Darwin himself, as he had planned earlier, moved to the workspace. There were some reports he needed to check and evaluate.
While engrossed in his work, exactly at 11 o’clock, Darwin had a visitor. Knowing that he wasn’t at the office today, Randy specifically came to visit because he wanted to give something to his cousin.
“I looked for you at the office, they said you’re not working today. What’s going on? Are you sick?”
Darwin, seated at his desk, shook his head. Still focused on the laptop screen, he replied to Randy’s question.
“Veronica has had a fever since yesterday. It’s quite high. Because I was worried, I decided not to go to work today so I can take care of her.”
Randy nodded in understanding. It seemed Darwin had skipped work to take care of Veronica, who was unwell.
“If it’s high, why didn’t you take her to the hospital?”
Darwin shook his head again.
“I tried to persuade her to go, but she refused. So, earlier, I asked the doctor to make a house visit. Fortunately, Veronica’s condition is not a cause for concern.”
“Thank goodness for that. I’ll just pray for her to get well soon.” After offering his prayers, Randy returned to his original purpose. He took out a document he had brought with him and handed it to Darwin.
As they discussed and evaluated the document, they also talked about events before today.
“About yesterday, I apologize. I really couldn’t follow you to the restaurant.”
Darwin looked up. He nodded casually. It seemed he was reluctant to discuss what Randy was talking about.
“It’s okay. I can handle it myself.”
“So, did you really meet up with Vivian?”
Darwin nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then, what did you talk about? Did she try to get back together with you?”
This time, Darwin shook his head immediately.
“No.”
“Then what?” Randy pressed on. He was getting curious about why Vivian had asked Darwin to meet up.
Yesterday, his cousin suddenly called Darwin and asked for his company. It was unusual. Darwin didn’t usually need someone to accompany him to meet someone.
After explaining that he met with Vivian and the purpose was to avoid any misunderstandings, Randy finally understood. Unfortunately, at that time, he was in a meeting and couldn’t follow.
“Win,” Randy called again when Darwin seemed to ignore the previous question.
“What is it?”
“I asked, why did Vivian want to meet you?”
Darwin paused his work for a moment. He looked up and stared at Randy with a serious expression.
“Actually, I don’t understand her main purpose for that. What made me uncomfortable was that when we met, she suddenly hugged me and started crying.”
“Seriously? Why?”
“At first, I was also confused and surprised by why she suddenly started crying like that,” Darwin tried to explain what had happened. “Turns out, she was in distress because her aunt had just had an accident and was in a coma.”
Randy was startled by the news Darwin shared. He felt sympathy for the unfortunate event that had befallen his cousin’s former girlfriend. Even though he didn’t like her from the start, he still felt compassion after hearing what Darwin had said.
“So, did you visit her aunt?”
Darwin shook his head.
“Not at all, and I didn’t want to risk it. I’m sure Vivian asked to meet because she was really desperate and needed someone to talk to. After all, in this world, it’s only Aunt Lily and me that she has.”
“So, Veronica doesn’t know anything about this, right?”
Darwin nodded. He had wanted to tell his wife about it since yesterday, but the timing was never right. Darwin even promised himself that as soon as Veronica’s condition improved, he would apologize and tell her everything.
“Not for now. But as soon as she gets better, I’ll tell her.”
Randy understood Darwin’s thought process. His cousin didn’t want to add to Veronica’s worries while her condition was unstable. It was better to postpone it for the time being.
“Hopefully, nothing unwanted or unpleasant happens after this. And I hope you can continue to be consistent in keeping your commitment.”
Darwin agreed. Finishing the discussion about Vivian, he returned to his work, which had been interrupted earlier.
***
“Is there something I need to do, Sir?”
Currently, Deasy was in Damian’s office. She had been deliberately called and asked to meet with the highest-ranking executive of the Vortex Group.
Deasy thought that she had been called for an important task that needed her immediate attention. However, when she faced Damian and saw him in person, she had a feeling there was another reason why she had been summoned.
“Please have a seat; I want to ask you something about Darwin. This has nothing to do with work, so we can talk casually.”
Deasy nodded obediently. She took a few steps forward and seated herself directly in front of Damian.
“What issue does Mr. Damian want to discuss or ask about concerning Darwin?”
“It’s about Darwin,” Damian responded, his tone sounding cold. His gaze was difficult to decipher.
Deasy, on the other hand, couldn’t help but wonder. Why had Damian suddenly called her to discuss the person he clearly disliked the most, Darwin?
“Why are we talking about Darwin, Sir?” Deasy asked nervously.
Damian continued his line of questioning, realizing that Deasy was the closest friend to Veronica and probably knew a lot about her life.
“Deasy, you’ve been Veronica’s closest confidant for a long time. That’s why I’m sure Veronica must have confided in you about anything related to Darwin, right?”
Deasy nodded.
“Yes, she has, Sir.”
“In that case…” Damian continued, “I want to ask you seriously, has Veronica ever told you about Darwin cheating on her or having a relationship with another woman while he was already married to Veronica?”
As Damian mentioned, Deasy had been very close to Veronica, and her intuition told her that Deasy knew a lot about Veronica’s life. While waiting for accurate information from Adrian, it was a good idea to inquire about Darwin from Deasy. Perhaps, she could provide the needed information.
Deasy, who had just been bombarded with this sensitive question, remained silent for a few seconds. She blinked slowly and then nodded.
“Yes, Sir. Veronica has confided in me about it. She always shares everything she goes through, including matters related to Darwin.”
“If I may ask, what has Veronica told you? Can you please elaborate?”
Deasy nodded again. For her, it was not difficult to recount Darwin’s despicable actions towards Veronica at the beginning of their marriage. In fact, she believed Damian needed to know about the behavior of his son-in-law that he had been so proud of.
“Well, there have been many reprehensible actions by Darwin that Veronica has deliberately kept hidden.”
“Oh, really?” Damian said, taken aback. He didn’t expect his daughter to endure such things.
“On their first night of marriage, Darwin treated Veronica roughly. Even during their honeymoon, Darwin intentionally brought along his ex-girlfriend-”
“Vivian? Her name is Vivian, right?” Damian interrupted Deasy.
“You know about Vivian?”
Damian nodded slowly.
“I do. That’s why I need more information from you. Please continue.”
“As Deasy mentioned earlier, during their honeymoon, instead of spending time with Veronica, Darwin intentionally brought his ex-girlfriend along for a good time.”
In his seat, Damian clenched his jaw tightly, his fists clenched. He struggled to contain his emotions and anger.
“From the beginning, I asked Veronica to divorce Darwin immediately. But she was afraid my heart condition would worsen. So, because she didn’t want to take any risks, Veronica chose to be patient. And, the worst part is, Darwin has stayed away from home several times just to spend the night at the apartment of that woman, Vivian.”
Hearing this, Damian immediately felt breathless. His chest tightened again. He had never imagined that his beloved daughter had been treated so poorly.
“In fact, because she was disgusted, Veronica did give Darwin a lesson.”
“A lesson?” Damian repeated, looking eager.
“Yes, Sir. Veronica taught Darwin a lesson, and as a result, they reached a marriage agreement.”
Damian’s brow furrowed. He didn’t understand Deasy’s explanation.
“Deasy, I must admit I’m confused about the marriage agreement you mentioned. What kind of agreement did Veronica and Darwin make?”
“Let me explain, Sir. Because Veronica didn’t want to risk her heart, she used Darwin’s weakness to make an agreement to have a normal marriage for six months, just to keep up appearances in front of you. So, they both acted like a happily married couple in public for the next six months. When that time was up, they agreed to divorce.”
Damian was shocked by what he heard. Even after Deasy left his office, his chest still felt tight. He was filled with regret and anger because his beloved daughter had been mistreated by the son-in-law he had chosen himself.
Soon after, a question arose in Damian’s mind: Should he take serious action?