Darwin woke up with a wide smile on his lips. In the embrace of the man, there was the figure of Veronica, still fast asleep.
After being separated for quite some time and sleeping alone, Darwin didn’t waste any time last night in reuniting with his wife, who had just returned to their home. Darwin was even determined that the next night, he would persuade Veronica to spend time together intimately. All of this was done so that they could finally have a child, as their parents had hoped for all this time.
“Darling,” Veronica called out as she woke up from her sleep. Slowly opening her eyes, the woman seemed comfortable as she tightened her embrace around Darwin’s body.
“Morning, Darling. How was your sleep? Peaceful?”
Veronica nodded. How could her sleep not be peaceful when her husband had been faithful in embracing her all night long?
“Very peaceful compared to the nights before.”
Darwin smiled. Lowering his face, he kissed Veronica’s cheek softly and whispered teasingly.
“Peaceful because of my embrace? Or because of something else?”
Veronica immediately chuckled. She knew exactly what her husband meant.
“Maybe my sleep was so peaceful because we made love with feelings and didn’t have to rush like the other day.”
Laughter immediately erupted from Darwin’s lips. For a lifetime, he might never forget that daring yet funny moment. How he had used the available time to make love to Veronica.
What made it even funnier was that, during Darwin’s passionate time with his wife, he had almost forgotten about Randy’s existence. His cousin had to drop him off on the side of the road in anger after finding out that Darwin was having an intimate moment with Veronica.
“If you like, we can make love again right now. It doesn’t matter if I take the day off from work today to spend the whole day with you in the room.”
Darwin then propped up his body, ready to crawl on top of Veronica. However, before he could do anything, Veronica playfully pinched his stomach and waist until he groaned.
“You’re such a pervert! You can’t take the day off today, Win. Didn’t Dad ask you to come to his office to meet with the Foxtail team together?”
“Oh my, I almost forgot,” Darwin exclaimed as he gently tapped his forehead. “But, I still want to spend time with you, Ve.”
“I’ll be here all day, and we can do it again tonight. Besides, I’m not going anywhere.”
Darwin laughed while nodding. He had been nurturing his longing for days, so a quick romp wasn’t enough for him. Although what Veronica said had some truth to it. They could repeat their lovemaking in the nights to come.
“Okay, since today’s meeting can’t be postponed, I’ll hold you to your promise for some fun tonight.”
“No problem,” Veronica replied. “Do you think I’d be scared or avoid it?”
Again, Darwin smiled affectionately. Before getting out of bed, he hugged her tightly once more and kissed Veronica repeatedly. Once he felt satisfied, he hurried to clean himself up.
As planned, Darwin had to visit Darius at the Vortex Group building today. According to the schedule, he would meet with the Foxtail team to discuss Infinix Group’s participation, which had passed the joint venture selection.
Upon arriving at the Vortex Group building, Darwin headed straight to the meeting room. Before he could enter, he accidentally ran into Sean, who had just come out of one of the rooms.
Actually, Darwin really didn’t want to engage in a conversation with his wife’s ex-boyfriend. But, since they had already met, he had no choice but to exchange pleasantries. Moreover, Sean had greeted him first.
“Mr. Darwin.”
“Good morning, Mr. Sean.”
“Do you want to meet with Mr. Darius?”
Darwin nodded. That was indeed his purpose for coming to his father-in-law’s office.
“Yes, Mr. Sean. I was asked to come here today because there are some important matters that need to be resolved.”
“Is this about Foxtail?” Sean guessed. From the look in his eyes, it seemed like he knew a lot about what had happened with the selection process Darwin had failed to achieve due to sabotage by his father-in-law.
“Yes, it’s about Foxtail,” Darwin confirmed.
Sean then smiled. Without much further conversation, he extended his hand towards Darwin, intending to shake hands.
“I congratulate you for Infinix Group securing the second position and being eligible to participate in the Foxtail joint venture project. Hopefully, we can work together in the future.”
Darwin didn’t know how Sean had learned about this truth, but he chose not to ask. Instead, he accepted Sean’s handshake and engaged in small talk.
“Thank you very much for your words, Mr. Sean. I also hope that we can work together in the future.”
Feeling satisfied with their conversation, Darwin excused himself and proceeded to the meeting room. After a few minutes, the Foxtail representatives he had been waiting for arrived. After discussing and explaining what had happened, the Foxtail representative asked Darwin to sign an agreement to collaborate.
“We hope that with this collaboration, both Foxtail as the developer and contractors like Vortex Group, Salim, and Lamanda Corporation can work together towards mutual success.”
After signing the agreement, Darwin shook hands with the Foxtail representative. In his heart, he felt happy and satisfied because his hard work over the past few days had truly paid off as he had hoped.
“As a representative of Infinix Group, I also want to express our gratitude for the opportunity given. Of course, this will be a proving ground for us to work to our maximum potential and deliver results that meet the target and expectations.”
After signing the agreement and chatting for a while, the meeting was adjourned. Before returning to his office, Darius invited Darwin to stop by his office for a moment.
“Because Infinix Group has officially been selected and even secured the second position, your Papa hopes that you can handle this tender with maximum effort. And, most importantly, that you can work together with the others.”
Darwin nodded obediently. He wouldn’t waste this golden opportunity given to him.
“Don’t worry, Papa. Darwin will do his best.”
“Yes, Papa believes in your ambition and performance.”
“Since there’s nothing else to discuss, Darwin will take his leave now, Pa. If Darwin encounters any difficulties in the future, he will consult with Papa right away.”
Before leaving, Darwin stepped closer and briefly hugged Darius. After expressing his gratitude, he said his goodbyes and headed back to the Infinix Group Building.
Upon Darwin’s return from Vortex Group, he spent some time catching up on a few pending tasks. He was racing against some deadlines to get them completed.
During a work break, uninvited, Randy and Kennedy suddenly approached him. Earlier, Darwin’s two cousins had invited him to meet up for lunch.
However, because of work that couldn’t be left behind, Darwin had declined their invitation. Unexpectedly, now, his two cousins had come to his office. They even brought some food for him to have for lunch.
“I know you must be really sad, Win. That’s why I bought you lots of your favorite food for lunch,” Randy said, full of concern.
Accepting the food that Randy brought, Darwin smiled meaningfully. The issue was, his two cousins didn’t know anything about him ultimately not parting ways with Veronica.
“You’re unusually caring,” Darwin teased sardonically while opening one of the boxes containing Chinese food. He didn’t hesitate to taste the food his cousin had brought.
“Once in a while, so you won’t be sad about having to separate from Veronica,” Randy explained. He even helped open another food box and offered it to Darwin. “And again, my offer from the other day still stands, Win. If you need it, just let me know.”
Kennedy, who had been listening quietly, immediately furrowed her brows. She seemed puzzled by what Randy had just said. “What are you talking about? And what did you offer Darwin?”
While Darwin enjoyed his meal, Randy turned to Kennedy, intending to explain what his cousin had asked.
“We both know that Darwin didn’t pass Foxtail’s selection. We’re also aware of the consequences he might face. So, I offered myself, in case Darwin does indeed separate from Veronica and needs a new partner, I’m ready to help find one.”
“You’re out of your mind!” Kennedy exclaimed. She couldn’t believe that Randy had casually offered to find a new partner for Darwin. “Instead of supporting him to avoid a divorce, why are you suggesting a new relationship?”
“Besides, who wants a divorce anyway?” Darwin interjected. “Veronica and I are not going to divorce.”
“Are you serious about not getting a divorce?” Randy asked, seeming incredulous. He should be relieved that Darwin wasn’t separating. Instead, he appeared doubtful now. “Isn’t choosing Infinix Group supposed to mean letting go of Veronica?”
Darwin nodded.
“Technically, yes. But I’m seriously not going to divorce Veronica.”
“How is that possible?” Randy questioned. “Did Mr. Darius change his mind?”
Darwin then explained what had actually happened to his two cousins. He elaborated on the conspiracy between his father and Veronica’s father, working together to test his commitment and determination to prove that he was worthy of marrying Veronica.
“Oh my God,” Randy exclaimed. “So, all of this complexity was carefully orchestrated by Mr. Darius?”
Darwin nodded.
“You have no idea how shocked I was when I found out the truth. But I’m still grateful because, in the end, I can be back together with Veronica.”
“I’m genuinely happy to hear this news, Win,” Kennedy said sincerely. Of course, she was pleased to see Darwin pass all the tests that his father-in-law had presented. It reminded her of the time when she and Luna had been deliberately tested by their Mama.
“I didn’t expect any of this, Ken,” Darwin mumbled. “And now, I’m grateful because all the hard work and proving myself have finally paid off.”
“Oh come on. Does this mean you won’t be ordering aunties for me anymore? I had prepared to keep you company so you wouldn’t be constantly worried, Win,” Randy joked freely.
Darwin then growled in annoyance. He was so frustrated that he even gathered some papers and threw them at Randy to make him stop talking.