Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
Melissa gazed at her in surprise. “Work for you? As what? Your bodyguard?”
Maybe it might not be such a bad idea…
But wait, why would Danika need a bodyguard if she was already capable of defending herself?
Sure enough, Danika shook her head. “I don’t need one.” She really didn’t, nor did she like the idea of having someone following her around 24/7.
“Oh. Then what’s my job? I don’t know much besides how to fight.” If only she could be Danika’s bodyguard, Melissa thought dejectedly.
“If you’re willing to learn, you’ll know more in time,” Danika continued. “I can educate and train you, so long as you’re willing.”
She hadn’t found a suitable person to help Alfred with his bar yet, up until now. With Melissa’s skills, she would be able to take care of any rowdier patrons. Melissa hesitated. “What if I don’t learn well?”
“No such thing. It all comes down to your dedication.” It was just bartending and managing other small things like stocking. Melissa wouldn’t even be doing it alone.
Her silence began to upset Danika. “Aren’t you going to take this opportunity? Is this what you’ve been like all these years? No wonder you are where you are today.”
As harsh as she might sound, it was intended to prod Melissa until she accepted the offer.
“But-“
“No more buts. Just give me a simple yes or no right now. Come with me if you’re willing and do what I tell you to do, or you can leave right now, and this opportunity will never come up again,” Danika cut her off.
They had no relations in any way. All Danika was looking for was a candidate for the position, while Melissa just so happened to be in need of a job. If she accepted it, it’d be a win-win situation, but if not, Danika would just go and find someone else to step into the role.
It seemed like Danika’s prodding actually worked. Melissa exclaimed,” Alright, fine!” She wasn’t scared but more concerned she’d be a nuisance for her benefactor.
“Good.” Danika nodded, pleased. With a smile, she pushed the menu to Melissa again.
“You can still order if you’re hungry.”
She had always been a generous employer to her staff.
Melissa found this change hard to cope with, though she didn’t shy away from her desires. “Can we go sightseeing in the city? I’ve yet to visit all those landmarks.”
She had no money to tame her stomach with the food she might spot outdoors. But things were different now that she was employed.
“Alright.” Danika nodded. After paying the bill, she drove Melissa around the city, enjoying its nightlife and incredible street food until Melissa had eaten her fill.
You’re the One Begging
Danika brought Melissa to Alfred, arranging a place to stay for her before finally going back to Zellweger Castle. It was past midnight when she reached home. Graham had long gone to bed, yet Rowena was still in the living room.
The woman opened her eyes when Danika came in through the door. “What took you so long? You’re not indulging in your filthy desires, are you?’
“Is that envy I hear?” Danika cackled. “If you want to ‘indulge’ yourself so much, why don’t you just divorce my father? No one would stop you then.”
Divorce? Rowena’s eyes bugged out in shock.
She went up to Danika and said, “How could you say that? You can’t tear this marriage apart!”
“Why can’t I?” Danika shot back. It wasn’t like they were good for each other. Why keep up the act for so long?
Rowena held back the urge to slap Danika. “1 hope you don’t utter this nonsense in front of your father. He’s past his youth now. Do you really want him to spend the rest of his days alone?”
“How do you know he’ll be spending those days alone? With his status and influence, women would line up just to meet him.” And they’d all be better women than Rowena, too, Danika thought.
Rowena gritted her teeth. “Do you really want to tear this family apart, Danika Zellweger?”
Danika shrugged. “Yeah. So?”
“You!” Rowena yelled, then controlled herself. Danika, on the other hand, was completely unfazed.
Rowena swiftly cooled down, then said, “Don’t you want to know where your mother is?”
The moment she said this, Danika stiffened up. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I know where your mother is: I have her,” Rowena hissed. It made Danika frown. “Isn’t she dead?”
“She isn’t. I was the one who sent men to capture her. She’s been alive and well all these years, minus the well, of course,” Rowena sneered.
Her delight grew when she saw a hint of fear in Danika’s expression. “If you want her to stay alive, you better plan your next move carefully.”
“What do you want, Rowena?” Danika asked seriously.
As if waiting her entire life for this question, Rowena heaved a great sigh.” Tell your father and James Windsor to stop coming after the Glasses.”
Danika had already expected this answer. “Okay, but why should I believe you? What proof do you have that my mother is still alive?”
Rowena swiftly took out some photos from her purse. “See for yourself.”
Danika peered at the photos. They were of a woman with her wrists tied together with rope. Danika recognized her face as her mother’s from the photos she’d seen from Graham.
But she couldn’t help but find something off about the photo.
“I’ll talk to them. You will release my mother once they stop their plans.”
Rowena smirked. “Get this right, Danika. You’re the one begging right now, not the other way around. So you don’t get to negotiate terms with me unless you want to see her have a quick death.”
Danika replied hesitantly, “Alright. I’ll do as you say.”
It’s Not Her!
Danika sat in front of her desktop in her room, awaiting a response from Zack online.
She had sent him the photos of her mother, needing him to check if they were edited.
Zack swiftly replied, “No, they’re not.”
Now Danika was really starting to worry. Was her mother really at Rowena’s mercy?
Then why only play this card now? Isn’t it a little too late for this move?
Plus, that woman in the photo…though she did resemble Danika’s mother, she still found it odd. She didn’t feel a connection to that woman. Still, she didn’t want to risk it if it really was her mother.
Danika would have to ascertain this information with Graham first thing in the morning.
If it was true and Rowena had her mother captive, they’d do whatever it took to rescue her.
In truth, Danika preferred her mother being missing rather than being held captive by Rowena. At least that meant she wouldn’t have been submitted to years of captivity.
Danika also couldn’t begin to fathom how terrible Rowena would’ve treated her mother all those years.
She didn’t have a good sleep that night, having recurring dreams of her mother being locked away in a dark, small room for days on end.
When Danika woke up the following day, she gasped in fright from the dream. She went to wash up, then left her room. Graham was up as well, being a passionate workaholic himself.
“Morning, Danika,’ he greeted, slightly surprised she was up that early.” Why’re you up so early? There’s still a few hours until you have to go to work.”
“I can’t sleep,” Danika replied lightly, then eyed Rowena’s room door before saying, “I need to talk to you. In your study.”
Her serious expression invited Graham to feel the same. They soon entered his study, where Danika then gave Graham a bunch of photos.” Look.’
When Graham saw them, he stood up from his chair in disbelief. “These…”
He glanced at the photos, then at Danika, silently asking what the hell was going on?
“Rowena gave these to me yesterday, claiming she’s holding Mom captive, ” Danika explained.
Graham frowned, peering at the photos again. “She what? But the people who took her away those years ago were her relatives, nothing to do with Rowena…”
If it really had been Rowena’s men, Danika’s mother wouldn’t have left with them, not willingly, anyway.
“I know, but how do we make sense of these photos then? I’ve had someone check, and they’re not edited at all.”
Graham sat back down in his chair. “I’ll take a closer look.”
He then silently examined the photos, Danika obediently waiting beside him. Her father knew her mother more than she did, so only he could tell the similarities or differences.
She silently prayed for a miracle that her mother wasn’t actually being held captive by Rowena.
After what felt like years, Graham suddenly exclaimed, “It’s not her!”
Danika immediately leaned close to his side. “What? That’s not Mom?”
I Never Expected This
“Nope!” Graham shook his head confidently. “She looks exactly like your mother, except for her eyes. They’re not your mother’s eyes.”
He then gazed at one of the photos.1 Plus, your mother has this mole on her neck. It’s so small that only those intimately close to her can spot it…”
Graham hadn’t noticed it at the start, but only after finding the woman in the photo very odd did he start paying attention to the details, thus concluding that the woman wasn’t his loved one.
Danika sighed in relief. ‘Rowena must’ve really cranked her brains to come up with this.”
If they had believed her trick, they would have immediately stopped everything they were doing against the Glasses, thus falling into their hands. Thank goodness
Graham knew her mother well enough to spot a fake.
