Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
He was slightly taken aback before replying, “Yes. I went there with Mr. Zellweger once, but I only took a glance from the entrance. I didn’t go in.”
“Okay. Let’s go visit the Bells,” she ordered, to his surprise.
He asked, “Did you say we’re going to the Bells? What do you mean?”
“If we can’t find my dad, we will confront the Bells and demand his release. I don’t think they’ll lay a finger on me.’ She was rather confident on that front. At the end of the day, she was part of the Bells as well. If she met the family, she might have to address the heads of the family as her grandpa and grandma, even though she would refuse to do so in that event.
Mr. Ortiz thought that Danika’s decision was bold, but it was a perfect plan upon second thought. Confronting the Bells sounded easier than wasting time searching for Graham. Soon, he turned the car around and sped toward the Bell Villa.
The villa was easily located because the Bells were popular in Bayside City. Danika stared at the villa from afar and scoffed, “They seem to follow the same design in this city.”
“Yeah, I think so. Mr. Zellweger and I realized that when we first arrived.” The residents preferred to show off their wealth through the design of their homes, which was their expression of vanity.
When the car rolled to a stop, Danika hopped out with a concerned Mr. Ortiz by her side. ‘Miss Zellweger, are you sure you want to march in like this? Won’t they do something to you?”
“Mr. Ortiz, we’re living under the rule of law. They won’t do anything to me.” Well, at least on the surface. She couldn’t be sure if the Bells would secretly make a move on her after she left the villa later. However, she wasn’t bothered by the thought because she had her men to protect her. Who knew if the Bells would end up at a disadvantage?
After that, Danika headed straight toward the villa, marching as though she was on her way to a battle. Mr. Ortiz hurried after her. The last thing he wanted to see was Danika getting herself in trouble after what had happened to Graham.
She knocked on the door. A pair of servants, one old and one young, answered the door fairly soon, and both frowned at the visitors. “Who are you? And what are you here for?’
It was common knowledge among the residents of Bayside City that this area was the territory of the Bells. No one would stir trouble there because that’d be courting death. Danika and Mr. Ortiz didn’t look like locals to the servants.
“I’m here to meet the head of the Bell family,” Danika announced.
The young man frowned and smirked. “Who do you think you are? How dare you demand to meet the head? You…”
“I am the daughter of Lynette Bell. Pass the message to him. Let’s see if he will meet me or not,’ Danika fired back boldly. She was confident that the Bells would be curious about her current life.
The man’s expression crumbled upon hearing Lynette’s name. Her name was like a banned word in the family, and no one was allowed to mention or gossip about her. For decades, Lynette Bell’s name had disappeared from the family’s collective consciousness. The young man was shocked to hear it mentioned again and from the mouth of Lynette’s daughter at that.
He dared not make a decision, so he told Danika that he would notify the family head before vanishing from the door. She was in no rush, and she hung out at the door.
“Miss Zellweger, do you think they’ll meet you?” Mr. Ortiz asked anxiously.
She glanced at the door and said nonchalantly, “They probably will. Aren’t they curious about me after all the years?”
Indeed, the Bells were curious about Lynette’s daughter. They weren’t expecting her to be alive. After all, they received news from Bardoff City years ago that the girl was dead. Not only was the daughter alive, she even traveled all the way to their residence. Was she here to demand justice for her mother? But Lynette was no longer with the Bells. So, what did she want from them?
“Sir, would…would you like to meet with her?” the servant inquired. A moment of silence later, Barry Bell cast a questioning look at his wife, who was seated beside him, as though he wanted her opinion.
Georgina Simpson was silent for a while but finally ordered, ‘Let her in.”
The servant immediately left. Barry turned to Georgina. “What do youthink is the reason for her sudden visit?’
“Is there any reason other than asking about Lynette?” When she mentioned Lynette, she did so without any hint of emotion, as if she was discussing a stranger. Barry behaved in the same manner, only with more disgust at Lynette.
“No matter what’s her reason, we have nothing to fear. She’s a Zellweger, but so what? The Bells don’t fear them,” Georgina declared. Barry nodded, thinking that she was right.
Soon, Danika was brought into the main hall, where Barry and Georgina were seated. They were her maternal grandparents, but she’d never acknowledge her relationship with them.
“Mr. and Mrs. Bell,” Danika addressed them in a polite but distant manner. The old couple exchanged a look. Georgina was slightly shocked upon seeing Danika’s face, for the granddaughter bore an uncanny resemblance to Lynette. For a moment, she thought she was staring at a young Lynette.
Barry held the same opinion, but instead of being engrossed, he asked coldly, “What brings you to the Bell family?”
“I’d like to ask you, Mr. Bell, about the whereabouts of my dad,” Danika explained her purpose of visit without beating around the bush.
Hearing that, Barry and Georgina looked confused, but they soon snickered at her. “You’re here to ask about your dad? That’s ridiculous!’
“Is it? I don’t think so,” Danika replied as she fixed her eyes on Barry. ‘My dad has recently been looking for my mom, Lynette. Just when he’s close to getting a clue, he vanishes all of a sudden. Mr. Bell, what do you think? Who would have taken him?”
“Is Graham Zellweger looking for Lynette? But why? It’s been many years, and he should have put the past behind him,” Barry thought. Barry and Georgina had many questions in their head, but instead of saying them out loud, they treated Danika coldly. “Are you suspecting us of taking your dad?”
“I can’t think of anyone else who’d do that aside from the Bell family. That’s why I came here to clear things up,” Danika explained, her eyes remained fixed on the couple. She observed the look in their eyes and was puzzled by their shocked faces when they heard that Graham was searching for Lynette. Did they not know about Graham’s disappearance at all? Who would be the mastermind behind the disappearance if not them?
“Hmph! That’s ridiculous.’ Barry scoffed, looking displeased. “Graham Zellweger thinks too highly of himself. We’d never waste time on him. And you -who do you think you are? Why should we prove ourselves to you?”
Her expression fell. The rumors appeared to be true-the Bell family was the elite in Bayside City.
“Mr. Bell, you overestimated us. My dad and I are running this small business. Of course, we are no match for the Bells.” Danika refused to back down. Even though the Bells were not as influential as the Zellwegers, they had their pride and standing. Bayside City was their territory, and the Zellwegers had to defer to them in the area.
Barry understood the underlying meaning of her words and scoffed, “The Zellwegers is one of the Ten Elites, but us Bells are not scared of them at all.”
“Are you sure?” She gave him a hawkish stare. “What if my family works with the Quinceys? Would you still be as fearless?”
Barry, who never lived in Bardoff City, was still privy to developments in Bardoff City. The Quinceys had a new family head, which was rumored to be a young man. Was Danika associated with him?
Danika flashed him a soft smile with a hint of glee. “The head of the Quincey family, Eustace Quincey, is now my boyfriend. I think he wouldn’t turn me down if I asked him to work with me against the Bells.”
Barry’s expression changed upon hearing that. He did not fear the Zellwegers, but the Zellwegers working with the Quinceys would be a problem…
“If that is not enough to make you fear us, how about throwing in the Windsors? James Windsor is my senior. I bet he wouldn’t say no,” she added. She did not believe that the Bell Family had the capability to take on the attacks from three Bardoff Elites.
Barry knew that as well. After going through multiple changes in his expression, he faltered and appeared upset. “What do you really want?’
“I want nothing from you except for the whereabouts of my dad.” This time, she sounded stern. At first, she started with room for negotiation, but now, she was threatening him.
Barry frowned but didn’t let his anger get the better of him. “I don’t know. Lynette has left the family for decades. Even if he wants to look for her, this is not the right place to start.”
“She left the Bells?” Danika frowned. She had no idea about that information.
“Yes. After we brought her home, she refused to follow our arrangements. So, she left us,” Barry explained with a lackadaisical attitude.
Danika doubted his account-if the Bell Family went as far as to bring her home, why would they allow her to leave that easily?
Full of questions, she decided to focus on Graham’s safety for the time being. “Do you really have nothing to do with my dad’s disappearance?”
“No. Before your arrival, we had no idea that your dad was looking for Lynette,” Barry replied.
Danika frowned, thinking that the matter might be more complicated than it seemed. Who was behind Graham’s disappearance if the Bell family wasn’t involved? It was unlikely that Graham had any enemies in Bayside City, though.
She lowered her head as she sank into deep thoughts. Seeing that, Barry didn’t want to waste time on the matter. “I’ve said all there is to be said.
You shall leave now. We do not welcome you, so I hope this is the final time we meet.”
Danika couldn’t help but laugh. “Logically, I should call you Grandpa and Grandma. It boggles me why you were against my parents. My dad isn’t that inadequate, is he?”
“Shut up!” Barry bellowed. “I’m not your grandpa! Lynette had an illicit affair with a man behind our back and gave birth to a bastard child! Remember- you are not related to us!’ His tone was filled with hatred and disdain. In his eyes, the fact that Danika shared their blood was an insult to the family.
“Hah! A bastard child?” she scoffed. That was her first time hearing that description. She lifted her head and shot him an icy glance. “Don’t worry. I have no interest whatsoever in your family. And you’d better not lay a finger on my dad. If I caught you lying, I swear I’d wipe your family off the surface of the earth!’
With that, she got up to leave. At the door, she turned around and asked Barry, “Where did Lynette go?’
Barry’s face crumbled as though he was avoiding something. “I don’t know. We didn’t look for her after she left. And we have not been in contact for decades.’ Had it not been for Danika’s visit, they would have forgotten about the existence of their daughter.
“What lovely parents you are.” Chuckling sarcastically, Danika left the Bell couple.
Barry and Georgina watched on, lost in their thoughts. In the beginning, they thought Danika resembled Lynette. After some interactions, they realized that the daughter couldn’t be more different than the mother.
As a daughter of the Bells, Lynette was weak and timid. The only time she rebelled was when she escaped from her family and gave birth to Danika with Graham.
But Danika was different. From their short meeting, the Bells could tell that Danika was a merciless woman.
Barry gathered himself and ordered his servants, “Get someone to look into Graham’s disappearance. He went missing in Bayside City something’s fishy.”
“Barry, do we really need to investigate? What does his safety have to do with us?” Georgina was against the move. She was reluctant to be associated with Graham in any way.
“We need to! Even if we can’t find him, we need to gather evidence to prove that we have nothing to do with his disappearance,” he explained. “If Danika wants to destroy us with the help of the Quinceys and the Windsors, we are no match for them.’ Even if they were in their territory in Bayside City, they would be toast if the three elite families from Bardoff City came for them. It was a risk he couldn’t take.
Meanwhile, Danika had marched out of the Bell Villa. Mr. Ortiz was waiting at the entrance. Seeing her, he hurried over. “Miss Zellweger, are you alright?’ Time passed by slowly as he waited for her in anxiety.
“I’m fine. But the Bells claimed they had no idea Dad came looking for Lynette.” They had reached a dead-end in their pursuit, and Danika felt lost.
Mr. Ortiz was taken aback by the revelation. “They didn’t do it? Who else would do that? Were they even telling the truth?”
“I’m not sure yet. But they don’t look like they’re lying,” Danika sighed. The troubled look on his face tickled her. She chuckled. “Don’t worry for now. I’ll figure something out. Dad will be fine.”
“Miss Zellweger, I hope you’re not overexerting yourself.” Mr. Ortiz knew that Danika was more worried than him, but she still had the strength to comfort him. He was speechless at her resilience.
They left the Bell Villa. Not long after, Danika got a call from Eustace. They chatted quickly, and the call soon ended. Then, she rested her head against the window, wracking her brain to figure out the mastermind behind Graham’s abduction.
Later, they arrived at Graham’s temporary accommodation in Bayside City. Mr. Ortiz opened the car door for her. “Miss Zellweger, this is where Mr. Zellweger and I stay in Bayside City.”
“Got it.” She nodded and followed him into the residence.
After learning that Danika would fly to Bayside, the staff had prepared the daily essentials. The villa had everything for her. She went into her room and lay on the bed, but instead of drifting off to sleep, she was thinking about the missing Graham. She was stuck in her search, and that worried her to no end.
That was the moment she heard the ring of a text notification. She had wanted to ignore it, thinking it was spam. But she was surprised to find that it wasn’t spam when she wanted to check something on her phone. She tapped into the text. Its content was simple-there was an address and a sentence. “If you want to keep your dad safe, leave Bayside City with him and never return.”
She shot up on the bed. She had no idea who sent her the text, nor could she verify its authenticity, but it was good news anyway, especially when she had reached a dead-end in her search. She held on tightly to the new clue.
Rushing out of her room, she quickly called for Mr. Ortiz. “Mr. Ortiz, get everyone to come along with me.” She needed to stay on high alert. It’d be a disaster if she went to confront the mastermind and got ambushed. Still, Graham’s army of men should be good enough to handle any threat.
“Miss Zellweger, where are we going?” Mr. Ortiz gathered everyone but couldn’t help asking. She was honest with him because she trusted him, and she told him about the text.
He frowned when he heard about it. “Miss Zellweger, isn’t the entire thing rather sloppy? The text could be fake!’
“Mr. Ortiz, we have no choice. Even if the text is fake, I need to check out the place with my own eyes,” she argued.