Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
Danika curiously opened the letter to read its contents, then nearly went into a laughing fit.
Just then, Graham came to peer at the letter from beside her. His face immediately turned ugly.
“I forbid you from going to this nonsense!” he cried, then snatched the paper from Danika’s grasp. “We’re living in modern times, for God’s sake. What is this ‘trial by combat’ nonsense? What if you get hurt?”
Danika shrugged. She never in her life expected someone to issue such a challenge to her either. Still, shocked as she was, it wasn’t entirely uncommon in the fighting world.
“Don’t worry, Dad. This is just something that happens sometimes.”
Of course, one could choose to not accept the challenge, though this meant an automatic defeat hence why most people choose to accept it. Including Danika, who thought it would be embarrassing for her and her master if she refused this challenge.
Graham grumbled, “I should never have hired that man to teach you if I’d known this would happen.”
“Dad, that was one of the best decisions you made for me. You have no idea how many people have tried to mess with me over the years.” Not just mess with, but they even tried to kill her. Danika was just really grateful she didn’t quit when she was younger. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, as they say. Every opponent she ever met only made her stronger.
That was why she was confident she could win this challenge
Self-Destruct
Graham was conflicted. On the one hand, he was grateful he had arranged fighting lessons for Danika, but on the other, he didn’t want to put her at risk just because she could fight.
“So you’re saying you’ll accept the challenge?” he asked, tone clouded with worry. Danika nodded. “Of course. Mr. Munster would be humiliated if I didn’t.”
“But what if-‘
“You really don’t have to worry, Dad. I know how to protect myself. Plus, these challenges usually aren’t to the death.” Of course, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t get injured. It was just a matter of how serious the injury would be.
Knowing that she had made her decision, Graham knew he couldn’t stop her anymore. “I can’t change your mind, I guess. Please keep yourself safe.”
“I will,” Danika said with a grin.
They then had dinner together in silence, putting the topic to rest. After several moments of tense silence, Danika asked, ‘You haven’t heard from Rowena yet?”
“I have.” Graham nodded. “She doesn’t want me to go down this road of annihilation and that if I choose to continue, I’ll be digging my own grave.”
He nearly laughed upon remembering what she said. It’d be the Glass family’s grave they dig.
“Hm. We still need to be careful of any allies they seek to their aid,” Danika said. It was taxing enough for just the two families to take the Glasses down.
Theirs was a house of cards if any other Elite families stepped in to the Glasses’ aid.
Graham knew it too. “We knew this wouldn’t be an easy task, so we’ve prepared ourselves for the worst.”
“Alright.” Danika sighed with relief. James and her father’s combined power would be enough to handle most things.
The father and daughter continued their dinner, and not even till its end did Rowena return, which was a rare sight.
Across the city, the atmosphere in the Glass family villa had sunken into tense dread.
Wayne glared at his sister, asking sternly, “How could you have not noticed them plotting this? Are you even on our side anymore, Rowena?’
“Watch your tone, Wayne. Do you really think I would betray our family? I wouldn’t be here right now otherwise!”
Not wanting to escalate things in their family when they were already under threat as a whole, Wayne sighed, “I didn’t mean that. I never thought Graham would be so cruel as to do this to you and your family.”
His words hit Rowena right in the heart. When she first heard about this plot, she was dumbstruck too. Dumbstruck and hurt that Graham would do this behind her back.
That was the reason for her determination to save her family. Otherwise, she might get in trouble too.
“It’s no use talking about this right now. Let’s just find a way to get out of it, ” Rowena sighed.
Wayne nodded. He could feel a headache coming. “What way is there for us? We’re no match for the Zellwegers, not to mention the Windsors.’ “That’s no reason to give up.”
Rowena shook her head. If even Wayne was this dejected, there wouldn’t be much hope for their family anymore.
Set on Destroying Her
Randy, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke up, “Dad, I don’t think the other families will just sit back and let them destroy us. Their system would fall into turmoil too.”
Rowena nodded. “Randy is right. We need to find allies in the other families too. I’m sure well find a way out of this.”
“I hear you.” Wayne nodded contemplatively, though he still felt uncertain. Why would the Zellwegers go through all that trouble if things were that easy?
Still, there was no better option now. All they could do was take things one step at a time. If worse came to worst, he could ask the other Elite families ‘ help to defeat the Zellwegers. He could even air out all the spoils for their taking. There must be one family who’d step in to help with that condition in mind.
While the Glasses were in the midst of discussing their battle plans, the Zellwegers and
Windsors were no longer hiding their motives. Their plans were quickly put into place, even slowing down the Glasses’ progress.
After work, Danika went to the location of the challenge sent to her. She still couldn’t guess who it was that sent it to her. The location was a grassy field out in the Bardoff countryside, away from the hubbub of the city.
Danika stood waiting for a while before footsteps sounded from behind her. It was a woman she hadn’t seen before.
“Danika Zellweger?” she asked before Danika could speak.
Danika nodded. “And you?”
“Melissa Collins, the disciple of Madam Olanna Roy,” the woman stated, giving Danika a bow out of respect.
Olanna Roy? Danika froze up instantly. Mr. Munster had mentioned her before. In fact, the two seemed to be lifelong friends…
“I practiced under Mr. Tywin Munster. I believe you know him.”
Sure enough, Melissa’s eyes widened upon hearing that name. “Oh, you’re Master Munster’s disciple-‘
“Yes, so may I ask why you challenge me? Because as far as I can recall, we’ve never met. There’s nothing between us that needs to be resolved.”
Melissa nodded, then turned and walked toward the trees. When she walked out again, she wasn’t alone anymore. Danika recognized this stranger, though she couldn’t immediately recall who she was.
“I practiced under Madam Olanna alongside Jonathan Flynn. This is his kid sister, who tasked me to serve this trial to you,” Melissa explained. She wasn’t close with Jonathan, but they were still disciples under the same master, so she couldn’t exactly reject his sister’s request for her help without looking bad. That was why she had sent the trial by combat challenge in the first place.
But after hearing who Danika trained under, she finally understood why Jonathan lost. Danika meanwhile remembered Alicia Flynn. When she had Zack investigate why
Jonathan was on her tail back then, they stumbled across information on his kid sister, Alicia, how she was hospitalized and needed money for her treatment. That was the reason Jonathan accepted
Yvonne’s task—she would pay for his sister’s treatment. In the end, Danika wired the money to the hospital so Alicia could get treated.
Basically, she went and saved someone who was set on destroying her. Danika really didn’t know what to feel about the situation. She gazed at Alicia, whose eyes were burning with killing intent. “So you want to kill me?’
Kill Her!
“Yes, yes, I damned well do!” Alicia hissed. If she had the skills necessary to defeat Danika, she wouldn’t have asked for Melissa’s help.
“Why? Because of your brother’s death?” Danika asked though she had guessed it would be because of it.
Alicia didn’t hide the truth any longer. “He was my last living family until you killed him, you bitch. I’ll avenge him if it’s the last thing I do!”
“Heh. Yvonne Dickman is your brother’s real killer. Why aren’t you seeking revenge on her?” Jonathan wouldn’t have died if Yvonne hadn’t given him that task.
But Alicia was in no mood to listen. “She’s responsible, yes, but you’re the main culprit!”
Danika sighed. No point wasting her breath with stubbornness. She looked at Melissa.
“Alright. Let’s start.”
She’d see for herself if Melissa had what it takes to overpower her. Melissa glanced at Alicia, then at Danika. ‘I trust you know the rules.”
“Yes.” Danika nodded with a smile.
Alicia retreated to a corner to watch the two. Melissa had told her that she wouldn’t kill
Danika even if given the chance, so Alicia was waiting for the right moment to end
Danika’s life herself.
As for whatever consequences came next, she didn’t bother considering it. All that mattered was avenging her brother.
The two women swiftly exchanged hits and punches to the point where not even Alicia could keep up.
Meanwhile, in a villa situated in the nearby mountains, Yvonne was gazing at the fight through a telescope, cheering for Danika’s opponent.
“Kill her! Kill the bitch!” she growled out internally.
Just then, someone hugged her from behind. “What’re you looking at, hm?”
“Oh, nothing. Just the gorgeous scenery.* Yvonne peeled her eye away from the scope and turned back to the man behind her.
Brandon grinned, Yvonne’s coquettish demeanor successfully seducing him. “Why’d you think to come here all of a sudden?”
“It’s so quiet, don’t you think? Wonderful place for two people to spend time together on their date.’ Yvonne winked at Brandon, slowly rubbing her body against his.
Don’t You Dare Leave!
Danika was obviously unaware of Yvonne and Brandon’s tussle in bed. All her focus was directed on countering Melissa’s attacks. Luckily for her, Melissa was no better than Jonathan, so she wasn’t at much risk of losing her life that day.
It took at least ten rounds of single-handed combat before Melissa finally tapped out.
“I think we can stop now.*
