Chapter 3 New Secretary
Fiona couldn't sleep all night so she took two days off. Early in the morning, she went to the hospital for another check-up. The check-up confirmed that she was eight weeks pregnant. She thought and recalled vaguely that two months ago, on Darwin's birthday, there was indeed a moment of risky behavior. Just that one time. Only once...
"Considering your difficulty in conceiving, it would be advisable to keep this pregnancy," the doctor said gently, seeing Fiona alone and looking worn out.
'I have difficulty conceiving yet pregnant with just one incident? Should I consider myself lucky or unfortunate?' Fiona felt bitter in her heart.
"I think about it," Fiona said as she left the hospital.
She stood still, lost in thought, as the chilly autumn wind blew around her. Then, she bought a plane ticket back home. The plane landed in Serene city. Fiona bought a bouquet of roses, a bunch of purple chrysanthemums, two bottles of good wine, and called for a car to West Mountain cemetery.
As soon as she arrived at the cemetery, rain started to drizzle. The administrator saw Fiona from a distance and hurried over with an umbrella.
"Fiona, it's not time yet, why are you here?" The administrator asked.
"Just came to take a look," Fiona replied politely.
They exchanged a few pleasantries. She left a bottle of wine for the administrator. While holding the umbrella, she walked alone toward the depths of the cemetery. Watching her slender figure, the administrator held the wine and sighed with pity.
"What's the matter? Do you know her?" {the cleaning lady next to the administrator asked.
The administrator shook his head and sighed again. "She's a poor soul. When she was four or five years old, she brought her mother here. When she was around ten, she brought her grandfather. And half a year ago, her grandmother was brought here. On the day of the old lady's burial, she knelt there all day without eating or drinking."
Fiona, familiar with the place, found the tombstone easily. Her grandfather and grandmother were buried together, with her mother nearby. She placed roses for her grandfather and grandmother. Her grandfather used to buy a rose for her grandmother every day. The purple chrysanthemums were her mother's favorite flowers. Lastly, she poured a glass of good wine for her grandfather.
"Grandma, grandpa, mom, I came back this time to tell you something.
"I’m pregnant and technically, I shouldn't keep it.
"But since all of you are gone ... I have no family anymore. This child is my only blood and kin.”
Fiona took a deep breath. It seemed as if she had made a monumental decision. "The doctor said it's difficult for me to conceive so I've decided to keep the baby."
After a moment of silence, Fiona smiled and said, "You have spirits in heaven. Please bless her to be born healthy and grow up well!"
Darwin's office was bustling with the news of Fiona's resignation. It was a well known fact that the difficult Darwin greatly relies on Fiona. Just when everyone was skeptical, this morning, the new secretary who replaced Fiona, arrived. Clarke directly arranged her in Fiona's office.
Amidst the shock, Bella's appearance as the new secretary also caused quite a stir in the company. Bella surprisingly bore a striking resemblance to Fiona. Regarding the relationship between the president and Fiona in the company, there have always been various speculations. Now that Fiona has resigned and someone so similar to her has arrived, it was even more terrifying to think about. Rumors had become more abundant and dramatic.
Early in the morning, Darwin went to a meeting with the overseas project department. By the time the meeting ended, it was already noon. He had just returned to the president's office when Bella came over, looking aggrieved.
"Darwin, I took Ms. Fiona's place. Is she unhappy and that's why she doesn't want to come and teach me?"
Darwin frowned, looking at Clarke. "Where is Fiona?"
When Darwin searched around for Fiona, she was indeed nowhere to be found. He thought that somebody was trying to play tricks on him.
"Mr. Darwin, Ms. Fiona has some family matters to take care of and has taken a leave," Clarke quickly said. "I apologize for forgetting to inform you this morning as I was busy preparing for the meeting."
"Her family matters is so urgent that she didn't even have time to inform me? It must be something serious," Bella said. Her face full of concern resembled a worried puppy.
Darwin instinctively kept his distance from her. "Since she's not here, you can go home for now and come back when she returns."
Bella noticed his expression and knew that Darwin was in a bad mood. She coquettishly said a few words and then left. After leaving the president's office. Bella glanced at the secretary's room and in an instant, her expression changed. She bit her teeth hard. Fiona must be intentionally causing trouble for her. She didn't believe Fiona had any urgent matters. This was just a way to assert dominance over her.
'Fiona, just you wait. You started this. Today's matter isn't over!' Bella thought while seething in anger.
"Mr. Darwin, you have a golf game with Mr. Oberlin from Oberlin Construction at three o'clock this afternoon." Clarke reported Darwin's schedule as usual.
Darwin's expression was very ugly. He took a sip of the freshly brewed coffee, making his expression even worse.
"Call Fiona and tell her to come back immediately to hand over the work. She can't run off without handing over anything. The people in the president's office are all useless and they can't even brew a good coffee."
"Yes!" Clarke immediately took out his phone.
Darwin glanced at it. He felt even more annoyed. Fiona's return was simply because her grandmother's health had taken a turn. Come to think of it, she seemed to not have returned for over half a year.
"Forget it." Impatiently pushing the coffee aside, Darwin grabbed a document and looked at it with a grim face.
Clarke held his phone, not daring to make a sound. Silently, he walked to the side and sent a text message to Fiona.
"Ms. Fiona, Mr. Darwin has been in a bad mood all morning. Finish up your work quickly and come back to save me!"
After visiting the cemetery, Fiona had nowhere else to go. After receiving the text message from Clarke, she thought for a moment and decided to finish the handover as soon as possible so she could leave. The matter of the child must never be discovered by Darwin. He would never allow someone like her to give birth to a child of the Solomon family. The sooner she finished the handover, the sooner she would leave the Solomon Office. That way, she could stay away from Darwin.
Fiona did not linger and flew back to Bay City where the office is located.
The next morning, Fiona arrived at the company on time. When the people in the president's office saw her, they acted like they were seeing a long-lost friend .
"Ms. Fiona, are you alright? Why are you resigning? What are we going to do without you?
"Yeah, Mr. Darwin's anger is terrifying. I didn't even dare to breathe too hard all day yesterday.
"Ms. Fiona, please don't leave. We won't survive without you to appease Mr. Darwin."
Just as they were speaking, the exclusive elevator for the president's office lit up. The complaining crowd immediately straightened up and stood neatly by the elevator. After a moment, the elevator doors opened. Darwin, dressed in a black high-end suit, came out with Bella.
"Good morning, Mr. Darwin."
The crowd said in unison, including Fiona who was standing at the back. Fiona was still wearing her usual black and white suit with her soft long hair cascading over her shoulders. However, her expression was no longer gentle instead it was somewhat detached.
Darwin walked towards her with Bella. "This is my new secretary, Bella." Darwin's voice was cold and devoid of any emotions. "Train her well."