Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
After Gilbert was done tending to the guests, he sat at the poolside alone, staring off into the distance.
‘What are you thinking about, Gilbert?” Zack appeared out of nowhere and sat in a lounge chair nearby.
Gilbert looked at him. “Aren’t you going to keep Janet company?”
After Zack’s wedding, he and Janet went everywhere together. They had not separated from each other at all. Every time Gilbert called him, Zack was with Janet.
‘Of course, I need to accompany my wife. But I can’t ignore my brother.” Zack rubbed his nose, knowing that Gilbert was just teasing him.
‘Why do I need your attention?” Gilbert straightened. He thought he was alright today, and he was in a good mood, too.
Zack looked at him, finally deciding to tell the truth. “Danika and I are both married. It’s only you left. Of course, we’re worried.”
‘Oh, so you’re just here to rush me into marriage?” Gilbert was amused. Married people were a different breed, after all. Zack used to scoff at marriage whenever it was brought up in the past, but now, he was rushing Gilbert into one.
Zack looked embarrassed, but he went on. “Maybe. Danika and I are worried to see you still single.”
‘Do I need your worry?” Gilbert didn’t think there was anything about him worth worrying about.
But Zack didn’t think so. “If you don’t marry, who knows if you’ll suddenly want to move out of the country to be a priest? I don’t want to see you actually doing that.”
Gilbert was speechless. “Don’t you worry about me. I’ll marry when fate determines it.” He didn’t say he was completely resistant to marriage, only that fate hadn’t allowed him to yet.
‘What do you mean, fate? Aren’t you and Marigold fated to be together?” Zack thought that it was enough for them.
Although that night they spent together was nothing glorious, having a child and then living together was fate in itself, wasn’t it?
At the mention of Marigold, Gilbert’s expression turned sour. “Did she tell you to come here?”
‘She’d never told me to say this. I wanted to tell you myself. When you and Marigold were up on that stage, you looked like a family. I think it wouldn’t be a bad thing for you to get together,” Zack explained.
Gilbert was silent.
Zack continued, “Gilbert, just think about it. She’s not having an easy time right now. She gave birth to your son, and she’s physically weak. She’ll fall ill any moment. Don’t you feel sorry for her, just a little bit?”
Gilbert and Marigold (23)
‘I don’t care about that at all,’ Gilbert said after a moment. He knew it was hard for Marigold to give birth to Caleb and that her body had not yet recovered. However, it did not mean that he would be with her.
Love wasn’t as simple as that.
“Well, do you have anyone you like?” Zack asked.
Gilbert shook his head.
Zack slapped his thigh and said, “Since you don’t have any other crushes, what’s wrong with trying this one out? What if you guys are compatible with each other? This would be a win-win situation. Caleb aside, you could give Marigold a chance. Do you really want Caleb to have another parent?”
Zack felt that since Gilbert had no one else in mind, trying to make things work with Marigold wasn’t such a bad idea. If he fell in love with her, that would be a good thing.
Gilbert began doubting himself once he heard Zack’s reasoning. On second thought, that seemed to be the case. He couldn’t help thinking about the dream he had a few days ago. He coughed dryly. “We’ll talk about this at a later time. I’m not in the mood to discuss this.”
Zack’s eyes lit up. He thought there was hope yet.
Meanwhile, Danika had just heard from Marigold about what had happened before and understood why they were so upset. She looked at Marigold with conflicted emotions and said, “Although I want you to be assertive, that’s not the way to do it. No one would be able to take it.”
Marigold was just a little too assertive. Even if Gilbert was interested in her, her actions could scare him away.
“Well, what should I do, then?’ Marigold was miserable these few days. She felt that she was being assertive enough, yet she was not reaping any rewards.
Was she being too forthright?
“Didn’t you say that Gilbert doesn’t eat dinner often? Well, you could start with making him dinner,” Danika said after a moment’s deliberation. Before Marigold could speak, she continued, “Gilbert takes time to warm up to someone. If you integrate yourself into his life slowly and get him used to having you around, he’ll slowly come to depend on you greatly. You need to learn to care about him and not do things like how you did them last time. You won’t see results like that.” In fact, Gilbert might hate her once more. She wouldn’t want that.
Marigold began to realize her faults. Blushing, she said in embarrassment,” I didn’t think that far ahead. I just wanted to be with him as soon as possible.”
She thought that it would be the quickest way.
‘I know you want to be with Gilbert, but there are many ways to do that. You have to at least make him like you before getting together with him. That’s the best way to do it,’ Danika said.
Marigold nodded quickly. ‘That makes sense. I get it now.”
‘That’s great.’ Danika nodded in satisfaction. She truly wanted to see them get together. That would put her at ease.
As they spoke, a fight suddenly rang out from the pool downstairs. Danika got up and walked toward the window, looking down.
Gilbert and a middle-aged woman were arguing. Although she was a good distance away from them, she could tell that he was furious. She rarely ever saw this side of Gilbert. Her instincts told her that something was wrong.
‘Let’s go take a look,’ Danika said, walking down the stairs.
Marigold was worried, too, and followed Danika towards the pool.
Gilbert and Marigold (24)
‘Fuck off! You’re not welcome here!”
When Danika and Marigold rushed to the pool, they heard Gilbert roaring at the woman. They were both bewildered. They rarely saw Gilbert this angry.
Who was that woman?
Marigold walked over quickly. She was worried about Gilbert.
‘What’s up, Gilbert?” Danika walked over, looking at the woman.
Gilbert was frustrated. “Nothing much. Just someone unimportant.’
The woman was upset to hear Gilbert introduce her like that. “I’m your mother, Gilbert!’
At those words, Danika and Marigold were both stunned.
Mother?
Marigold remembered that Gilbert was an orphan brought up by Danika’s grandfather. Why was there a mother here?
‘I don’t have a mother.” Gilbert had long since given up on having a mother. He was used to it after all these years. She didn’t appear when he needed her the most, and now she was running to find him now that he was all grown up and independent. She didn’t even stop to see if he really needed her anymore.
The woman was upset by his words. She looked at Gilbert, willing herself to stay calm. “I’ve tried to look for you all these years. You were brought away by those kidnappers. Your father and I have never given up on trying to look for you. And when I heard about you, I rushed over the second I could so that I could see you as soon as possible.”
She sounded sincere. It was a touching scene.
However, Danika frowned and looked at her doubtfully. “Did you say that Gilbert was taken away by kidnappers? My grandfather found him by the road.” She suspected that this woman was lying.
When the woman heard Danika say that, she frowned. She looked at Danika unkindly. “Are you saying that Gilbert was picked up by your grandfather?”
‘Yes.” Danika nodded.
‘Picked up, my ass! He was taken away!” She glared at Danika. God knew how much she had sacrificed in her search for Gilbert.
‘That’s impossible!” Without thinking, Danika denied her words. “My grandfather would never do that.’
‘Who knows if he wouldn’t? What if he did? Shouldn’t someone report to the police when they find a child by the road?” If Danika’s grandfather had called the police, she might have found her son earlier. She wouldn’t have had to wait until this day.
The more she thought about it, the more certain she felt that Danika’s grandfather had taken Gilbert away. This would explain why he hadn’t called the police.
Danika was speechless for a moment. She was certain that her grandfather was not someone like that, but faced with this woman’s interrogations, she found no words to retaliate with.
That was true. Why didn’t her grandfather report it?
Zack couldn’t bear listening to it anymore. Although he had found his biological mother, Danika’s grandfather was still his grandfather.
He looked at the woman coldly and said, “I was picked up by my grandfather, too. Are you going to say that I was kidnapped as well?”
‘That’s not impossible…”
‘What a joke!” Zack interrupted. “Didn’t you take responsibility for why Gilbert got lost in the first place? Our grandfather took care of him and never mistreated him. You can tell, based on that alone, that our grandfather would never kidnap a child. You might even have abandoned him, and you’re only here to claim him as your own now that he’s successful.”
He wasn’t unfamiliar with this concept. His biological parents were like that. They knew of his successful life and now wanted to live with him but were coldly rejected by him. In fact, he didn’t even plan on contacting them again.
Gilbert and Marigold (25)
‘Bullshit!” the woman roared. She was unhappy with Zack’s words. “You’d be better off finding out if you were picked up by the roadside or kidnapped. Those human traffickers are counting their money right this instant!”
‘We don’t need you to tell us all this. n.ov毛lx.o We will investigate it ourselves.” It was Danika who spoke. She would not let anyone tarnish her grandfather’s reputation. Hence, even if the woman hadn’t told her to, she would have investigated it herself.
The woman didn’t want to indulge them anymore. To her, these were people of no importance. She looked at Gilbert and spoke in a gentler tone. ‘Gilbert, Mommy isn’t lying to you. You were kidnapped before, and I have never given up in my search for you.”
‘And?” Gilbert raised his eyebrows. She couldn’t read him at all.
‘And now that I’ve finally found you, I’d like you to go back with me and return to your family.’ She looked at Gilbert expectantly. She was here to bring him home.
Gilbert said nothing. She continued, ‘And your child, too. He can come back with us. I swear that you will be well protected there.’
Marigold didn’t say anything. After all, this was Gilbert’s private business. She had no right to say anything. However, she became agitated when she heard that the woman wanted to take her child away. “No! You can’t take the child away!’
The woman glared at her, obviously not thinking much of her. The fact that she had come here meant that she had already investigated every one of them. Even though the Wagners were developing well, she would never agree to her son marrying this woman. She knew how this child came about. If it weren’t for Gilbert, she wouldn’t have accepted it as her own.
Marigold knew she was being ignored and looked at Gilbert pleadingly.” Don’t treat me like this. Don’t take the child away!”
Gilbert tilted his head and looked at her, smiling. “Don’t worry. No one will be taking our child away.”