Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
“Guard!” Gilbert called, worried it might be the mercenaries. His men instantly surrounded Evan and Danika in a protective circle.
But then Eustace stepped out of one of the cars.
He could spot Danika from a distance and saw how bloodied and grimy she looked. Pain shot through his heart at the sight.
He gazed at the man Danika was lying on. Though nothing was said between them, there was no doubt Evan was the winner in the situation.
Eustace then turned to Gilbert. “The ambulance is on its way.”
The moment he said those words, ambulance sirens rang in their vicinity, followed by the vehicle itself.
Gilbert’s jaw tightened, clearly distrustful of Eustace.
“We need to stop her bleeding first,” Evan spoke up. He didn’t like Eustace either, but he had clearly seen his love for Danika in that split second their eyes met, so he trusted Eustace wouldn’t mean harm to her.
Gilbert saw how pale Danika looked and knew she would soon be in danger if her bleeding wasn’t stopped.
“Alright.” With a nod, Evan carried Danika into the ambulance.
Find Out Who It Was
Only when Gilbert’s men had dispersed did he finally turn back to Eustace.” Thank you for the ambulance, Mr. Quincey. On behalf of both Danika and me.”
“No need.” Eustace knew who this man was now and also knew just how much he disliked him. But that didn’t bother him. All that mattered was that
Danika was safe.
“Heh.” Gilbert scowled. “I heard you found someone new. I don’t think you need to be so concerned about Danika now, then, or your lover might misunderstand.”
He then got into his car and left, not bothering to hear Eustace’s explanation.
Eustace’s brow didn’t relax even as the car left. He never imagined his memory loss to have such a grave impact. Thanks to the memory loss, he had no idea why Danika’s brother was so hostile toward him.
“Best to regain memory as soon as possible,” he thought. Gilbert arrived at Bardoff Hospital, where Evan waited outside the emergency room while Danika was being tended to inside.
He sat down beside Evan. “How is she?”
“Doctor hasn’t come out yet.” Evan appeared worried.
Gilbert nodded silently.
“Was that Danika’s ex-husband? Eustace Quincey?” Evan asked. He had guessed as much, though no one told him yet.
Gilbert nodded again, looking grumpy. “Do you know why I asked you to come back?”
“You didn’t ask me to.” Evan scowled. He’d wanted to return to the country long before Gilbert invited him. “I wanted to come back of my own volition.”
“Whatever.”
Evan smiled sneakily. “You don’t want Danika to get back together with Eustace, do you? That’s why you had me come back, so I’d date her?”
“Mhm.”
Evan hummed. ‘Are you sure I’ll succeed? It’s been a decade at least since we last saw each other.”
“If you can’t, then no one else can.” After all, Evan had been the sole person Danika confessed her love to in all her years of living.
Evan smiled and patted Gilbert’s shoulder. “I won’t let your faith in me go to waste then.”
Gilbert gave him an irritated look. ‘As much as I want you to be with her, you have to actually like her in the first place, not just do this just because I asked.”
All he wanted was a man capable of loving and providing for Danika.
“I know.” Evan nodded. “I wouldn’t have returned home if I didn’t like her, Gil.” Gilbert was surprised to hear that. If Evan had feelings for Danika, why did he reject her all those years ago?
Before he could ask, the emergency room door opened, and the operating doctor walked out. Gilbert and Evan immediately went up to him.
“How is she, doc?” Gilbert asked worriedly.
“She’s lost a lot of blood, so she’s still passed out at the moment. But she’s out of the deep now that we’ve given her some transfusions.”
Both men heaved a relieved sigh upon hearing that. Danika was later wheeled out of the ER to a general ward, her brother and suitor tailing behind.
Meanwhile, Eustace was also relieved when he heard that Danika was safe. His shoulders instantly relaxed.
The next second, he ordered his men, “Find out who did this to her. Now.”
Future Wife
Danika’s ward was quickly crowded with visitors.
Graham’s eyes were wet with tears as he gazed at his daughter still passed out on the hospital bed. “Is Danika…’*
“She’ll be alright, sir,” Gilbert reassured him. He still respected Danika’s father even though they’d barely met.
Stephanie and Jade were visiting, too, as news of Danika being hospitalized had spread far and wide. Sadly, they couldn’t do much before when she was in trouble.
Everyone was glad to hear that Danika would be fine.
“Why don’t you all head home first? I’ll stay back to keep her safe. She’ll be fine, I promise,” Gilbert spoke up.
The visitors soon dispersed. As much as they’d like to stick around, they couldn’t protect Danika or be of use to her in this state.
However, Graham was reluctant to leave. “Why don’t you leave first, too? I’ll stay watch here.”
“I think it’s best if you let me do this, sir. Danika would only get upset at me if she knew you stayed up for her,” Gilbert insisted.
Graham was about to respond when Evan said, “You don’t have to worry, sir. No harm will come to Danika with us here.”
“And you are?”
“Evan Clarke. We grew up together with Danika.”
Graham nodded. It seemed the only people who really deserved to be by his daughter’s side right now were her childhood friends. If only he hadn’t sent her away all those years ago…maybe, he would’ve been one of the closest people in her life right now.
He shook away these thoughts. There was no point lingering in the past. Before Graham left, he still had some of his men stay guard in the vicinity of the ward, just in case.
Evan scoffed. “What a class act. First, he leaves his only daughter in a village on the grounds of it ‘being for her own good.’ Now, he tries to act like some model father figure.”
“Mr. Zellweger had his reasons.” Gilbert could empathize with the man.
But Evan disagreed. “What reasons? So he could pursue power and influence for his ‘family*? He would’ve made it work if he had let go of his claim over the Zellweger inheritance and left the city with Danika.”
Gilbert said nothing because Evan had a point. Still, it really was up to someone to make the choice. That was something even he couldn’t interfere with. Maybe Graham thought being stronger was the only way to keep his family safe.
“Alright, you can leave now. I’ll stay here to look after her.” Evan waved his hand nonchalantly at Gilbert.
Gilbert looked at him in surprise. “You’re…kicking me out?”
“Of course I am. How else can I develop my relationship with Danika later when she wakes up?” Evan asked, grinning.
The moment he said this, reluctance swelled in Gilbert’s chest. But Evan once again had an excellent point.
With a sigh, he said, “Fine. But make sure nothing happens to her, you understand?”
“I know. I can’t possibly let harm come to my future wife.” Evan made a shooing motion at Gilbert, then gazed lovingly at Danika on the bed.
We Won’t Disappoint
Graham had no idea how Evan was so confident. Given Danika’s personality, he didn’t think his chances were too high. That woman didn’t let her affections go that easily.
As for Evan’s romantic interest in her, to Graham, that was nothing more than puppy love. Something an adult would’ve grown out of by now. Still, Evan was the only man Danika had ever confessed her love to, so he might have a higher chance of winning her over.
After Gilbert left the ward, Evan gazed at Danika, who was resting on the hospital bed.
With a smile, he said, “Here we are again, Danika. After all these years…you must’ve been really upset when I rejected you all those years ago, huh? I’ve never heard from you even once since then.”
He didn’t grow up in Orchid Village with Danika and her brothers. They came to know one another at the elementary school in town, becoming friends ever since. The four of them always studied in the same school, from middle school to high school. It was only when Evan was about to leave the country to further his education while Danika had to leave for Parrington University that they were forced to say goodbye, i
It was at that time that Danika confessed her love to him, but because Evan had been worried about letting romance affect his future career opportunities, he rejected her and left the country for university.
Evan hadn’t stopped regretting his actions since then.
Only after he left did he realize how meaningless everything was without Danika. Yet he was afraid to return after leaving, especially after learning about Danika’s marriage.
After her divorce, Evan finally decided to return so he wouldn’t miss a chance with her again. He was still worried, though, about whether Danika still had feelings for him after all these years. Or rather, whether what she had for him all those years ago was genuine.
Evan really wasn’t sure.
Meanwhile, the Glasses were in turmoil.
Wayne was absolutely pissed at the mercenaries’ incompetence. “Didn’t you tell me you’ve never once failed a mission?”
Waste of his three hundred million dollars!
The platinum-blonde man replied flatly, “On account of this slip-up on our end, we can take care of another target of your choice.”
Three hundred million was no small amount. They had to pay the consequences of their mistake, no matter what, and killing another person wasn’t a difficult feat to accomplish.
