Chapter 426 Diverting Attention
Alice was delighted. "I thought my mother was shielding Chelsea out of belief in her abilities, but it turns out..."
She couldn't help laughing. "She wanted to cause us trouble but ended up shooting herself in the foot!"
"Still, this press conference might have offended Darwin," Ken commented, slightly apprehensive.
But Alice wasn't bothered in the least.
"We don't need to do business with Armie Country. Once we're overseas, the Rhoads family can intensify their efforts, and I see no reason why they wouldn't take down Solomon if necessary," she said as she curled an arm around Ken's neck. "Honey, I've always told you you're the most capable man. Your mother held you back in the past, but now things are different. The Rhoads family will soon be yours, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to flex your muscles. We don't have to worry about Darwin's crowd."
Ken was deeply flattered by Alice's praise. With an affectionate kiss, he reassured her, "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll ensure you become the woman no one dares to cross!"
Alice's laugh was irresistibly charming.
Over the years, Ken hadn't been without other women; after all, infidelity was a common vice among men, and he was no exception.
But no matter how tempting the women outside, Alice always had the most hold on Ken.
After their intimate exchange
They wore somber masks and went to the funeral to greet the guests. Among those attending the memorial service were Chris's friends, many Rhoads family members, and those who had business with them.
"Ken, this has all been so sudden and consecutive; my condolences," one of the Rhoads family's vice presidents came with several large wreaths, walking up to Ken, offering his comfort. "Don’t worry about Chelsea. The board used to listen to her because of your mother's pressure, but few truly fear her now."
Alice stood by, a mask of grief and disappointment on her face. "Mother was so good to her, and everyone knew it, but we never expected that right after Mother's incident, she would ally with Darwin from Solomon and commit such a harmful act against the company..."
"A woman, once married, naturally supports her own family," Ken shook his head and sighed.
The vice president's face turned sour.
Support one's family at the expense of the one she was born into? Besides, it was hard to tell if Chelsea held any Rhoads family allegiance anymore.
"A base ingrate, that's what it is!" he cursed.
"Chelsea?"
Just then, someone cried out in surprise.
Ken and Alice, along with a few others, paused and then looked toward the source of the voice, freezing in place.
A bodyguard rushed, "Ma'am, we only realized when they got to the doorstep."
Alice glared fiercely at the bodyguard.
So many people were watching Chelsea and Darwin, yet they only found out when their opponents knocked on their door!
Keeping her frustration aside, Alice quickly slipped back into a face of startled delight.
"Chelsea, you're here!" She hurried forward and said, "Ken and I were just talking about stopping by to see you after the funeral."
Fiona stood in a somber black dress suit.
Her gaze was expressionless as she faced Alice: "I never received an invitation, but given that it was my uncle's funeral, I took the liberty of coming."
Alice's smile froze momentarily. "We've been so swamped lately, it must have been an oversight by my staff. I'll give them an earful later!"
"No need."
Fiona didn't look at Alice again.
She walked straight to the chapel, where the casket, encircled by white chrysanthemums, lay at the center.
Darwin drew out an incense stick, lit it, and handed it to Fiona.
She took it, ignoring everyone around her, and closed her eyes.
She said nothing in her mind.
A moment later, she placed the incense into the burner.
The vice president, still smirking, spoke up, "Chelsea, is this not our first encounter since your wedding?"
Darwin's look was icy toward the man.
The vice president's face stiffened.
Though his words were pleasant, how many weren't intimidated by Darwin?
He tried to maintain his composure, avoiding Darwin's glance.
His eyes fell instead on Fiona.
He had three encounters with this vice president in total.
The previous two were at the significant shareholder meetings of the Rhoads family.
His impression was that she was quiet and easy to manipulate.
He dismissed that now.
The outcomes of both meetings had been swayed or rejected by Chelsea, who hardly spoke.
Operating on the assumption that it's best to pick on the weak, he was prepared to embarrass Chelsea in front of the crowd.
But little did he know...
The stunning woman before him looked him up and down slowly, then questioned, "And you are?"
The vice president's jowls trembled.
"I'm the vice president of the Rhoads family. We've met at the shareholders' meetings. I was sitting right across from you!" he declared loudly.
Could this woman be so forgetful? Couldn’t she remember someone she'd met twice?!
No, she must be feigning ignorance, aiming to shame him publicly.
"Oh," Fiona responded coolly, then glanced away, looking back at Alice. "Where's Jannie?"
Alice was taken aback. "Oh, Jannie's not doing well. She's resting at home."
Fiona's look at Alice was layered with complexity.
Alice was utterly baffled; her unease was growing.
She was waiting for Fiona to press on, but Fiona withdrew her gaze and looped her arm through Darwin's. "Let's take a seat over there."
The vice president stood there, slowly realizing that Chelsea had dismissed him.
"Miss Rhoads, how dare you be so impolite?" the vice president sneered, blocking Fiona's path as she tried to leave. "Ken already said Mr. Rhoads didn't like Darwin, and yet you bring him here. Are you trying to provoke someone?"
The guests around them had all witnessed the press conference that morning. The vice president's voice was so loud that it drew everyone's attention at the funeral.
"You know Ken said it, not our grandmother herself, right?" Darwin stared at the vice president, his tone chilling. "Grandma did say, out loud, that she wanted to cut ties with Ken and his wife. Following your logic, shouldn't Ken and his wife be the ones to get kicked out of the funeral?"
"You..." the vice president stammered, his lips quivering, only to elicit a weak response, "This is a Rhoads family matter. What right do you, an outsider, have to meddle?"
"Outsider?" Fiona laughed dismissively. "Darwin is my lawful husband. If anyone's an outsider here, it's you. And the one with no right to speak? That would be you, too."
The vice president's face turned ugly. Fiona had had enough. "This man has repeatedly disturbed my uncle's peace and disrespected the deceased. Throw him out."
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