Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
For whatever reason, when Derrick heard that Danika was still uncertain, he sighed in relief. Did that mean that Danika might not get the job after all?
Danika didn’t know what he was thinking, but when she saw his face visibly relax, she felt speechless.
What did her interview have to do with him? Did he have to care so much?
“Why did you suddenly resign from Parrington Hospital? Did something upset you?” Derrick was curious.
Danika shook her head, not wishing to tell him too much. “It’s a personal reason. Didn’t you also mention that Bardoff Hospital offered more career advancement?” She hadn’t forgotten that gleeful look on Derrick’s face after he mentioned that he worked at Bardoff Hospital. Why was he so unhappy now that she was here? Derrick smiled dryly and rubbed his head as if to relieve himself of the awkwardness. “That’s true. You’re brilliant. You’ll definitely shine in Bardoff Hospital.” “Thank you.” Danika smiled.
Derrick glanced at the time and said, “Have you eaten yet? I’ll treat you to something.”
“There’s no need for that. I…”
“We’re alumni. There’s no need to be so polite,” Derrick interrupted. He had harbored other intentions ever since finding out about Danika’s identity, but back then, they were in separate cities. It wasn’t convenient for him at the time, so nothing happened between them.
Now that Danika had chosen to come to Bardoff City, it was as if God were on his side.
Danika was speechless. So, he was considering them to both be alumni now. When he mocked her, he did not even consider her one. However, she couldn’t rain on his parade. She didn’t tell him how she felt. “I’m sorry. I’m a little busy today. We can do it next time. After all, if I pass the interview, we’ll have plenty of chances in the future.”
“Well, alright.” Derrick was disappointed, but he didn’t force it.
Just like Danika had said, there would be plenty of chances in the future if she passed the interview. And if she failed, he’d reconsider pursuing her.
Just like that, Danika left Bardoff Hospital.
Derrick watched her leave, his gaze unreadable. He turned to get back to work but was startled.
“You scared me, McKenna.” Derrick patted his chest. He truly had been startled.
McKenna Poole was upset. She pouted. “Who was that, Derrick?”
“We graduated from the same university,” Derrick answered.
“Really? You looked close.” McKenna felt upset because she and Derrick had grown close these few days, and Derrick was obviously pursuing her. But now, another woman had appeared, and Derrick’s attitude toward her confused McKenna.
Derrick knew what she was thinking and patted her on the shoulder. “We’re just friends. Don’t read too much into it.”
“What do you mean, reading too much into it? Nothing is going on between us,” McKenna said flirtatiously.
Derrick smiled and leaned in closer. “Would you be jealous if there wasn’t?”
“Who said I’m jealous? Don’t you dare spout nonsense, Derrick. I haven’t even accepted you yet.” She thought Derrick was a handsome doctor and was worthy of someone like her. However, the nurses frequently surrounded him because of his good looks, and she felt insecure.
Derrick didn’t say much else. He walked away with a smile. McKenna was his best option before Danika came. Although she was just a nurse, her father was the hospital’s director. It would be a great help to him in the future.
But now, he had to reconsider things.
A Rare Visitor
Danika quickly forgot about her encounter with Derrick. She hadn’t even taken it to heart and hadn’t the slightest idea that she was already marked.
After leaving the hospital, she went to the company. Not Zellweger Inc, though. She went to Jeneration Group, which was being managed by Jade and Alfred. Though technically, it was mostly Alfred doing the managing. Jade was spending most of her efforts on designs.
Danika didn’t think it was a bad thing. Jade was best at fashion, after all. She was working extra hard, probably because of her ex-husband. She wanted to take the brand to greater heights to surpass the company she had once built.
Alfred was in his office when he saw her and said, amused, ‘Oh, a rare visitor.”
“Oh, stop it.” Danika rolled her eyes, though she felt guilty. It had indeed been a while since she last came there.
If it weren’t for Jeneration Group making it on the news, letting her know that it was growing bigger and stronger, she would have forgotten all about this company of hers.
She sat in front of him and asked, “Are things going well lately?”
“Yes, president. Everything is going swimmingly and developing at a steady pace,” Alfred said, putting on a show. He even slid the financial report toward her. “These are the projects that we have recently signed, and these are the monthly financial reports. You can go through them.”
Danika felt a headache coming when she saw them. She took one up. The numbers crammed into the sheet of paper made her head spin. She couldn’t process it at all. She put the document down and cleared her throat. “The company is now in your hands. You can make the decisions. You don’t have to show them to me.”
Most importantly, she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
“I have no idea how you’re going to manage Zellweger Inc. Aren’t you afraid that it’s going to close its doors?” Alfred could tell she had not understood the document, and he put it away.
Danika pouted. “There are people worrying about it. I just need to be in power.”
“Hmph. What a great plan.” Danika was so trusting of him. She wasn’t afraid of him sabotaging her at all.
Danika smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. “I wouldn’t have hired you if I doubted you. Just relax and do it.”
“Does that mean I have to thank you for your trust?” Alfred was speechless. He was regretting coming to work for her. He felt like she was just a ruthless capitalist, suppressing labor like him.
He used to envy Eustace and thought running Quincey Group was a great thing. Everyone would call him Mr. Quincey.
But now, Alfred, too, was called Mr. Quincey. Yet, he didn’t feel happy. In fact, he felt rather tired.
“Oh, there’s no need. It’s a mutual thing. You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.” Because of Alfred, Danika got to relax. And because of Danika, Alfred got to feel accomplished. It was like killing two birds with one stone.
Alfred didn’t argue with her. He put away the rest of the documents and asked, “Was there something you needed?”
“Nothing much. I just think we need to expand our businesses more,” Danika said. This was something she had thought about not too long ago.
Alfred was surprised. “Like what?”
Jeneration Group had already expanded into many industries. Alfred had no idea how they could grow even more.
Danika smiled and said, “Bardoff City is roaming with all sorts of big names. Although we’re doing fine on the surface, we’re pretty powerless underground. We have to buy all of our information. That’s not good for us.” “You mean we should build our own information network?” Alfred frowned. He was considering the possibilities
Capable People Should be Put to Work
Danika nodded. She had been considering it for a while. She thought that she was being too passive. If she inherited the Zellwegers one day and had no means of gathering intel, a lot of things would be stuck in passive stages. Hence, she came to talk to Alfred about building a channel through which they could gather information.
After a while, Alfred spoke. “We could do that, but I have no idea how.” He had not done anything like it before. If he ever needed to find something out, he would have hired a private detective or gone to ask someone he knew. He had not wondered about where they got their information.
“Actually, it’s easy. Do you know what makes people talk?” Danika smiled as she popped the question at him. She obviously already had something in mind.
Alfred was stunned. Tentatively, he said, “Alcohol?1鈥?/p>
Danika nodded. That was precisely it. People were only willing to talk when they were drunk. On top of that, they would talk with no filters over their mouths.
“Are you suggesting that we open a bar?” Alfred asked.
Danika snapped her fingers. “Excellent. Moreover, it can’t be just any bar. It has to be a sophisticated winery. That way, we’ll attract the people that we want to know about. Their knowledge is what we want.” Danika’s way of doing things was all or nothing.
Alfred agreed with that, but he had his concerns. “There are a lot of bars in Bardoff City, and they’re all supported by someone. Aren’t you afraid of someone picking on you if you barge in like that?”
“Don’t worry. I’m part of the Zellwegers now. There shouldn’t be any objections to me opening a bar.” Danika was confident.
And if things didn’t work out, she could ask James to do it with them. With two families supporting the bar, they would have nothing to fear, even if one of the elites came to bother them.
However, it was best if James wasn’t involved with it.
Arguments frequently happened when it came to business. People would have different stances and priorities. She didn’t want to lose James because of it.
They discussed it quickly, including the address and the general theme of the bar.
Alfred would handle the rest, and Danika could continue being a hands-off president.
“You’ll have to find someone to manage the bar. I have to settle things in Jeneration group. I wouldn’t have the time to go to the bar every day.” He could only do it short term. He couldn’t do it for long.
On top of that, they would have their work cut out for them if they wanted it to be a place to gather information. They had to train the employees, too. Otherwise, it would never work.
Danika instantly felt a headache when he said that. “Alright, I’ll find someone. But before I do, you’ll have to do it.”
“Are you trying to kill me?” Alfred asked sarcastically. He was beginning to wonder if his decision to work there was the right one. She didn’t think of him as an outsider at all. In fact, she didn’t even think of him as a human.
“Capable people should be put to work, after all.” Danika smiled and got up.” You can make yourself busy. I’m going to leave.”
“It’s already lunchtime. Why don’t we go out for lunch? The food in the cafeteria isn’t bad.” Alfred got up, too, smiling.
Danika’s interest was piqued. “Really? I’ll go try it out, then.’ “Let’s go. I’ll bring you down.” After Jeneration Group had settled down, Danika rarely came by. She couldn’t even locate the cafeteria
You Have Already Earned My Respect
The food in the cafeteria was truly amazing. Danika was satisfied, and she praised Alfred. “You’re great at your job. Even the food in the cafeteria tastes good. You’re really putting a lot of effort into this.’
“Of course. After all, I come here every day.’ He was all alone. Eating in the cafeteria was the most convenient thing for him to do.
Danika felt embarrassed. ‘What if L.get you an assistant? Don’t tire yourself out.”
“It’s fine. I don’t need one yet. If the workload becomes too much, I’ll figure it out.” He had the final say in whatever happened in the company. Danika wouldn’t even know if he had hired one, or several, assistants.
“Okay. You’ll have to go by your judgment. Take care of yourself because I’m putting this company in your hands. Who else is going to handle it if something happens to you?” She said it sincerely, but in Alfred’s ears, they sounded unpleasant. He glared at her in a huff and said, ‘I’m just a tool to you, aren’t I?”
“Uh…”
“I thought we were friends.” Alfred smiled bitterly. He probably overestimated how much Danika thought of him.
Danika nodded at once and said sincerely, “Of course we’re friends.”
“Really?* He didn’t believe it.