Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
It would help maintain friendly connections too. Who knows? She might want to come back to work there one day.
After she left, Graham called his assistant to prepare a car for him. He wouldn’t just sit around doing nothing. He’d use the chance to visit the Zellweger Inc branch in Parrington.
Remembering the conversation last night incited both excitement and worry. If The Glass family was taken care of, their family would advance by leaps and bounds. Rowena would think thrice before messing with Danika again too.
With this in mind, Graham instructed his assistant, ‘Look into the Glass family. Report every single useful information about them to me, and do some probability checks on whether the company can take over theirs.”
The assistant nearly slammed the car into the one ahead. “Taking over the Glass family? Are you bluffing, sir?” Graham’s silence made him continue guiltily, “What I meant is, the Glasses are more or less on par with the Zellwegers, so they won’t be easy to…”
“I know, but what if we had the Windsors’ help?” And Eustace’s, too, though theirs wouldn’t be of much effect. Still, he might be useful as bait.
His assistant was silent momentarily, then responded, “Alright, sir. I’ll have someone look into it.”
Their two families’ cooperation and some behind-the-scenes plotting would give them a decent chance of accomplishing the feat.
There was just something the assistant didn’t understand—wasn’t Graham’s wife a Glass herself? Has he considered her side of things? However, he didn’t dare ask these things, but at least one thing was certain: the rumor that the husband and wife were at odds with each other was quite true.
The Condition
After settling her resignation matters, Danika left the admin office. She spotted Morgan and her colleagues gazing at her sadly from afar. With a smile, she went up to them and said, ‘Join me for dinner tonight. My treat.”
“Of course, I’m coming,” Morgan beamed along with the others. They weren’t as close with Danika as Morgan was, but obviously, none of them were glad that things would be returning to what they were without Danika.
After they left, Morgan held Danika’s hand and whined, ‘Are you really going to quit, Danika? No second thoughts?”
“None.” Danika shrugged. “I have too many things to take care of in Bardoff. So I have to leave.”
“You are recognized by the Zellweger family now, after all.” She had found out what had happened from the news. The social gap between her and Danika never felt farther than now.
“It’s nothing to do with that. I’m still me. Being accepted by a family that shares my surname won’t change me into a new person.” She wasn’t leaving because of the Zellwegers influence whatsoever.
Morgan believed her, of course. She still felt sad, though. “Things are gonna go back to how they were once you leave. Did the chairman let you off easy?”
“Not even a little bit. I’m still on call for surgeries no one else here can take on.”
The chairman had set that condition for Danika’s resignation to take effect. Morgan grinned. ‘That’s wonderful news!”
“He wouldn’t have let me leave without saving some benefit for himself.’ Danika scowled. She wouldn’t be here in Parrington if it weren’t for him. She had been slightly afraid of mentioning the resignation earlier for that same reason.
Good thing nothing awful happened. The man had just asked her to step in to help now and then.
Danika hadn’t refused. Helping people and saving their lives was her decided purpose in life, so she’d continue to do so even after returning to Bardoff City. After Morgan left, Danika went to her office to pack her things. She would miss this place, though she hadn’t been working there for long. Just then, someone knocked on her door. The people standing outside surprised her.
“Dr. Zellweger, I heard from Dr. Golding that you’re resigning.’ It was one of her patients whom she had done surgery on before. Behind him were several other patients.
“Yes. But I’ll still be back in Parrington for surgeries the chairman needs me for. You can always come back here if you need help.”
“I never had the chance to thank you, Dr. Zellweger, for everything you’ve done, “the patient said sadly.
Danika could only console him. “You don’t need to thank me. I’m a doctor. It’s what I do. Don’t worry about my absence. Just take care of yourselves. That’s the one thing you all can do for me.”
The moment she said that, the patients immediately crowded her with gifts.
“Please take these as symbols of our gratitude, Dr. Zellweger. These are delicacies from my hometown for you to enjoy.” “I can’t accept these!’ Danika refused, though she felt indescribably warm and touched, seeing her efforts being rewarded
Gilbert’s Busy
But Danika’s patients didn’t give her room to refuse. They turned and left, leaving her with all the gifts and items on the floor. Danika sniffled, feeling touched to the core as she gazed at them.
It further strengthened her will to continue being a doctor to help others.
Focusing on her business and becoming heir to her family would make her richer, but this couldn’t top the satisfaction and pride being a doctor gave her.
Danika ended up distributing the gifts to several other colleagues throughout the hospital. She hadn’t been the patients’ sole helper, after all.
After leaving the hospital, Danika went to find Zack. She nearly thought she had mistaken him for someone else when they met.
Was this bespectacled, suited man really her brother?
“Danika!’ he greeted warmly. When he smiled, Danika finally saw that this was indeed her brother.
“You’ve changed so much, Zack. I nearly didn’t recognize you!’
“I’m now one of the upper class in Parrington, so of course, I have to dress the part.” The business was booming on his end. Because of its success, he had managed to squeeze into the Parrington’s elite. His youth and good looks had also brought about rumors that he was to be the next Eustace Quincey.
Obviously, that last part irked him to no end.
Couldn’t he be the next Steve Jobs instead?
Danika went into his office with him, observing how things were being run.
Admiration for Zack flared in her chest. Some people were truly gifted with business skills. Gilbert was, and so was Zack—she was the only exception, it seemed.
Zack’s secretary made tea for Danika. “Have a taste. I just got this shipped in,” Zack urged.
“Mm.” Danika sipped on her tea, examining his office.
“Danika, you’re here to say goodbye to me, aren’t you?” Zack asked. He had guessed as much.
Danika nodded. “It’s not as scary as you think. I just need to go to Bardoff City for some time. I’ll still visit you now and then.’
“I’m not worried. Bardoff City isn’t far. I can always stop by too.” Zack shrugged.
Danika agreed with him. It really wasn’t that far a journey from Parrington to
Bardoff City. “What about Gilbert? Didn’t he say he was coming back soon? I haven’t heard from him since.’
She hadn’t called him in a long while and had started wondering why Gilbert hadn’t returned.
Zack’s expression stiffened just the slightest. With a dry chuckle, he explained,
‘He’s busy settling some things overseas and won’t be back till after.”
“What kind of things?”
“I’m not too sure, really. Why don’t you ask him when he’s back?” Zack wasn’t going to get himself in trouble by telling Danika what was going on. He’d never hear the end of it if he did.
Plus, Gilbert wouldn’t want Danika to know about it, considering how much he values her.
Danika frowned, finding things weird. But she didn’t pursue it further. “I’ll call him later.”
Zack didn’t refute, though he guessed Gilbert wouldn’t tell her the truth even if
Danika did call him. Obviously, Zack couldn’t say it to Danika. It was better he kept silent lest she figured out what happened.
Suspicion
Danika and Zack had lunch together before she went to meet up with Joey. She left him some kind words and advice before finally retiring to her apartment.
Dinner was spent with her colleagues. They had several toasts to her health before their director grumbled that things wouldn’t be the same once
Danika left. Their one solace was that Danika would still come back to perform surgeries if needed.
The people enjoyed their dinner, all sad to see Danika go but in awe of her at the same time. A skilled doctor with such a powerful background would naturally get a lot of admiration.
Near the end, Danika slipped to the washroom to freshen up. She was slightly tipsy from all the drinks she had. When she stepped out, Jared was there waiting for her.
“Dr. Stewart.” Danika nodded.
“Are you really leaving?” the man asked, voice thick with emotion.
Danika nodded, not explaining further. What else was this dinner for?
Jared sighed. “Dr. Zellweger, I’ve… I’ve always liked you.’
Danika stared at him in shock. If she remembered correctly, this man had said the same thing to her when she first started working at the hospital, but she had rejected him with the reason being she had just been through a divorce. Jared hadn’t mentioned it since, so she had thought he’d let it go.
“I only see you as a colleague. Dr. Stewart, nothing more,” Danika said, stating her intentions clearly.
A colleague, not even a friend.
“I know.” Jared smiled sadly. “That’s why I’m sad to see you go. I don’t know if well ever see each other again, so I thought I might as well tell you how I feel, even if I get rejected.”
Danika stayed quiet, unsure how to respond.
“Won’t you even consider being with me, Dr. Zellweger? I can go to Bardoff City with you. I’d do anything for you,” Jared said fervently. He wanted to be with Danika even more now that he knew her background. If they were together, he’d live the rest of his life rich and in luxury. That was why he confessed again, trying to move her heart with his charm.
Yes, charm. He was very confident in his charisma, having several admirers from the hospital itself. Danika cleared her throat. “No, thank you.”
She didn’t know Jared or his mindset very well.
Jared sighed, finally giving up even though that was one of the times he had been closest to Danika. He didn’t dare force things, knowing she could easily overpower him if he tried anything, and he might also incur the Zellwegers’ wrath.
“Alright.” He nodded. Danika relaxed her shoulders. She didn’t want any connections left awry before she left for Bardoff City.
The two doctors went back into the room, where dinner was served. Danika sat by her friends while Jared sat by his girlfriend.
Yes, girlfriend.