Chapter 419 Returning to My Loved Ones
It was Mike and his team who arrived.
There was a silent understanding among them that night.
They all should have been able to react and intervene after Reed's initial strike.
But nobody moved.
Trained like killing machines, everyone knew the depth of Reed's hatred.
In his shoes, they would have been even more ruthless.
It wasn't until Aria was beyond help that Mike gestured to his men to restrain Reed, and then he called Fiona himself.
After hearing the whole story, Fiona's eyes lowered, and it was a moment before she said, "Get him a good lawyer."
"Understood!"
Then Fiona ended the call.
Outside her window, the cold lights of the freeway shone.
Fiona had no time to dwell on the events that had unfolded; her only thought was to be with her precious family.
Chicago had been frightened during the day and was already sick; who knew how the night would go?
Then there was Charles, who surely knew about the day's events and was likely worried sick about her.
And Darwin's injury, she had no idea how severe it was.
Her world was so busy that she had no room left to feel pity for others.
Most of the media swarm had vanished from the hotel lobby, leaving only some independent bloggers streaming live with their phones.
As her car pulled into the garage, she overheard a broadcaster at the entrance enthusiastically shouting, "Come on, folks, let's boost the carnival! The bigger the carnival, the more motivated I am to capture footage of the tycoon couple!"
Fiona thought to herself, "Really?"
You didn't even notice the tycoon's wife passing right by you.
And yet you talk about boosting the carnival?
The hotel manager had been informed about her return in advance.
He had made sure the private elevator to the presidential suite was available to her.
Fiona headed straight to the suite.
They assumed that Darwin and the kids must be in their rooms at this late hour.
But when she entered, she saw Darwin and the two kids at his side, all slumped over on the couch, asleep.
In that instant, her heart felt a gentle squeeze.
A touch of sorrow mixed with immense gratitude.
Darwin, a light sleeper despite his injured arm, roused even more efficiently.
At the sound, he immediately opened his tired eyes and looked towards Fiona.
Upon seeing her, he tried to get up.
Fiona quickly gestured for him to stay put, slipped off her shoes, put on the hotel slippers, and walked to the living room.
Darwin looked at her, approaching with the eager eyes of a puppy, finally seeing its owner return home.
When Fiona reached him, without a word, she bent down.
Startled for a moment, Darwin thought he was about to receive a kiss.
Her forehead rested against his, her hand resting on his arm. "No fever," Darwin said, "I've been checking."
"Mm."
Fiona again touched Charles's forehead with her own. Both kids were doing just fine.
She reached out and cradled Charles in her arms. Half-asleep, he clung to Fiona, his voice milky with sleep. "Mommy, you're back..."
"Sorry, Charles, Mommy got held up and returned late," Fiona whispered soothingly.
He drooped and closed his eyes. "Did everything go okay?"
"Yeah, everything went very well; it's all taken care of," Fiona answered as she headed to the room. "I'll tell you all about it after you've had a good sleep, okay? For now, just sleep."
"Okay..."
With a soft acknowledgment, he slipped back into his dreams. Fiona laid him back in bed, tucked him in, kissed his forehead, then turned around to head back to the living room, ready to scoop up the other little munchkin for bed.
Chicago leaned against Darwin's arm, not daring to move a muscle.
Fiona came out and deftly lifted Chicago, walking back into the room. Darwin promptly got up and followed her like a loyal puppy.
Just as Fiona was about to lay Chicago down, she woke up.
"Mommy?" Chicago wanted to make sure Fiona was back.
She was almost settled in bed when, like a koala, she clung to Fiona again and burst into tears.
"What's wrong?" Fiona held her, gently patting her back.
Chicago buried her face in Fiona's neck, sobbing but silent about the reason.
Darwin was exasperated. Since he returned, Chicago had seemed okay—she had even fed him dinner and studied independently for a couple of hours. What had suddenly changed?
"Still scared?" Fiona asked.
Chicago nodded, her grip tightening.
Fiona's eyes met Darwin's. He was baffled.
"It's okay, both Mommy and Daddy are here. We're watching over you, Chicago. You're safe; there's no need to be afraid," Fiona whispered, kissing the tip of Chicago's ear. "Mommy's locked the bad guys away."
It was unclear if Chicago absorbed her words.
She continued to hold onto Fiona, weeping softly until, finally, exhaustion won, and she fell asleep crying.
Fiona carefully laid her down, fetched a warm towel, and gently wiped her face, kissing her forehead.
After tending to both little ones, she was ready to rest.
She motioned to Darwin to look outside before she walked out.
Before leaving, Darwin took advantage of the kids sleeping to kiss their foreheads tenderly. But in his nervousness, he yanked his wound, causing him to cringe with pain. However, he dared not make a sound and endured the agony in the living room.
"What's wrong?" Fiona asked, frowning at the sight of his pale face.
When Darwin was okay, he'd lay it on thick. Now that something was up, would he miss the opportunity to play it up? "I tried to sneak a kiss, and I pulled my stitches. It hurts so bad," he said, showing his extreme discomfort.
Fiona was exasperated. "Come here, let me see the injury," she said.
Darwin promptly sat beside her, putting on his most aggrieved look.
Inspecting the bandage, Fiona saw no blood. It didn't seem serious. "Why would you sneak a kiss?" she asked, still frustrated.
"If I don't, they won't let me," Darwin muttered, finishing with a heavy sigh.
"Did you even ask?" Fiona cut right to the core of the issue.
Darwin blinked, feeling stunned. "No, I didn't..."
"How do you know they wouldn't let you if you didn't ask?" Fiona rolled her eyes, deciding not to pursue the topic any further. "What about the situation there? Have your people reported back yet?"
"Yeah." Darwin's expression suddenly turned serious, his presence altering with the gravity of the topic. "Grandma mentioned before that Aria was unclean in his dealings. Because he's a close cousin, a lot of it was tolerated. I never expected..."
"He's dead," Fiona interjected. "He was killed by Reed not long after I left."
"He deserved it!" Darwin declared. "And Reed..."
"Let the law deal with him," Fiona said, dropping her gaze. "The issue of compensation for chemical pollution needs a closer look. Aria couldn't have handled it alone."
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