"Uncle, I have to work now." Chicago looked at Darwin and, plucking a small flower from her braid, took Darwin's large hand and placed the flower in his palm, "This is a little flower for you."Darwin's heart was suddenly filled with an indescribable sentiment.After offering the flower, Chicago ran off toward the manager.Wendy looked gratefully at Darwin, "Thank you, Sir!""Don't get left behind by your boss." Darwin said as he stood up, immediately putting on a stern expression.Wendy, intimidated by him, quickly rushed to follow.Darwin watched Chicago's small figure vanishing into the crowd, then looked down at the flower in his hand."I remember now, isn't this the little girl from the hospital that day?" Lilian's voice broke Darwin's train of thought.Darwin closed his hand around the flower and looked back at the two paintings.With so many questioning her talent, would anyone buy her paintings?If no one bought them, she would surely be heartbroken."Let's go to the auction."
With a humph, Ashton accepted the chocolate.Her phone had buzzed in her pocket hundreds of times.Shee ignored every single call.Fiona couldn't help but glance towards the corner where Darwin was.It was pitch dark over there, unclear what the people were up to.But, based on the silhouettes, it seemed like Darwin had been on the stands since the Chicago footage started.He couldn't have discovered something, could he?Indeed, Darwin had been watching Chicago.He was surprised at the richness of emotion in such a young child.Understanding romance, capable of conveying it through art.Understanding devotion, also displayed in the paintings.She knew how to express love.Love for her great-grandmother, her mother, her brother...Her parents had raised her well.The artists had finished presenting, now came the auction.Up till now, everything had gone normally, almost all the artists' works had been bought.There wasn't much competition, after three or four bids over the starting pri
But before she could speak out, Darwin inquired, "Shouldn't you ask your parents first?"Wendy's expression shifted.The young miss didn't have a father, so the topic of 'Dad' was never brought up around her."My mommy is really nice, she won't mind at all!" Chicago proclaimed proudly, lifting her little head high.However, upon hearing the news from Chicago, Fiona immediately and decisively rejected Chicago's request after hearing it, "No."Chicago's eyes widened in surprise."Why... why not?" she asked, confused. "Uncle bought my painting, which can help a lot of people, and Uncle is a good person, I just wanted to invite him for dinner..."Ashton stood to the side, somewhat torn.Should she tell Fiona the truth?"Uncle is currently on a date with someone he likes. Inviting him to dinner now would mean interrupting their date, wouldn't it?" Fiona crouched down in front of Chicago, struggling to suppress her own anxiety while gently persuading her.Chicago had seen a few romantic mov
"Chicago, did your parents agree to this?" Darwin asked.Chicago didn't want to lie, "Mommy is very busy, didn't have time, so Chicago invited Uncle for dinner, come on Uncle! I'm so hungry!"Chicago seemed genuinely in a rush.Darwin chuckled and decisively picked her up, "Alright.""Miss!" Wendy had been through a roller coaster of emotions but still decided she had to stop her young lady's reckless action. If Fiona found out, the sky would fall! She always knew that Fiona was an angel when not angry, but when she was, she was terrifying beyond words!Chicago gave Wendy a fierce glance.Darwin also stopped and turned around, looking at Wendy with a calm gaze, "What's up?"Wendy was so overpowered by his presence that she couldn't utter a single word. She could only shake her head in the end."Uncle, let's go!"Taking advantage of the fact that Uncle seemed to have already forgotten about the mean aunty, she had to leave the art exhibition quickly with Uncle!"Okay."Soon, Darwin had
At the restaurant, Darwin ordered the signature children's meal set for Chicago. The meal came with a cute duck figurine which Chicago had a blast playing with.During the meal, Chicago looked at the delicious food in front of her and began to worry again."Uncle, you know you shouldn't casually eat food or drink water given by strangers?" Chicago looked at Darwin with her big, serious eyes."Of course. You are so clever, knowing all that stuff." Darwin praised wholeheartedly."Yeah, Mommy taught me." Chicago nodded, "Uncle, you have to remember, okay? There are lots of bad people out there, and if someone tries to use a kid to trap you, that would be dangerous!"Listening to Chicago's out-of-the-blue remarks, Darwin pondered deeply."Did you hear something?" Darwin asked.Chicago wrinkled her little nose.At that moment, Wendy finally snapped back to reality: "Sir, it was that lady who attended the event with you today... she said some off-the-wall things, and the little one overhear
After Chicago left with Darwin, Fiona was restless. After taking Charles home, she made an excuse and left the house.From a nearby car, Fiona watched Darwin hug Chicago, watched Chicago reluctantly embrace him, and watched him stand still, long after Chicago had left.Her feelings were indescribably complex.But who was to blame? Darwin could have had it all. She had given him a chance, but what had he done?"Drive." said Fiona coldly, turning away.The driver started the car, and as they passed by Darwin, Fiona didn't cast him another glance.When Fiona arrived back at the house, Chicago was just getting out of the car.Without the lightness of stepping out in the morning, she hung her head, staring at her shoes, walking ahead distractedly.She didn't even notice Fiona's arrival.Wendy wanted to speak up to advise her that her mother had arrived, but Fiona stopped her.Only after Chicago had entered the house did Fiona ask Wendy, "Didn't you say she had a great time? What happened?"
It took a while before Fiona spoke up, "Ashton, do you think I should have a romance, get married?" Ashton looked at her, "Just to find a father for the kids?"Fiona fell silent. Probably because that time with Darwin had hurt too much, it was as if she had lost the ability to fall in love.Plus, for these five years, she had been busy with studies, working, and raising children, hardly having a chance to dwell on personal issues."Idiot." Ashton clicked her tongue, "Even after becoming a mother, you are still you. Marriage is about your lifelong happiness, better to be alone than in bad company.""Is that why you never date?" Fiona asked with a smile."We're talking about you, why drag me into it?" Ashton rolled her eyes, "But, if the person were Dagmar, I would support that!"Dagmar...Fiona swirled her wine glass, her eyelids drooping.Years ago, she had entrusted Dagmar to look after Janna. Over the years, although Dagmar was no longer practicing medicine, he gradually took over
That evening, Fiona caught up with her best friend over drinks, someone she hadn't seen much due to their busy schedules. They talked about so many things.Late that night. Fiona quietly entered her son and daughter's room, carried the little ones to her own room, and contentedly fell asleep with her children.In the middle of the night, Charles woke and noticed Fiona's blanket had slipped off. With a sigh, he covered her, and tucked his sister's kicked-off feet back under the blankets.Only then did he fall asleep peacefully.Ashton suffered from headaches when she drank too much and couldn't sleep.She sat on the bay window, looking at the messages from Chris.Chris: Answer the phone, let's talk.Chris: I was just dealing with my dad.Chris: Are you going to keep giving me the cold shoulder, Ashton?Chris: Please don't be like this, I'm already exhausted.Chris usually speaks very little. Their chat history is sparse. Today, he's spoken quite a bit, though.Ashton let out a sigh and