She was well aware of it, that much was crystal clear.
Not that it needed saying, but if Lilian got into a fight with Ashton, she’d get whooped, no doubt about it.And Kenny...Was he genuinely smitten by Ashton, or just playing along with her act?“What kind of clout is he banking on?” Ashton speared Darwin with an icy look.Her gaze shifted to Fiona.“Lilian and I are not involved in the way you're thinking,” he clarified.Fiona lapsed into silence.Whether they were involved or not didn’t matter to her anymore.“Shall we order? Aren’t you hungry?”Ashton noticed a shift in Fiona’s mood as it turned sour.“Sure!”Over the past while, he had practically memorized the menu. In no time at all, he had ordered the dishes.“Baby, you’ve been working so hard on that project you’re slimming down. I've ordered all your favorites, so make sure you eat up!” Ashton cooed sweetly to Fiona.Her irritation melted away.Like Ashton said,Silence filled the car. After a moment, Fiona turned to Darwin, her eyes were slightly red. "Darwin, years have passed. We can't go back. I'm living a peaceful and happy life now, and you know how hard that's been for me to achieve... If you have even the slightest bit of sincerity towards me, please, I'm begging you, don't disrupt my tranquil life again, okay?"Darwin's heart felt as if it were being twisted by a thousand knives.Fiona speaking to him so calmly, so candidly—it threw him off balance even more than an impassioned outburst would have.It wasn't words spoken in anger.They were the sincere words of a calm heart.She... truly wanted nothing to do with him anymore.Watching Darwin's figure seemingly crumble before her, Fiona felt a storm of emotions churning within."Let me take you home. To your apartment, right?""Yes."Where else could he go, if not back to his apartment?Without her presence, those houses couldn't be his home.
Ashton had always longed to return and live in the house her father left behind, but one reason or another kept pushing that dream to the back burner. At the start of the year, when she decided to move back to the states and grow her career, she even mentioned it to Chris, considering the house had seen better days and was in desperate need of a renovation.Chris was back home at that time.She had hoped for his help in checking the place.But Chris had said..."The neighborhood's right in city center, sure, but it's pretty run-down, and Maria might not like it. Why not just stay at our family home?"Of course, Ashton knew Maria wouldn't be happy.But she didn't want to live there.Staying in the Shaw family home meant that she and Chris had to constantly dodge the appearance of impropriety.Back then, she naively thought that renovating the place would mean she could move in with Chris. Even if it wasn't every day, one or two nights a week seemed bli
Ashton nodded, "I'll block him right now."" Are you trying to keep our marriage under wraps?" Kenny asked solemnly.Ashton shook her head.She had no intention of hiding her marriage."Good," Kenny said, taking the phone from Ashton and answering the call.Chris's hoarse voice came through, "Ashton..."Before Chris could continue, Kenny responded with a cold tone, "Mr. Durham , it's very late to be calling my wife and disturbing our rest."There was a brief silence on the other end."Put Ashton on the phone!" Chris demanded, his voice low and seething with anger.Kenny chuckled coolly, " My wife wants nothing more to do with the Shaws. Don't bother calling again.""Bullshit!" Chris barked back with vehemence."And who's your wife? I'm warning you, keep your distance or else—"Kenny didn't wait for Chris to finish his threat. He hung up the call and then blocked the number.Ashton sat there, the glow that had lasted the whole eveni
The mention of Dagmar made Ashton’s head hang low."But what about you?" she asked despondently, "Besides Darwin, could you fall for someone else? Marry someone else? Are you going to be alone forever?"Ashton didn't think marriage in itself was essential.But to love someone and still end up alone,That love would turn into a poison, eating away at your heart,Tormenting you every moment.Fiona remained silent.Only when she was tricked into going to Darwin's apartment did she realize what he truly meant to her.Even as the years slipped by,Her body remained loyal to him.But what about her heart?After all these years, never dating another man,Was it because her heart was loyal to Darwin too?"I just want to live well in the present, and as for the future..." Fiona took a deep breath, "I'll just go with the flow, life's too long and always changing."Ashton listened, thinking about Kenny's words from earlier.Yes, life
Living together would mean...He could prepare breakfast for his wife too."No way!" Ashton promptly objected.Kenny felt a bit deflated, "Alright... Maybe I'm just too eager.""That's not it," Ashton quickly clarified, "If I move out now, my sister-in-law will be all alone at home..."Kenny blinked in silence.It was all for his sister-in-law..."Once she wraps up her current project, she'll go back. Then we can decide whether you come over or I move, okay?" Ashton's cheeks flushed as he spoke.Kenny couldn't help but smile.After breakfast, Kenny grabbed his travel mug from the car and took the leftover smoothie with him.Ashton was a mix of amused and proud.Seems she had some hidden talents in the kitchen after all!The sun shone brilliantly outside.Today promised to be a serene and beautiful day.Upon arriving at the office, Fiona dove into meetings.They continued until around ten when there was a brief respite.
"Lilian, have you seen the trending topics? Did Darwin get married?"These were the messages that flooded in.Lilian was initially dumbfounded.Who was with Mr. Solomon at yesterday's funeral?She opened the trending topics and panicked at the sight of those group photos.Reading the comments, there were many not discussing her.But the top comment was about her."So, the engagement mentioned before the first love, it's postponed to the next lifetime, huh?"Most of the replies sympathized with Lilian.But all Lilian could see were the scathing, mocking criticisms."Hey, Lilian is worlds away from the lady in this picture in terms of allure.""That dream of marrying into high society shattered!""Five years of hype, and she still hasn't snagged the title of Mrs. Solomon!""Mrs. Solomon’s eyes and gaze bear a striking 70 to 80 percent resemblance to Secretary Woods. So in the end, it's Secretary Woods who's Darwin's true love. Lilian
On the surveillance screen.Darwin bent down to pick up the shattered phone.He fiddled with it for a moment.It was clear, the phone was beyond repair.He called a kid over, exchanged a few words, and the child hurried off, returning shortly with a new phone in hand.Darwin took the phone, seemingly thanked the kid, and dialed a number. Moments later, a phone in Chicago rang with an unfamiliar number.Before Janna Rhoads could speak up, Chicago eagerly answered the call, "Uncle!""How did Chicago know it was uncle?" came Darwin's gentle voice, tinged with amusement, from the other end.Chicago realized she had slipped up but quickly covered, "Only uncle would call Chicago!""Right," Darwin chuckled softly, "Uncle had a bit of an accident and broke his phone. I didn't scare you, did I?""Nope," Chicago shook her head, not mentioning her earlier fears of a kidnapping.Charles withdrew to his computer, his eyelids drooping, and whispered to
Janna Rhoads furrowed her brow deeply.In the past, she would have immediately reassured Charles that such a thing hadn't happened.But now...Looking at these photos stacked one after another.The two of them might not haven been just compatible—they seemed like a match made in heaven, a perfect couple.She couldn't be sure of the answer any longer.But...She turned to Charles, this young child, suddenly finding on the internet that his mother married a stranger.He must be worried, perhaps even afraid?Janna racked her brain, then wrapped her arms around Charles, her voice gentle and filled with affection: "Charles, no matter who Mommy marries in the future, you and Chicago will always be the most important to her. So don't worry, okay? Grandma will always be here to support you and your sister!"Charles gazed at Janna Rhoads.A child so young can be a genius in intellect, but in matters of the heart, things aren't as clear.Why he