“The person I met twice was the same. It was a man.”
Darwin was startled right then and there. His mind started working. He began to speculate about all the possibilities and wonder who the man Vivian was referring to might be.
“Twice now, a guy has come to see me and offered a collaboration. In essence, he’s proposing a partnership to separate you from Veronica.”
Those words kept echoing in Darwin’s head. Since Vivian left the Infinix Group building, Darwin had been restless on his own from morning till late in the day. He couldn’t stop thinking and speculating about the identity of the man who had met his ex-girlfriend and proposed a collaboration.
Originally, Darwin wanted to ignore it. However, that information continued to bother him until he finally got caught up in his thoughts.
“Who could this person be? Why does he have a goal to separate me from Veronica?” Darwin continued to focus on his thoughts, murmuring to himself. Shortly thereafter, Magnus suddenly appeared at the office door.
Darwin Walters’s father entered without knocking first, taking wide steps, and approaching Darwin. As he stood right in front of his son, unexpectedly, the man of Chinese descent reached for Darwin’s shirt collar and pulled it tight.
“Dad!” Darwin exclaimed in surprise. He never expected his father to act this way. “What’s going on, Dad?”
Magnus clenched his jaw, still holding onto Darwin’s shirt collar, and finally spoke.
“You’re asking me why, Darwin? Why are you like this, Win?”
Darwin shook his head, confused because he didn’t understand what his father was talking about.
“Dad, please, Darwin doesn’t understand why you’re suddenly like this.”
Magnus continued to glare angrily. His firm jaw clearly indicated that he was filled with anger.
“Dad is asking you whether, throughout your life, as big as you’ve become, your mother and I ever taught you to be rough with women? Did Dad ever teach you to be irresponsible and a traitor?”
Darwin appeared trapped in his sitting position. Eventually, he understood the direction of his father’s conversation.
He hadn’t told anyone what had happened since yesterday because he was still looking for the right moment. However, it seemed that his father had already learned about the issue he was currently facing.
“Dad, listen to Darwin first. Papa-”
“Just answer what Dad asked!” Magnus interrupted Darwin with a commanding tone, demanding that his son focus on answering the question he had asked earlier.
“Okay… okay…” Darwin replied, raising both his hands in the air. “But please, release your grip on my shirt collar, Dad.”
Magnus complied, releasing his strong hold on Darwin’s shirt collar. A moment later, Magnus sat down in a chair in front of his son’s work desk.
“First, Darwin wants to apologize,” Darwin continued the conversation. “Darwin realizes that you and Mom never taught Darwin to be a violent or irresponsible man.”
“Then why did you treat your wife roughly? Why did you cheat, Win?” Magnus pressed. He couldn’t understand how his son, whom he had always been proud of, could act foolishly and recklessly, bringing shame to their family. “I’ve heard everything from your mother-in-law. You’ve gone too far, Win. Your actions have tarnished our family’s reputation. Where should I put my face, Win?”
Darwin sighed deeply. He didn’t deny any of the accusations that Magnus had directed at him. In the past, Darwin had indeed been foolish and blinded by love, to the point of acting without considering the long-term consequences.
And now? It seemed that fate had chosen the right time. The wicked deeds he had sown in the past were now ready to be reaped, and he would have to bear the consequences patiently.
“Darwin won’t defend himself, Dad. At that time, Darwin admits that he was wrong. But, by God, Darwin has apologized to Veronica and promised to start everything anew.”
“So why are you still betraying her by meeting other women?” Magnus exclaimed in frustration.
“Veronica and Papa Damian just misunderstood. What actually happened is not what they saw. Darwin swears that he had no intention of lying or cheating on Veronica,” the man explained patiently.
He carefully recounted the chronology of events from beginning to end to ensure Magnus didn’t misunderstand what had happened. From the look in his eyes alone, Darwin seemed determined to convince his father to believe his story.
“Darwin will continue to try to find an opportunity to explain everything to Papa Damian and Veronica. Darwin hopes that this misunderstanding won’t drag on.”
Magnus sighed heavily. His head felt like it was about to explode, thinking about the problems his son was facing. Just when he wanted to pass his old age peacefully, he unexpectedly encountered such a calamity.
“Do you think you can do it that easily?” Magnus said with a heavy voice. “Even though it happened a long time ago, Damian won’t accept how you treated his daughter, Win. He even plans to handle your divorce and withdraw all the assistance given to Infinix Group. Do you understand the consequences if all that becomes a reality?”
Darwin’s shoulders slumped. Starting with his foolishness in breaking his promise by meeting Vivian, he now had to prepare to lose everything.
Meanwhile, in a corner of a café, Veronica was sitting leisurely sipping her green tea frappuccino that she had ordered earlier. Deasy, who had been faithfully accompanying her, was also in front of her.
They had been sitting there for an hour. Deasy had shared many stories. Unlike Veronica’s usual self, she didn’t talk much about herself today. This made Deasy curious, so she finally asked a question.
“So, have you finally left Darwin’s house?” Deasy asked intentionally, trying to get Veronica to talk.
“Yes,” Veronica nodded briefly. “Dad asked me to leave immediately.”
Deasy smiled widely. Secretly, she breathed a sigh of relief multiple times. She was just happy that Veronica had finally escaped from someone like Darwin.
“You should have left a long time ago, Ve. I’ve told you many times that Darwin isn’t the right guy for you.”
Veronica just smiled. She wasn’t offended or upset by what Deasy said. She was used to her friend criticizing and badmouthing Darwin in various ways.
Ever since Deasy found out that Darwin had behaved badly on their wedding night with Veronica, she had declared herself determined to keep Darwin away from her friend. Deasy couldn’t accept that Veronica had been mistreated, let alone intentionally deceived, by a guy like Darwin.
“I’ve told you too…” Deasy continued when Veronica remained silent. “Cheating is a recurring problem. It will happen again someday. Instead of getting hurt later, it’s better to end this toxic marriage now.”
“And marrying Sean?” Veronica continued, as if she knew what Deasy was going to say next.
Hearing her opponent’s words, Deasy laughed softly. She reached for Veronica’s wrist and gently squeezed it while shaking her head repeatedly.
“No, don’t worry. This time I won’t force you to rekindle your relationship with Sean. You’re free to choose your path in life, Ve. Whoever it is that becomes my friend’s partner, I’ll support it. As long as he’s not a jerk like Darwin.”
Veronica smiled with gratitude. Even though Deasy often made her angry by confiding in Sean or her father, Veronica couldn’t be mad. She knew that Deasy cared deeply for her.
“Just pray for the best,” Veronica asked of Deasy. “Whoever ends up being my life partner, it means that God has sent them to be my soulmate.”
If we can describe it, Darwin’s feelings right now are probably in turmoil. His head feels like it’s about to explode. Each part of him is filled with equally complex problems.