Chapter 420 What Are You Trying to Prove?
Darwin had clearly understood everything that happened that day, even before Fiona returned.
After she finished speaking, he nodded. "I've already instructed someone to handle it. It's one of those old-timers who had suspiciously close dealings with Aria around that time."
Fiona considered it for a moment. She looked at Darwin earnestly and said, "Darwin, this serves as a wake-up call for both of us. Moving forward, whether it's you or me, we can afford to earn less. But we must steer clear of harmful activities like industrial pollution. Should our subordinates not understand this, we cannot condone it."
She paused, locking eyes with Darwin, and added, "I know you're a materialist, but we're parents to Charles and Chicago now. Even if the possibility of retribution is one in a million, we can't risk something like this befalling them."
It was the first time Fiona had had a calm, face-to-face conversation with Darwin since their marriage.
Darwin gazed into her eyes, a faint sense of déjà vu washing over him as images of Secretary Woods merged with the past. He was known for holding grudges. Learning the truth about his origins and nearly losing his life to his mother had instilled in him a volatile streak of extremism. It wasn't an understatement to say that he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals and maintain absolute control over Solomon.
"Why did you spend nearly all the money I gave you on charitable works when you were with me?" Darwin asked, his voice dry.
After the plane crash, Darwin discovered Fiona's account. Fiona blinked, suddenly remembering her grandmother before she became bedridden. Due to Fiona's intervention, her grandmother's hefty medical bills were paid, and she was placed in an excellent care facility. Fiona had crafted a perfect explanation, showing her job verification with Solomon and proof of a loan. She even convinced her grandmother that she had completed projects at the company and received generous bonuses.
Despite her convincing story, her grandmother was fraught with worry. A news segment on Solomon's latest scandal aired during the one-weekend visit. After watching it, her grandmother expressed deep concern.
"Fiona," she cautioned, "remember what I and your grandfather taught you. It's okay to be poor, but it's never okay to commit crimes. Bad deeds always come back to haunt you."
Retribution.
The word weighed heavily on Fiona like a mountain. During a time when her grandmother's health had stabilized, Darwin, in his generosity, was prone to writing her checks. He wasn't one for presents but never missed an occasion to gift her a check, even for something as trivial as Arbor Day. Over time, these sums accumulated into a substantial amount.
Even during her school days, with her modest allowance, Fiona had directed funds to support students in impoverished regions. She barely remembered what had triggered the change, but after completing a task assigned by Darwin, she overheard a bodyguard mention that Darwin had disposed of someone who'd tried and failed to harm him by feeding them to sharks.
The word "retribution" echoed in her ears like a stark warning. Back then, she had been madly in love with Darwin. To mitigate his sins, she donated all the money he gave her, hoping that it would help others and accumulate some good karma for Darwin.
She never mentioned this to anyone.
The hotel room was filled with the faint scent of fruity aromatherapy. Fiona confronted Darwin, "Don't you know how much I detest those times? Why do you keep bringing them up?"
"I need to know why you did it!" Darwin's lips were drained of color, his complexion pale, and his eyes reddened.
"What do you hope to prove with that answer?" Fiona let out a mocking laugh. "If you expect me to say it was all for love, you're just being ridiculous."
Darwin's eyes grew even redder.
"Here's that tired old line I've grown sick of. The more I loved you back then, the more despicable you were." Fiona lifted her hand and gently caressed Darwin's pale cheek. He looked up at her, his eyes brimming with tears. "If you want to move on, stop dwelling on the past. You destroyed everything we had; there's no return to that."
"I've changed," Darwin managed to say, his voice choked with emotion and a humbleness that seemed foreign to him.
Fiona fell silent for a moment.
For some odd reason, she thought of Lilian.
She remembered how Lilian had looked at her that day at Klein Mansion.
And then, the memory surfaced.
Years ago, Darwin's impatience exploded more than once as he snarled at her with contempt and disdain. "Know your place and stop chasing pipe dreams. You will never replace Lilian."
Never...
"We must investigate the chemical plant issue as soon as possible." Fiona withdrew her hand, got up, and returned to the room she shared with Charles and Chicago.
In the spacious living room, Darwin sat alone on the large sofa.
He had never faced such defeat in his life.
He was constantly seeking approval and still being rejected.
He slumped against the sofa cushions, the anesthesia wearing off, his arm throbbing with pain more intensely than ever.
He wished he could invest a fortune in inventing a time machine to meet the Darwin of ten years ago and tell him, "Fiona will become more important to you than life itself."
He'd tell him to control his anger, cherish and protect her, and never treat her as a substitute for someone else.
The next morning
Fiona had the family doctor, who'd arrived in a hurry the day before, come over to dress Darwin's wounds afresh.
She hadn't slept well herself.
Still in bed catching up on sleep, Charles and Chicago peeked in to check on him, relieved to see he was still alive. Then they returned hand in hand to her room to keep her company.
Thalassa and Kenny were up even earlier. They'd watched the sunrise from a nearby lookout and then went to a well-known local diner for breakfast.
Upon their return, they coincidentally met Chicago, who was checking to see if her dad was okay.
"Our kids, they've seen the world! They know everything's fine as long as you don't kick the bucket," Thalassa joked, leaning on Kenny's arm.
With that, she yawned and then, as if struck by a sudden thought, exclaimed, "It's been ages since I cuddled with my little one. The hotel beds are huge; I might as well join the fun!”
Thalassa ignored Darwin's scowl, which was as dark as a burnt pan, and happily caught up with the child.
Scooping up Chicago, she showered the child with kisses while walking.
Darwin could still hear his daughter's resigned voice from afar. "Godmother, ease up a bit; you're squishing Chicago's face!"