Chapter 486 Don't Intervene, I Got This
Steven lost a tooth from the force of the slap; his head was ringing. In a daze, he heard a man's voice, “You're in my way."
The alley behind the bar was wide. Steven, who was on the slender side for a man, was also leaning against the wall.
However, the local enforcer cannot be bullied by an outsider dragon. Shaking his head and trying to clear his thoughts, Steven attempted to explain.
Then he heard the man say, “Use that tooth of yours to pay."
A chill ran down Steven's spine.
He wasn't in their way; these men were the henchmen of some crooked siblings.
"Hel..." Trying to escape once more, Steven lunged forward, but was quickly grabbed by the throat and brutally dragged back, receiving two more slaps across his face. What followed was a brutal tooth extraction ordeal.
After leaving the hospital, Fiona went straight home.
Following a discussion with Darwin, she informed Thalassa and Janna about the successful bone marrow match and the upcoming transplant for Charles.
In recent times, Janna's greatest concerns had revolved around Charles and Stuart.
“Let me know as soon as the surgery is scheduled, so I can be there," Janna said, choking back tears. “I knew it, our Charles is such a sweet boy, heaven's got to look after him.”
“It's thanks to his father,” Fiona whispered. “He went through a lot to find the donor.”
“He was supposed to,” Janna snorted. “But speaking of him, there's something I want to ask you.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve heard some rumors. Is it true Darwin is thinking about retiring to be a stay-at-home dad?”
Fiona was taken aback.
She hadn't heard about this.
“I was discussing a deal over lunch with an old acquaintance, and he just dropped it into conversation,” Janna replied. “Is it just a rumor?”
"It's probably just a rumor, you know Darwin is a workaholic. His career is his life, and he's worked so hard to build up Solomon. Now that Solomon is on the rise, why would he walk away from it?"
"You're right," Janna sighed. "It just crossed my mind, with both of you so busy, it would be nice if he could step back from work and the household would be a bit more relaxed."
Fiona just smiled in response.
At that moment, Thalassa's voice came from outside.
"Grandma, Thalassa is back. Gotta go. When Charles's surgery is scheduled, and I'll update you right away."
Fiona was about to end the call when Janna stopped her. "Hold on a second."
"Is there anything else?"
"I had given Thalassa's stepfather's company a bit of business out of consideration for her, remember?"
"Yes, I remember," Fiona responded quickly. "Wasn't it said that their contact was not renewed?"
"It seems things aren't going too well on their end. In the past ten days or so, Justin has cashed out over four hundred million. I have a bad feeling about this. You should talk to Thalassa, that family got used to leeching off her. I'm worried that if they go bankrupt, they'll come after her again."
Fiona was silent for a moment.
‘Dear Grandma, you are right in your prediction.
‘But it’s a little late. Thalassa has already given them a substantial amount.’ Fiona thought.
"Alright, I'll talk to her in a bit," Fiona replied.
After hanging up, Fiona left the study.
Thalassa came with Kenny.
"Did it work? Did it really work?" Thalassa happily ran up to Fiona.
Fiona nodded. “Once the child’s parents arrive and everything is signed, we can proceed with the bone marrow collection.”
“A child?” Thalassa was surprised.
“Seventeen,” Fiona answered. “Almost an adult.”
“Yay!” Thalassa’s spirits lifted again.
“Let’s have a barbecue at our place tonight to celebrate?” she suggested.
“No,” Darwin, busy as ever, interjected coolly.
Thalassa looked at him with discontent.
Thinking to herself, ‘It's not up to you to call the shots in this family, is it?’
"He has plans tonight, let's do it another day," Fiona said with a smile.
"Alright then..." Thalassa muttered.
And with that, she went off to find Charles and Chicago to play.
Fiona watched her go, turned her head, and met Kenny's eyes.
It didn't take long before they both stepped outside in silent agreement.
"Has she told you anything?"
After a glance, they asked simultaneously.
Fiona was silent again.
"Nothing, but Grandma mentioned Justin has been liquidating assets recently."
"He must be planning to skip town," Kenny said with a chilling indifference. "If things go as expected, once he's gone, he'll try to pin the blame on Thalassa."
After successfully leading a debt collection once, all those debtors went straight to Thalassa when Justin's debts blew up.
"What's your plan?"
Kenny's tone was cool, yet his expression remained casual, almost as if he held all the aces.
"You know, the Shaw family's company isn’t really at breaking point yet. Any idea why Justin suddenly started cashing out?" Kenny asked, his voice light.
Fiona narrowed her eyes slightly. "He’s found another lucrative opportunity and is eager to get involved?"
The corners of Kenny's mouth curled up ever so slightly.
"Did you set something up?" Fiona asked, surprised.
"Listen, Thalassa works hard for her money. I have no intention of standing by and watching it go to waste feeding the rats in the sewers," Kenny's voice remained nonchalant.
In this moment, Kenny was different from how he usually was around Thalassa. His expression was the same, even the tone of his voice didn't change, yet there was a dangerous vibe emanating from him.
"Kenny, just don't use these underhanded tactics on Thalassa one day."
Fiona had witnessed too many seemingly perfect couples devolve into bitter adversaries, betraying each other's trust. Love, she had learned, was transient. Once it faded, no promises or vows could salvage it.
"Don't worry, Fiona," Kenny said with a gentle smile. "I’ll never let Thalassa see this side of me, not in a lifetime."
"You better keep your word," Fiona warned.
At that moment, Kenny’s gaze shifted past Fiona, fixing on the floor-to-ceiling window behind her.
Thalassa stood there, arms crossed, looking at them suspiciously. Beside her, Darwin had the same stance, but his eyes were entirely on Fiona, filled with a complex mix of emotions, as if he was concocting some drama in his mind.
"Leave the Shaw family’s mess for me to handle. Just make sure you keep it clean," Fiona paused, then added, "But if Maria tries anything, don't you intervene. I'll handle it."
Ultimately, she was Thalassa's mother. If Thalassa ever found out what Kenny had done, it might cause unwanted complications.
"I was even thinking about sending her abroad to retire," Kenny said, a hint of regret in his tone.
Kenny had plans to arrange a serene and comfortable environment for her, complete with impeccable service and provisions for her every requirement. He intended for her to reside there until her final days, thereby removing any possibility of her reentering Thalassa’s life. However, there was a secret that Kenny had yet to disclose to anyone.
He had been to the restaurant where Thalassa had given Maria the check that day. After Maria left, despite the private room's door being shut tight, through the surveillance cameras, Thalassa’s sobs could still be faintly heard. When she emerged from the room, the redness around her eyes and nose was unmistakable; she had certainly had a good cry.
At that moment, Kenny had almost been ready to annihilate the Shaw family. He had also wished for Maria to vanish off the face of the earth. However, he kept his cool. Thalassa liked him as a loyal pup, so he refrained from tainting his hands with such matters. There were other ways to destroy and torment these people.
After a brief exchange with Kenny, Fiona returned to the living room.
"Teaching my husband a lesson?" Thalassa immediately approached her with a look of panic as she walked in. "You didn't mention that thing, did you?"
“Which thing?” Fiona was clueless.
Thalassa visibly relaxed. “Never mind if you don’t remember. So what lesson were you giving him?”
Fiona pondered for a second before saying, “Civics and ethics lesson?”
Thalassa was taken aback. “Civics and ethics? Honestly, Kenny is so upright, I sometimes wonder if he’s been in the military. What’s there to teach?”
“Then let’s call it the men's virtues class,” Fiona suggested.
“That’s even more ludicrous,” Thalassa objected, “He’s such a good boy..."
Fiona was speechless.
"You love-struck girl, have you dug up every wild herb in the world?" Fiona tapped her forehead.
"It’s like you have ‘Kenny is the best’ engraved on your forehead!"
Thalassa giggled and hung onto Fiona's arm; a bit embarrassed.
“He is the best!”
“No matter how good he is, I’ve still got to keep a judicial eye on him. If he dares to treat you poorly, I’ll be the first to...” Fiona made a cutting gesture with her hand and looked fierce.
Thalassa wasn't offended.
Soon enough, Kenny walked in.
Before Fiona and the kids returned, Thalassa had someone plant mature fruit trees in the stark garden, including a mature cherry tomato plant.
Unexpectedly, most of the transplanted mature fruits and vegetables struggled under the brutal sun. However, the cherry tomato plant thrived, flowering and fruiting with enthusiasm, now boasting an abundance of cheerful yellow tomatoes.
Thalassa had tried them and found them deliciously tart.
Kenny had just picked some and brought them back.
“I’ll wash them in the kitchen and bring some for you to try,” he said, heading to the kitchen.
Thalassa's attention quickly shifted away from Fiona to Kenny. She wanted to follow.
Truth be told, Thalassa was somewhat worried that Kenny might have had his pride wounded by her precious lesson.
So, she decided to go and offer some comfort.
"What's the rush?" Fiona wrapped her arms around Thalassa's waist, pulling her back in close.
Thalassa was a bit bewildered. Fiona wasn't usually this clingy.
"Thalassa, being married means sharing both the joys and the hardships together. You've gotten used to carrying everything on your own, but now you need to get accustomed to sharing some of that burden with your partner, even if you think it's unnecessary," Fiona's voice was soft and tender. "Otherwise, if this goes on, he'll feel your lack of dependence on him and that will hurt him."
Thalassa paused for a moment, a flicker of panic in her heart.
However, her worry didn't last long. Fiona soon ushered her out, "Go on! Hurry up!"
"Okay," Thalassa replied, and after taking a few steps, she glanced back at Fiona uneasily.
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