ma'am, this thing with the young master wasn't an accident."
Right after sending that message, he had called her.
Though not her biological child, Stuart had been raised by Janna as her own from a young age and was just as dear to her.
For over thirty years, Stuart was by her side wherever she went.
If he was truly gone...
Janna's gaze suddenly hardened with resolve.
Stuart was always careful; his car wouldn't accidentally plunge off a cliff. If there was an accident, it had to be sabotaged.
"Ken! Alice!"
Janna clutched the armrest of her chair, her eyes blazing with a fury that could incinerate everything in its path.
*
After a heartwarming video call, Chicago visibly perked up.
However, since they'd eaten their fill, their ice cream had melted quite a bit.
Darwin bought two more mini cones and, after finishing them with Chicago outside the convenience store, they strolled toward the hotel.
In the hotel lobby.
On the way to the elevators, there was a sitting area that couldn't be missed.
A gaunt woman in her forties sat there, clutching an old handbag to her chest.
Her hands were trembling, and her eyes darted around erratically.
Her chapped lips moved continuously, as if she was rapidly repeating a mantra to herself.
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