Chapter 206 Frank Is Indeed Fannie's Biological Father
Sensing the tension, Patricia immediately gave Jade a meaningful look. Jade responded with a glance, indicating she had received the message. Patricia nodded, took hold of Martin's arm, and led him outside.
“We need to talk privately for a bit, we’ll be right back. Jade, you take them back.”
After saying that, they disappeared into the heavy snow. Frank watched their retreating figures until they vanished, his eyes thoughtful and reflective.
Jade took in his expression completely, her own gaze darkening slightly as she purposefully teased him, "You're really useless. You've been living with Patricia for so long and you still haven't won her over."
Frank was momentarily stunned, asking without understanding, "What?"
Jade shot back, "Don't tell me you don't like Patricia?"
Frank's lips parted slightly as he was about to explain, but then he remembered the reason for his visit and the words that he wanted to say were forcefully swallowed back.
Jade waited with eyes full of anticipation for him to explain, but when she didn't get the response she was hoping for, she let her eyelids fall in disappointment and reached for Charles's hand.
"It's getting late, we should head home. I'll take you back to the hotel first."
Frank didn't notice her change in demeanor and picked up Fannie to follow Jade, asking Fannie in his arms, "You and Charles are twins, so why is he Charles's father and not yours? Why did you lie to him that I was your daddy?"
With a pout capable of hanging an oil pot, Fannie retorted, "Hmph, I don't like him. He made me look like a monster for a really long time."
The more Frank heard, the more confused he became. Charles gave Fannie a look and slowly explained how everything had transpired. After listening, Frank instantly understood everything.
Fannie warned him, "I'm telling you, you'd better keep quiet about this, or else I won't like you anymore!"
With a meaningful tone, Frank asked, "Wouldn't that cause a misunderstanding between your daddy and mommy? What if they’re thinking about getting back together, but this thing stops them, wouldn't you become the villain?"
"Ah... Could that happen?" Fannie, with her innocent little mind, hadn't thought that far. After Frank's reminder, she was suddenly stunned, feeling a deep sense of guilt.
Just as she hesitated about whether to tell her scoundrel daddy the truth, Charles spoke up, "True love doesn't care about someone's past. If daddy doesn't remarry mommy because of this, then he doesn’t deserve her. I think what he should be worried about now isn't this issue, but rather how to earn my mommy's forgiveness.”
“Debbie has always been a thorn in my mom’s heart, and although she's gone, the hurt she left behind hasn't vanished. Unless that thorn is thoroughly removed, even if he wants to remarry, my mom won’t agree."
Fannie always blindly followed her brother and hurriedly nodded in agreement with Charles's words, "Charles is right, I support him."
Frank ruffled Charles's hair, which had been tousled by the wind, "You’re so young, yet you seem to understand even more than I do."
Jade, on the other hand, remained silent, laden with her own heavy thoughts, her head bowed, unaware of what to think.
Elsewhere, Patricia pulled Martin towards the bus stop. Since it was nighttime and heavily snowing, there was no one else around. The cold wind howled relentlessly.
Patricia shivered from the cold, rubbing her hands together as she asked, "Where's your car? Let's talk in the car."
Martin, though irritated, softened at the sight of her hands, red with cold, and gently took them, placing each in his coat pockets.
"Is that better? A bit warmer?" he asked.
His fleece-lined coat pockets were indeed warm, but his palms were even more so. Heat spread from his hands through her blood vessels, wrapping her entire body in warmth, as if an invisible shield protected her from the chilling wind.
"What about you? What brings you here?" she asked, her tone much softer than before.
"I was here discussing business with a partner," Martin replied without a hint of breathlessness. "I was about to leave when I spotted you."
"Oh!" Patricia didn't doubt his words, but she insisted, "Where's your car? Let’s get in and then talk."
Unfazed and without guilt, Martin said, "Alan drove me here. The roads are unsafe at night, so I told him to head back first."
Patricia was puzzled. The logic seemed flawed. Bosses generally don't wait while their assistants drive off, taking their car with them. How would the boss get home?
Sensing her confusion, Martin preemptively explained, "I planned to take a taxi."
"A taxi?" Patricia was even more surprised, her eyes widening. She was well aware of Martin's severe aversion to dirt.
Would he really take a taxi out of consideration for his subordinate? The mere thought sent a shiver down her spine. Martin, wanting to avoid further entanglement on this matter, pulled Patricia into a coffee shop across the street, displaying a stark contrast to his earlier rage.
This time, he aimed for calm. Each ordered a coffee, and Martin tried to keep a level head.
"Is Frank really Fannie's biological father?" he asked, his voice even. Patricia was at a loss for words. Saying 'no' might upset Fannie if she found out and blame her. Fannie was, after all, obedient but stubborn.
At two years old, Fannie used to play daily with a girl from the same neighborhood, who, craving the last piece of chocolate in Fannie's hand, deceitfully promised to return tenfold the next day.
Fannie, believing her, handed over the chocolate. But the next day, the girl had completely forgotten her promise and didn't even mention it.
Since then, Fannie refused to play with the girl, declaring her unreliable and of poor character. No matter how much the girl tried to make amends, Fannie simply ignored her. Despite her young age, Fannie maintained strong principles and boundaries.
Patricia knew that if she burst Fannie's bubble now, the little girl would be devastated. Her hesitation was taken by Martin as an affirmation. His hands clenched into fists upon his thighs, white-knuckled from the force of his grip.
"Why did he come to Ivara City?" That was what he most wanted to find out.
"It was just for fun, and now he's looking for a place to settle down for a while."
'Settle down,' like a heavy stone, pressed mercilessly on Martin's heart, almost squeezing the breath out of him.
"Are you two planning to get back together?" He was reluctant to ask, but it was something he had to face.
Patricia was taken aback, thinking he had misheard. Observing him quietly, she saw he was not joking, his expression earnest and intense. Unable to contain herself, she burst out laughing.
"Why would you think that?"
His question, like the first light of dawn piercing the darkness, kindled a flicker of hope in Martin. "Isn't it the case?"
Patricia's laughter ceased; she put on a stern face and gazed at him seriously. With deliberate emphasis on each word, she asked, "And what would you do if I was planning to get back together with him?"
The atmosphere suddenly froze. Martin felt as if he could hear his own heart growing colder, every nerve entwined and twisted into a knot of searing pain that tore through him. For the first time, he was engulfed by unprecedented tension and anxiety.
Martin did not reply. Time slipped away by the minute. An unusual quiet seemed to envelop them. The silence was deafening. It was as though they could hear each other's heartbeats and breathing.
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