Chapter 496 Dad's Burden
Fiona was taken aback.
Everyone knew that Darwin had always been a workaholic and Solomon was his crowning achievement, nurtured and developed from scratch, his own business child so to speak.
Despite being somewhat negligent with time, the thought of Darwin willingly stepping away from running Solomon had never crossed Fiona's mind.
"Why?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Tired," he replied simply. "In a couple of years, you'll have to take over Rhoads family, and we won't be able to stay long-term in Armie Country. Once I step back from Solomon, we can all move together."
"You're going to be a full-time dad?" Fiona asked incredulously after a pause.
Darwin smiled. "Not exactly. I'll still oversee the big decisions at Solomon, just leaving the day-to-day operations to the management team. Plus, once we're there, I'll take care of Solomon's international affairs depending on the situation."
Fiona lowered her eyelids and pondered for a moment. "Darwin, I hope your reason for making this decision isn't just me and the kids. Life is too long ahead. I don't want your reasoning to turn into resentment towards us in the future."
Fiona had seen too many couples burdened with such regrets. When in love, everything is done for you. When the love fades, they throw back, 'If it wasn't for you, how would I have ended up like this?'
"It won't happen," Darwin said gravely. "You and the kids are the dearest to me in this world. I just want us to live well together."
Darwin's gaze was intense and sincere. Fiona looked away, troubled by the pressure of the situation. "Anyway, it's a significant decision. Think it through."
Disappointment and frustration washed over Darwin. It seemed that no matter what he did, he couldn't quite reach her; instead, his attempts only made her more tense and vigilant. Essentially, it was the past issues that had eroded her dependence and trust in him.
"I will," Darwin replied and then inquired, "I heard Steven's twins are quite well-behaved, aren't they?"
"Yes, Clarie has raised them well, nothing like Steven." Fiona nodded in agreement.
Darwin gazed off into the distance. "You know, I don't think I've told you, but my biological mother also had twins overseas. Steven has twins, and we have ours," he said with a laugh and a casual shrug. "Could it be genetics?"
"It could," Fiona agreed with a nod. "So, are you looking to look after your niece and nephew, in name?"
Darwin was never much curious about people who weren't relevant to him, let alone strike up a conversation out of the blue.
"Yeah." Darwin nodded.
"I'll take care of it," Fiona said. This conversation reminded her of the old days when she used to work by Darwin's side.
It was naptime for Charles and Chicago. Fiona went to rouse the little ones. Charles quickly woke up, but Chicago started off with a case of the grumps, snuggling in Fiona's arms before feeling better.
Once settled, they went with Darwin to the nearby creek to look for crayfish. The mountain stream was crystal clear, with sunlight filtering through the leaves casting a kaleidoscope of colors on the water – it was beautiful.
There were other families camping nearby, not just Fiona's. Across the stream, there were a few more camp sites, with parents who had brought their kids. They seemed not to follow the gossip, as they didn't recognize Darwin's family.
It didn't take long for the kids to start playing together. They even started a little competition to see who could catch the most crayfish. In the end, Chicago and Darwin were tragically outmatched, not for lack of trying.
Simply put, Darwin had a thing about cleanliness, and flipping over those moss-covered rocks was nearly the death of him.
Throughout the whole event, Chicago searched with experienced, swift moves.
A pity, really, a five-year-old could hardly compete against other families' father-son or father-daughter teams.
After the contest, Darwin admitted sincerely, "Chicago, I let you down."
He had expected Chicago to be angry.
However, to his surprise, Chicago sat on a small rock, washing her little legs, and said with empathetic understanding, "It's okay, Mommy says that humans are naturally good at different things in this world."
Then Chicago covered her mouth, as if she were afraid the uncles across from them might overhear. "Like I may have lost at crab-catching but they all admire my dad for being tall, handsome."
In reality, what the kid across from them had actually said was, "Though your dad's a dummy, he's still tall, handsome, and kind!"
In the realm of children, practical skills often outweigh prestige or wealth. Even a billionaire CEO can be deemed inadequate if they can't catch a crab.
Darwin, despite his status, found himself on equal footing with Chicago in this regard. Each day, he gleaned valuable lessons from her, and today was no different.
After washing up, Chicago grabbed her little bucket and waved to the uncles and aunties across from her: "Uncles, aunties, I am heading out now; hope you all have lots of fun!"
Her voice was sweet and soft, even more melodious than that of a songbird.
The uncles and aunties across the way were charmed and waved back. "Goodbye, Chicago!"
"Goodbye," Chicago responded.
Then, she took the initiative to hold onto Darwin's hand and started trudging back slowly.
Once they were out of sight, Chicago found a small puddle and released the crabs she had caught.
Before Darwin could ask, Chicago explained on her own, “I can't take care of them; if I don't let them go now, by tomorrow morning, they will all be dead.”
“Then why didn't you release them earlier?” Darwin asked out of simple curiosity.
"That would be disrespectful to my crab-catching opponents," Chicago replied seriously and then waved goodbye to the crabs. "I scared you today. Next time, hide well and don't get caught!"
A look of indulgent adoration spread across Darwin's face.
After releasing the small crabs, the father-daughter duo continued walking hand in hand back to their camp.
Charles had discovered a spot nearby that was perfect for taking photos.
He loved photography and had spent the entire afternoon there.
"Charles!"
As soon as Chicago returned, she ran toward him.
Charles looked up, raised his camera, and captured a picture of Chicago running towards him.
"Charles, we met other parents and kids over there and even had a crab-catching contest," Chicago said cheerfully. "We came in last."
Chicago's joy was evident.
To her, even last place was a cause for happiness.
"Chicago!"
Fiona went over, scooped her into her arms, and patted her wet bottom. "Your clothes are soaked, and you're getting your brother all wet too!"
Chicago wasn't upset. She wriggled, hugged Fiona's neck, and snuggled close. "Mommy, you have no idea, my new friends are all jealous that you have such a tall and handsome husband. One boy told his dad he wanted to switch dads, but ended up getting his butt smacked."