Chapter 451 The Triumphant Return
Tired of talking, Fiona dozed off next to Janna's bed.
After a short nap, she half-dreamed someone was stroking her head.
She looked up groggily and saw Janna watching her tenderly, a gentle smile on her lips.
"Are you awake?" Fiona snapped to alertness.
Janna nodded wearily. "Have I slept long?"
Fiona hugged her tightly. "Yeah, quite a while..."
Her voice broke with emotion.
In their five years together, Fiona and Janna had gotten along well.
They had an unspoken agreement, not to mention Jane or the past.
Janna had always been affectionate with Fiona.
And Fiona, she wasn't cold to Janna, but there was always some distance between them.
So when Fiona suddenly clung to her, Janna was caught off guard.
Gradually, her memories stirred and began to resurface, bringing to mind the events that transpired before she lost consciousness.
Gently patting Fiona's back, Janna remarked, "Looks like my dear granddaughter fought and won a tough battle, huh?"
Fiona murmured in agreement, nodding slightly.
If only she hadn't had to fight that damn battle at all.
"Tell Grandma what happened," Janna coaxed with affection.
Fiona released her hold and recounted the recent events to Janna.
"So Dagmar didn't betray you after all," Janna sighed deeply after listening. "That day, Alice turned on me suddenly, and when I came, I saw Dagmar with Ken. When he came to inject me, I thought he had betrayed you. I was so worried—he could have killed me, and the thought of you finding out... it would've broken your heart."
In the face of death, Janna's thoughts were still with her granddaughter, who had faced so many hardships.
Fiona clutched her hand. "Dagmar wouldn't do that."
Janna nodded. "Where is he now?"
With a smile, Fiona said, "He left. It might be a while before we see him again. Let's not disturb him until he's found his place in the world."
"It sounds like you feel you owe him," Janna sighed. "The two of you embody that saying, 'star-crossed.'"
Fiona looked down, remaining silent.
"And Darwin?" Janna continued.
"He's usually at the hospital. Today Solomon had an important meeting, so he stayed home," Fiona explained.
Janna chuckled and shook her head. "There you go, defending him. I haven't even said anything, and you're already anxious to explain."
Fiona blinked and muttered guiltlessly, "It's not like that... but how do you feel? Any discomfort?"
Janna moved her arms and legs. "Just feeling a bit weak, but other than that, I'm fine," she said, leaning back on the pillow. "I trust Dagmar's judgment—if he wanted me dead, I'd be long gone. And if he wanted me alive, this might even help improve my health."
Fiona joined in the laughter.
Later, after finishing his tasks, Darwin came by with Burl.
Throughout Janna's ordeal, Burl did not show much reaction. But now that she was improving, he seemed off-kilter.
Fiona even caught him hiding in a corner, crying. The reason was simple: he was reminded of losing his grandfather, worried that Janna might fall asleep one day and never wake up to talk to him again.
Janna spent two days recuperating in the hospital.
On the third day, she was ready to get back to the office and straighten out the chaos left in Ken's wake.
At Fiona's insistence, she was accompanied by both Fiona and Darwin.
Since waking up two days ago, she had been scouring the internet incessantly.
Janna had taken issue with Fiona publicly revealing Ken as her father. Fiona retorted, "At that moment, I needed the spotlight, no questions asked. A disputed claim between a dubious niece and her uncle over a company doesn't hold a candle to a long-standing father-daughter feud. Besides..."
Fiona let out a scornful chuckle. "Alice's pristine reputation stood like a thorn in my side, and since they were practically digging their graves, I saw no harm in toppling that image of innocence. It seemed only fair."
Darwin sat nearby, nodding in agreement. "Fair," he said.
Janna was at a loss for words and fuming, but the episode was quickly put behind them.
The following day, Janna's car was parked outside the company skyscraper. She deliberately avoided the parking garage. The Rhoads Corporation was rife with chaos. At the heart of it all was the question of whether Janna was alive or dead and where that would leave the Rhoads family.
All that mattered was confirming Janna was alive, which would solve many problems.
She hadn't reached the premises when the building entrance was already cordoned off with police tape, keeping the reporters who had caught wind of the news at bay.
As always, Janna was the epitome of calm and composed. After exiting her car, she faced the media, waved, and greeted them.
"Holy smokes! Mrs. Rhoads brought Darwin with her, too! So much for the rumors that she couldn't stand him," someone exclaimed.
"Could it just be a facade of peace within the elite circles we're so used to seeing?" another suggested.
"You don't know Janna. Suppose it were anyone else, maybe, but not with Janna. She's the one who'd cut ties with Charles himself if he stepped out of line, let alone a son-in-law. If she didn't like him, there's no way he'd be by her side," declared a veteran journalist with years of experience.
"The internal strife within the Rhoads family at the shareholders' meeting exposed many traitors siding with Ken. Knowing Janna's temper, they're likely to be in for a rough day," a voice in the crowd muttered.
At nine o'clock, inside the top-floor conference room of the Rhoads family building, the seats were filled to the brim, just as before. Upon seeing Janna alive and well, the vast majority were beaming with relief. However, there was a handful who, once seated, began to wipe sweat from their brows as if awaiting a death sentence.
Janna took her place at the head of the room, with Fiona sitting where she always had and Darwin beside her.
"I've provided you all with quite the spectacle lately due to my lack of discipline with my kin," Janna began, breaking the heavy silence in the room.
The room remained silent, hanging on her every word.
“Even though I've had my share of trials, at least I've still got a clear head. I've come to understand there's been a lot of dissatisfaction with the Rhoads family during the shareholder meeting Ken spearheaded.”
Janna glanced at the sweat-drenched faces and snapped, "They even went after my granddaughter!"
The room was filled with anxious thoughts. Did she think they had bullied her? She was the one giving them a much harder time.
Without a trace of insistence, Janna declared, "I've never been one to force issues. If there are those unhappy with the Rhoads family, they can just sell their shares back to us." "
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