Chapter 60 Exposed
"Why?" Darwin asked, looking all confused.
The villa was way safer and comfier than the apartment.
Plus, it was his place.
Back in the day, Darwin had laid down the law, telling her she couldn't crash here overnight to avoid any mixed signals.
But, things had changed.
"Why?" Fiona shot Darwin a smile.
Darwin's heart took a nosedive.
"Because this place is full of bad vibes for me," Fiona said, spelling it out, "Do you know how much of a pain it is to get around here? Just walking to the gate takes over twenty minutes. In the middle of the night, good luck finding a cab. Remember that one time on Ms. Robbins' birthday? You had to have that specific cake. By the time I got back, I was practically an ice cube. And what did you do?"
She pointed to the living room. "You didn't even ask and just tossed the cake in the trash. So many times, I was dead tired because of you, but I still had to get up and leave like a good little soldier. Darwin, how about you tell me why I don't want to stay here?"
Darwin's frown deepened.
He stepped closer to Fiona. "If you were so unhappy, why didn't you say something before?"
"Before, I was just someone you paid to entertain you. I knew that. Now..." Fiona laughed at herself. "Now it's different. If you don't blackmail me with my weak spots, I'd rather die outside than come back."
Darwin's eyes widened.
Fiona looked down.
She grabbed the clothes she bought and went to change without a backward glance.
When she came back out, Darwin was already gone.
She had no clue what he thought after hearing all that.
But why should she care?
Fiona went back to the dining table and finished the leftover ravioli.
Then, she got lost in thought.
Darwin left without saying if she could go out or not.
She worried that if she went out, Darwin might lose it and really hurt Thalassa.
After mulling it over, Fiona picked up her phone to text him.
Just as she was about to type, Darwin's message popped up.
Darwin: [The car you usually drive is in the garage. If you don't like it here, move back to the apartment.]
So, she could take that as a green light to go out, right?
Fiona's mood lifted.
She replied: [Thanks, Mr. Solomon.]
End of convo.
Fiona got ready to head out.
Just as she reached the door, Thalassa called.
She answered, "Hey, you up?"
No response. Fiona figured it might be a signal issue, so she called out Thalassa's name.
"Yeah." Thalassa's voice sounded off. "Where are you?"
"What's up?" Fiona asked softly, "Is this about last night..."
"I'm fine, really!" Thalassa quickly said, "Can you come back?"
"Of course, I'm on my way," Fiona quickly replied.
"Cool, I'll grab your favorite dessert and wait for you!"
After hanging up, Fiona felt a weird sense of unease.
Thalassa was usually so chill, like nothing ever bothered her.
But just now, she seemed off.
Her voice even sounded like she'd been crying.
Could Darwin have done something to Thalassa or her family?
She had already tried so hard last night.
What more did he want?
Fiona fought the urge to call Darwin and give him a piece of her mind.
She headed out, jumped in her car, and drove straight to Thalassa's old place.
When she walked in, she saw Thalassa curled up on the couch.
The table in front of her was loaded with desserts.
"Stocking up for a sugar apocalypse?" Fiona tried to keep it light as she walked over.
Thalassa looked up, her eyes puffy from crying.
"What happened?" Fiona rushed to her side. "Did something go down?"
Seeing Fiona so worried, Thalassa suddenly broke down in tears.
Now Fiona was totally lost. "Thalassa, don't cry. Did something happen to your stepdad? Or is it you?"
"Fiona, what do you think of me?" Thalassa sobbed, "Something huge happened, and I've been living it up abroad all these years, while you..."
Fiona's hand, which was comforting Thalassa, froze.
Did Thalassa know? How did she find out?
"Rupert came to see me!" Thalassa cried, "He spilled everything. Your grandma's illness needed a ton of cash, and Darwin, that jerk, used it to push you around. Five years! Oh my God!"
Fiona replied, "Thalassa, it's not like Rupert said. Darwin's been good to me!"
"Good? What good?" Thalassa sobbed, "You think I don't know him? Everyone says he's ruthless and does all sorts of shady stuff! You're just another one of his victims!"
Fiona felt a headache coming on.
Thalassa suddenly grabbed her hand. "Fiona, he's getting married. You need to wake up and stop hanging around him!"
"Did Rupert put you up to this?" Fiona rubbed her head.
Thalassa nodded while sobbing. "He's really worried about you."
"That's not true!" Fiona laughed helplessly.
She told Thalassa everything that happened back then.
"He cursed you like that?" Thalassa was furious!
Fiona rubbed her temples. "This time, he even tried to expose it online! Darwin's PR team caught it before it blew up."
"If it gets out now, even if they hide your identity, people online will dig it up. You'll get roasted!" Thalassa looked terrified.
"Yeah." Fiona nodded. "He doesn't care about me; he's just pissed that Darwin took me away... Not that I was ever his girlfriend!"
"What about you and Darwin?" Thalassa asked cautiously.
"Do you know Lilian Robbins?" Fiona asked.
Thalassa thought for a moment. "The painter who married into royalty?"
"Yeah." Fiona nodded. "She was Darwin's first love. I look a lot like her."
"A stand-in lover?" Thalassa forgot to cry.
"Yep." Fiona nodded with a smile.
"How can you still smile? I thought it was some kind of forced love, but it's not even that!" Thalassa was about to wail again.
"Mutual needs." Fiona's tone was calm. "We agreed that when he gets married, I'd leave."
"That's a must!" Thalassa agreed, "But last night..."
"That's the problem now, Darwin won't let me go." Fiona held her forehead. "He won't let me leave, and even..."
"And what?" Thalassa was almost dying of anxiety.
Fiona sighed. "He threatened me, saying if I don't play nice, he'd go after the people around me."
Thalassa was stunned.
Then she stood up and started cursing, "What a piece of shit he is!"
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