By the time Wyatt snapped out of it, Fiona had already departed.
He looked at Darwin in astonishment, " That lady just now, the elegant Secretary Woods, was your sweetheart?"Darwin's face darkened. There was a hint of panic and confusion in his eyes that he himself had never noticed before. Of course, he remembered the agreement he made with Fiona.But he didn't really believe that Fiona would actually leave just because he was getting married.Over the years, she had been obedient to him no matter how terrible his demands were...How could she defy him?How dare she defy him!Darwin stood up, ignoring the chattering Wyatt, and with an aura that seemed ready to devour someone, he chased after her in big strides.Fiona didn't like to drag things out. After submitting her resignation letter, she was immediately ready to start the handover process. But as soon as she returned to the secretary's office, Darwin, with an icy presence, followed in."Is there anything else Mr. Solomon wants to discuss?" Fiona looked at him, completely devoid of obedience.Gentle.Darwin’s expression became even more unpleasant."Fiona, am I not good enough to you? What are you fussing about?" Darwin walked step by step towards Fiona, emanating strong pressure.Fiona’s face turned pale.Instinctively, she wanted to create distance between herself and Darwin. But Darwin seized her wrist and pulled her closer to him.“Mr. Solomon, you’re married and I’ll leave, that was agreed from the beginning,” Fiona said in a low voice.Darwin sneered mockingly, "So, 20 million and that villa, isn't that enough?"Fiona’s body stiffened.Recalling Darwin's words just now, "Once she's given enough money, she'll agree to anything!"Her stomach started churning again.She forcefully restrained herself, struggling desperately to free herself from this man who was humiliating and trampling her.“Darwin, let go!”"Fiona, my patience is limited, I don't have time to play games with you. How much do you want? Just name your price," Darwin's tone was icy cold, and he squeezed Fiona's wrist tighter and tighter. As if he wanted to snap that delicate wrist.Up to now. Darwin still believed that Fiona wanted to leave because he hadn't given enough money. Just like at the beginning when Fiona didn't want to sell herself. But what about later? When there was a good amount of money, she obediently climbed onto his bed, letting him toy with her. So, it was just a matter of not giving enough money. She wouldn't really want to leave him!Fiona frowned, looking at Darwin. Thank goodness. All these years, she had always remembered clearly that she was just a substitute. All of Darwin's tenderness and affection was meant for someone else. If she were to sink into it even a little bit. At this moment, she would have been left with countless wounds, in unbearable pain."Darwin, I'm not for sale!" Fiona looked at him, "My mother was driven to death by a mistress. I will never be a third party."Inside the secretary's office, they fell into a brief silence. Only the sound of their breathing remained. No matter how incomprehensible Darwin was, he realized that Fiona truly intended to break things off with him."It's been a long time since you visited your grandmother. I'll give you a month's vacation, think it over before deciding," he suppressed his anger and softened his tone.Grandmother...Fiona instantly felt like she had fallen into an icy cave. But then she became even more determined and resolute."No need to think, I have already decided."“Fiona!”Darwin couldn't contain his anger any longer. He had swallowed his pride by descending from his lofty position! Yet she still didn't know how to appreciate it!"You're just a substitute for Lilian, I've used you for five years and gotten used to it. Do you really think I can't live without you?"Yes, just gotten used to it.There were other substitutes, but he couldn't be bothered to adapt."Mr. Solomon, I am aware of my place and won't dare to overstep it," Fiona answered with cold firmness.“Very well!”Darwin's anger could no longer be contained. He had lowered himself by giving her enough leeway! Yet she still couldn’t appreciate it! He nodded and released Fiona's wrist."Fiona, you may not look the most like Lilian, but you are the most well-behaved among everyone, and that is your only advantage." Darwin looked at Fiona, returning to his usual cold and frosty demeanor. "Now, you have lost even this one advantage. Since you have made up your mind, so be it.""Thank you, Mr. Solomon." Fiona suppressed the various emotions surging in her heart and calmly replied, "I will handle the transition of all the work and not cause you any trouble.""There is no need to transition the secretary's work to someone else. A new secretary will come, and before you leave, you should teach her well."“Yes.”Darwin left without looking back, radiating intense anger.. He was a proud person to the core, after all. This moment of regret just now was only because she played the role of Lilian too well, and she was very obedient. Now that she was not obedient, he had no patience for her either. Naturally, he would no longer bother with her.Fiona glanced at her reddened wrist.Hmm.Finally, she was free. Fiona left the company and went to Darwin's house. Most of the time, Darwin had his demands, and she would be either at the accommodation he arranged for her or in the secretary's rest area. She rarely came over and didn't have many things.A carry-on suitcase was enough. Fiona packed meticulously, making sure nothing was left behind before she could leave at ease.Back at her residence, she started organizing her work notes and some work to be handed over. The handover of secretarial work was not a big problem for her since she had two work notebooks that the other person could fully comprehend. The trouble was the large-scale infrastructure project she was responsible for following up on last year. It was her first time taking charge of such a big project, and she had put in a lot of effort. Now, leaving midway, she worried that it would affect the progress of the project.While thinking about it, Fiona's phone rang. It was a call from the medical center. Recently, her best friend Ashton, who returned from studying abroad, insisted that she looked too frail, so she dragged her for a medical check-up. She figured it might be the report from the check-up. She answered the call.“Miss Woods, this is CBS health center.”"I know, just send the electronic version of the medical report to my email," Fiona replied.After speaking, she was about to hang up.But the other person spoke first, “Miss Woods, you’re pregnant!”Fiona froze, "What?""I said, congratulations, you're 8 weeks pregnant!" the voice on the other side was as jubilant as if celebrating the Lunar New Year.Fiona was stunned. She was pregnant? How was that possible? She and Darwin had always been strict about contraception!"Miss Woods, here's the thing, we have the best private maternity hospital in the country, as well as a luxurious postpartum center..." the person enthusiastically advertised.Fiona was already in a daze and didn’t hear a single word."I understand, if there's a need, I will..."“Contact them.”After regaining her composure, Fiona mumbled a few words and quickly hung up the phone.Then, she gazed at the steady autumn rain outside the window. Lost in thought for a while. Then, rationality slowly returned, and she quickly weighed the pros and cons in her mind. She glanced at her flat stomach.She thought to herself, "This child cannot be kept."As Ashton was sorting through the gifts, she too was reflecting on everything."Isn't my life just a series of bizarre twists?" she mumbled, looking down. "Finding out Chris was secretly going on blind dates behind my back, then breaking up. Watching him get engaged, and seeing my own mom take his fiancée's side, leading to our fallout. That should have been my rock bottom, right?"Fiona nodded in agreement.The day Ashton cut ties with her mom, she'd even bought her a plane ticket. She wanted to send her to some tranquil getaway for a much-needed vacation to relax and rejuvenate."Who would've guessed? Right after the falling out with my mom—a spur-of-the-moment decision—I ended up marrying Kenny. I was so down on my luck, I thought, 'How much worse can it get?'” Ashton chuckled ironically, then softened a bit. "But, who could have predicted how good Kenny would turn out to be? How he'd respect every single wish of mine."It was a kind of care that she hadn't felt since her dad had l
Fiona was actually surprised. After all, she wasn't a saint without desires. It all made sense to just go with the flow and do what naturally came next. She might only berate herself later for succumbing to her cravings. But Darwin stopped, and that was beyond her expectations. In the past, this would have been unthinkable. It seemed as though... he really had learned to respect her.She pressed a quick, rewarding peck onto Darwin's lips, smiled, and teased, 'Mr. Solomon, maybe you should head to the bathroom?”Her smile was captivating and bright, causing Darwin's past five years of distressing memories to resurface. He pulled her into his arms again."Wife, I miss you so much, I'm starting to lose my mind," Darwin's voice shook, betraying his emotional turmoil. "I keep seeing your shadow at home, but when I chase after it, there's nothing... Thank goodness... this time I've really got you in my arms."Fiona listened to his voice laced with sobs, her heart aching with each word."Ser
Darwin had always been self-centered in matters of intimacy. Whenever he desired, she couldn't refuse.In her haziness, Fiona felt like she was back in those times again."Don't be afraid."Sensing her anxiety and unease, Darwin softened, kissing her lips again and coaxing her with his gentle voice, "I won't force you. I'll wait until you're ready to truly accept me."In Fiona's misty eyes, desire began to cloud her vision. Her gaze often seemed distant and disconnected. As Darwin kissed her, her mind turned into mush, instinctively she kissed him back softly.Mr. Solomon just stood there, silent, his towering frame taut."You know exactly how to torture me," Darwin groaned, voice hoarse, as he peppered her neck with more fervent kisses."Be gentle..." Fiona clenched his hand. "You'll leave marks!"Darwin chuckled lowly, then tilted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze, "Why fear my marks? Scared that man will see and get jealous?""No, it's not that…" Fiona turned away with a sligh
Once finished, the anxiety within Lilian began to subside.Just wait a little longer, Lilian. All these nuisances will soon vanish.And then, you'll be there for Darwin with all your gentle warmth. He’ll eventually be moved, realizing you're the one for him...Lilian took a deep breath and exhaled.On her way out, she passed by the flower shop where Darwin made his purchase. From a distance, she had only glimpsed the type of flowers Darwin had bought and decided to buy the same kind.Inside the apartment, Darwin silenced his phone and tossed it aside."Why didn't you tell me? Worried I'd take Lilian's side?" he pulled her close and asked earnestly.For five years, she had lived in Lilian’s shadow, a daily reminder that she was merely a stand-in and that Lilian was the more important one—a notion that had likely seeped into her very marrow.This realization made Darwin wish he could travel back in time to give his younger self a good thrashing.He
"The only person I've ever schemed for was Solomon. What could possibly make you believe I'd harm someone I don’t even know, like Miss Rhoads?" Lilian asked. "If that's truly how you see me, maybe it'd be better if you just kicked me out of Solomon's life..."Darwin had promised to protect Lilian.Hearing her say this, he felt a twinge of guilt.But...Darwin feared even more that because of the thorn that was Lilian, his wife’s heart, which had just started to soften toward him, would turn cold again.He was walking on eggshells just to avoid pushing her away.So..."I'm sorry, Lilian," Darwin said flatly. "There's no room for discussion."Lilian sat frozen in the car, as if her blood was slowly turning to ice.Even in her early days back in the country, Darwin had never protected Fiona like this.He used to drop everything to be at Lilian's side whenever she needed him, leaving Fiona behind.Now...Even when she tried to befriend Che
Fiona gazed at Darwin, his face inexplicably brimming with pride."Lilian places great value on the RH Company project." She kept to herself the fact that Lilian had plagiarized her proposal, but Fiona wasn't about to let it slide.This was simply a clash of interests, and she felt no need to drag Darwin further into the fray, avoiding the mess of tangled priorities."Hmm," Darwin's smile faded slightly, "Her proposal is indeed impressive, but it pales in comparison to yours."Fiona studied him intently, searching his face for any hint of romantic sentiment towards Lilian.Her search ended in vain."What are you looking at?" Darwin pulled her closer by the waist, gazing up at her.Fiona brushed her fingertips gently across his cheek, causing him to nuzzle into her hand like a kitten seeking affection."Don't stay away too long, come back soon," he whispered softly, his voice barely a murmur.What he truly wanted to say was, "Don't leave."Thei