Chapter 88 The Wedding Approaches

Darwin chuckled. "Improper relationship, huh?"

"Yeah," Fiona grumbled, "Spill it! What's the deal?"

"Alright." Darwin knew he had to head home tonight.

Time to lock in that wedding date with Hathaway.

Picking today was also a way to keep Anniston chill.

Otherwise, who knows what kind of drama she'd stir up.

"I'm heading back to the secretary's office," Fiona said, getting up.

But Darwin wasn't having it. He grabbed her and pushed her back onto the couch.

Fiona was stunned.

She hadn't locked the door when she came in.

Anyone could walk in at any moment.

"The door's not locked!" Fiona hissed.

Darwin ignored her and leaned in for a kiss.

Fiona was shaking.

Luckily, no one barged in until he was done.

Fiona's lipstick was a mess. She panted, gave Darwin a light punch, and pushed him away to sit up.

"Mr. Solomon, are you going through a late rebellious phase? You've been acting out lately!" Fiona was exasperated.

She shot him a glare and headed to the bathroom in Darwin's lounge.

She splashed water on her face to fix her smudged lipstick.

Darwin followed her, taking his sweet time.

She caught his reflection in the mirror.

He had lipstick marks on his lips too.

Annoyed, Fiona grabbed a wet wipe and turned to clean his lips.

Darwin paused but let her do it without a word.

After cleaning up, Fiona turned to wash her hands.

Darwin reached out from behind and hugged her.

They looked like a couple in a steamy romance.

This made Fiona super uneasy.

"That's enough." She tried to push Darwin away.

Darwin, however, went further, kissing her neck.

"Mr. Solomon, have you finished reading the contract?" Fiona asked, flustered.

Darwin mumbled, "No rush."

"Darwin!" Fiona was anxious and pushed him hard.

Darwin laughed. "Why aren't you calling me 'Mr. Solomon' anymore?"

"Stop messing around!" Fiona blushed.

Darwin looked at her, his eyes full of emotion. He lowered his head and gently kissed Fiona's lips. "Fiona, we haven't done it in my lounge, have we..."

When it came to ruining the vibe, Darwin was the master.

Fiona's passion was instantly snuffed out, and she snapped back to reality.

"Right, we haven't." Fiona's voice was cold. "Because you forbade it, and I was very obedient."

Darwin was taken aback. 

"Do you want to do it now? If so, let's go to the secretary's office."

What a joke of a secretary's office.

Did a secretary really need such a big office with a lounge?

Darwin slowly let go of Fiona.

They stood in silence for a moment.

Fiona took the initiative to step out of his embrace. "If there's nothing else, I'm clocking out."

She took a couple of steps before Darwin called her, "Fiona."

She stopped.

Darwin continued, "Can't you just forget the past?"

"No," Fiona answered and then walked away briskly.

How could she forget?

Only by remembering all the crap Darwin had put her through could she stay clear-headed and keep her distance, no matter how much she liked him.

Since joining the Atlas Group, this was the first time Fiona had left work early, technically speaking.

Janna had set up dinner for Fiona at her place tonight.

Leaving the Atlas Group, Fiona drove straight to the destination.

Janna lived in a cozy little villa.

Fiona parked her car and hopped out.

Janna came out, all smiles. "Didn't you say you'd be here by six? It's only four now!" She grabbed Fiona's hand. "Did you ditch work?"

"Yep!" Fiona grinned and nodded.

Janna laughed. "Good for you. I swear, Darwin's just a heartless capitalist, making you work overtime and drag you to all those social events! Why doesn't he take his fiancée, Ms. Ross, instead of bugging you?"

"Ugh, don't even mention him, it's gross!" Fiona said, popping the trunk. "I didn't know what you like to eat, so I just grabbed some fruit."

Janna didn't need fancy stuff.

But over the years, thanks to Darwin's picky eating, Fiona had become a pro at picking the best fruit.

The fruit she brought was always top-notch.

Janna called the servants to haul the fruit inside.

Then she took Fiona to check out the veggies in her little garden.

Meanwhile, a detective who'd been tailing Janna's villa snapped a bunch of pics of Fiona and Janna hanging out.

He sent them straight to his employer, Hathaway.

Hathaway wasn't just sitting around either.

The Ross family had a huge business empire, but they weren't big in Armie.

Her marriage to Darwin had another angle: to help her family get a foothold in Armie.

When the photos came through, she had just wrapped up a tough meeting.

Detective: [Ms. Ross, Ms. Rhoads has a guest at her place.]

Hathaway didn't think much of it at first.

Janna had been hosting a lot of old friends lately.

New faces every day.

So, when the photos came, she wasn't in the mood to look at them.

She just glanced at them and was about to dive back into her documents, looking for a breakthrough in a deal.

But then, her eyes drifted back to the photos.

She clicked to enlarge them.

Actually, no need to enlarge. The woman in the photos had a smile that was hard to miss.

"Fiona Woods?" she muttered.

Then, she remembered Janna calling out to Fiona at the auction.

Was that Fiona the same as Fiona Woods?

Fiona didn't expect that when Janna said to come over for dinner, it meant eating food Janna had cooked herself.

There were five dishes, and even without tasting them, Fiona knew they would be exquisite.

"Ms. Rhoads, you can cook?" Fiona was surprised.

"When I was overseas, I couldn't find the flavors I wanted, so I learned to cook myself." Janna served Fiona some fish belly.

Fiona quickly thanked her and served Janna some soup.

"Been having a rough time at the Atlas Group lately?" Janna asked, like a grandma worried about her granddaughter's job.

Fiona gave a bitter smile.

Janna got it.

"You don't have to make yourself miserable. What I said before still stands. If you want to leave the Atlas Group, I'll help you," she said calmly.

"Okay!" Fiona nodded and thanked her again.

"You've been by Darwin's side for so many years, you must know his preferences, right?" Janna switched topics.

"I know most of them."

"I ran into Hathaway last time. I heard she and Darwin are getting married in about two months," Janna said slowly.
The Substitute's Revenge: From Secretary to Queen
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