Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
Melissa shook her head. “This kind of small issue doesn’t require your attention. I can handle it.”
“Alright then, you go ahead. Call me if you need anything.” Danika didn’t stop her.
Since she had decided to hand over the bar management to Melissa, she wouldn’t interfere too much.
They didn’t continue their conversation after that, and Melissa hurried to the bar. Once she was some distance away, Danika couldn’t help but laugh.
She hadn’t expected Melissa to be so passionate about her work. When Danika first met her, she thought Melissa must be someone who didn’t like working, which was probably why she didn’t earn much money. Now, it seemed to Danika it wasn’t that
Melissa didn’t want to make more money- she didn’t exactly have the opportunity to do that.
“What are you laughing at, Miss Zellweger?” A male voice came from behind Danika. She turned around and saw Luke coming out of the hospital. Her smile instantly froze on her face.
Soon, she regained her composure and kept the corners of her mouth raised to maintain her smile. “Were you sick, Mr. Luke? Why did you come out of the hospital?”
“I came to the hospital to find you, but I didn’t expect you to have already finished work. I thought I would miss you, but I bumped into you while leaving the hospital instead.” Luke smiled, but his smile was unsettling.
Danika forced a dry laugh. “Is that so? That’s quite a coincidence.”
If only she’d left the parking lot a little later, she wouldn’t have been so unlucky to run into Luke. She didn’t know why, but she just didn’t like him, feeling that he was too cunning.
Danika wondered if her dislike toward him stemmed from her being influenced by Eustace.
It was possibly because she knew that these people were competing with Eustace, so she subconsciously started to dislike them too.
Thinking of that, she couldn’t help but feel a little alarmed. If that was the case, then
Eustace’s influence on her was really significant.
Luke didn’t know what she was thinking. Seeing her lost in thought, he asked, “Miss Zellweger, what are you thinking about?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Why did you come to find me?” she asked.
“Well, since I couldn’t invite you to dinner last time, I came to visit again today. You wouldn’t keep rejecting my sincere efforts, right?” Luke asked with a smile.
What Reason Do I Have to Refuse?
Danika wanted to turn him down, but she was a bit hesitant. After all, she didn’t exactly have any conflicts with Luke. It seemed rather unreasonable for her to refuse him outrightly. She thought she shouldn’t let Eustace affect her that much.
As she thought about it, Luke continued, “Danika, Zellweger Inc and Quincey Group haven’t tried collaborating over the years. I happen to have a good project in hand now. Why don’t you consider it?”
“Since you put it that way, what reason do I have to refuse you?” Danika agreed with a polite smile. It was also at that moment she realized the reason why she didn’t like Luke.
Luke was the kind of person who would not give up until he achieved his goal, and to do that, he wouldn’t bat an eye when resorting to unscrupulous means. That was why
Danika instinctively disliked him.
However, as Luke had mentioned, both families had never worked together before. If he really had a good project in hand, Danika wouldn’t mind having a meal with him.
After all, it was just a meal. Why would she need to be apprehensive about such a simple occasion? Luke wouldn’t dare to try anything with her, given her status.Danika didn’t refuse and got into Luke’s car, but to be on the safe side, she sent a message to Alfred, asking him to come and save her if she didn’t contact him for an extended time.
Right now, Alfred was the only person she could rely on. He was part of her own company and someone she could trust. Danika’s thoughts then drifted to Eustace and Evan.
Thinking of them gave her a headache, so she thought it was better not to inform them. Though Danika didn’t want the two of them to know she was having a meal with Luke, it was futile because they were both well- informed. As soon as Danika got into Luke’s car, they were informed about it simultaneously.
Receiving the message, both of them had unpleasant expressions on their faces.
They knew what Luke’s intentions were. Therefore, they didn’t want Danika to get into contact with Luke unnecessarily. But since Danika got into his car, Luke must have said something Danika couldn’t refuse. It made them worry.
As a result, not long after Danika and Luke arrived at the restaurant, Eustace and Evan also arrived one after another. They didn’t go in to disrupt; they just waited at the door, mainly to ensure Danika’s safety.
In the car, Evan was feeling irritated. Dealing with Eustace was already difficult enough, and now he had to deal with Luke, another competitor. All of them had ill intentions toward Danika. If they were abroad, he would have made those people disappear long ago. But now, they were in the country, making it inconvenient for Evan to deal with them. Not only that, he was afraid Danika would notice something was off.
When he was lost in thought, someone knocked on the car window. Evan lowered his car window, and upon seeing that it was Eustace standing outside, his expression instantly became strained.
“What are you doing here?’ Evan asked with a gloomy expression.
Eustace, on the other hand, remained calm. He smiled as he said, “I’m here to do whatever you’re here to do.”
“Don’t you think Danika has too many pursuers?” Eustace didn’t care about Evan’s unamused expression and continued speaking, his gaze directed toward the restaurant where Danika and Luke were located, though they couldn’t be seen.
Evan lit a cigarette and glanced at Eustace. “Yes, indeed. Every fool under the sun wants her, not having an inch of self-awareness.”
As he spoke, he looked at Eustace pointedly, with an implied meaning that he, too, was included in the “every fool under the sun” category.
No Ordinary Person
In the face of Evan’s mockery, Eustace was unfazed. He approached Evan because he had something to discuss with him and not to argue or pick a fight.
After Evan was done speaking, Eustace asked, “Does it matter which fool it is? What matters is whether they’ll cause you trouble, don’t you think?”
Evan frowned and stared at Eustace for a while before smiling. “What are you trying to say?”
Eustace wouldn’t approach him for no reason. There must be a purpose behind his action; he couldn’t have come up to him simply for an idle chat.
“Why don’t you help me deal with Xavier?” Eustace smiled, and from his tone, it sounded more like he wanted to discuss the matter rather than ask him a favor.
Evan was surprised by Eustace’s words. He looked at him for a while, and after confirming that Eustace wasn’t joking, he couldn’t help but laugh. “What makes you think I would help you? Besides, it’s Luke who’s in my way now, not his father. Aren’t you taking me for a fool by asking me to deal with Xavier?”
It was Luke who was pestering Danika. If anything, Eustace should be asking him to take action against Luke, not Xavier. Evan wouldn’t lend a hand if Eustace were purely trying to use him to deal with the Quinceys, who posed a threat to him.
Eustace wasn’t worried about Evan’s questioning, he continued, “Luke doesn’t have much say within the Quinceys. Even if you deal with him, it won’t be effective. There will be other Quinceys who’ll look for trouble with you after you get rid of him. Therefore, it’s unnecessary. It’s Xavier and Yakov who are currently in the running for the position to become the head of the Quincey family. As for Luke and Julian, they’re still young, so it’s not their turn yet.”
Evan understood the reasoning, but he wasn’t keen on assisting Eustace.” Even so, I won’t help you with Xavier. On top of that, you’re overestimating me. I’m just an ordinary person. How would I have the ability to deal with the Quinceys?”
As he spoke, he looked at Eustace and felt he seemed to know something. But upon careful consideration, it was unlikely. Ever since Evan returned to the country, he’d been very cautious. Eustace wouldn’t have any reason to be suspicious of him.
“An ordinary person?” Eustace chuckled lightly. “How could the famous mercenary leader from overseas be an ordinary person? You’re too modest, Mr. Clarke.”
As soon as these words came out of his mouth, Evan’s expression changed drastically, and he stared at Eustace intently. “How did you know?”
“Is it anything difficult? One just needed to spend some money to get someone to do some digging overseas.”
Of course, the truth was that obtaining information on Evan was not a simple task at all. Evan wasn’t a fool, so he naturally kept information about him hidden.
Nevertheless, as long as one paid the right price, no information couldn’t be uncovered.
Eustace had been quite lucky. When Evan first appeared, he had someone investigate him right away. However, he couldn’t find any information, which made him realize that Evan’s identity was not simple. After all, most people wouldn’t need to hide their information.
Hence, he spent a lot of money to uncover Evan’s true identity. While he was quite surprised, he also made plans upon finding it out. So, when he appeared in front of
Evan that day to discuss a collaboration, it was not an impulsive decision. Eustace had prepared for it long ago.
Evan was displeased about this. He knew how difficult it was to uncover any information that pointed to his identity, and since Eustace had managed to do so, it meant that he’d definitely spent a lot of time on it.
He couldn’t figure out why Eustace would investigate him when they hadn’t had much interaction. Therefore, he asked Eustace about it, wanting to know what his answer would be.
You’re Not Capable Enough
“As the saying goes, ‘Know thy self, know thy enemy; and you can win a hundred battles without defeat.’ You should understand this principle more than anything.’
Although Evan appeared before he had fully regained his memory, Eustace had a gut feeling that he would pose a threat to him, so he spared no expense in investigating him thoroughly.
After a moment, Evan smiled helplessly and said, “Mr. Quincey, you truly are meticulous in your thinking. I’m in awe.”
He had also investigated Eustace, but all the information about him was publicly available, and anything he found could be found by anyone else. Because of that, there was no value in using any of that information against him.
Eustace didn’t respond to his praise but asked, ‘ What do you think of my proposal earlier, Mr. Clarke?”
“What if I refuse?” Evan asked.
“It’s okay,” Eustace said indifferently. Before Evan could breathe a sigh of relief, Eustace continued, ‘That would give me something to talk about with Danika. I think she should know quite well what you’ve been doing abroad all these years.”
Evan was infuriated; his gaze directed at Eustace was filled with a hint of killing intent. Eustace couldn’t care less and went on, “By the way, I also found out that Randy had suddenly died in prison. I think you had something to do with it, Mr. Clarke. Am I right?’
Ever since he found out that Evan was no ordinary person, Eustace had been keeping an eye on him, so he had been keeping tabs on the man’s every move.
“You’ve sent someone to tail me.” Evan came to realize that without someone constantly stalking him, Eustace wouldn’t have known such detailed information.
Eustace didn’t deny it but continued to ask, “So, would you like to reconsider my proposal from earlier?’
Evan’s face darkened. He had lived for so many years, yet this was the first time someone had blackmailed him so blatantly. He looked at Eustace as if he was looking at a dead person. It was clear that he had the intent to silence Eustace permanently.
Although killing Eustace might arouse suspicion from Danika, he had no better option at that moment. Eustace knew too much, so if he didn’t deal with him in a timely manner, he would be forever under Eustace’s control.
As if sensing what he was thinking, Eustace wasn’t intimidated as he said, “Mr. Clarke, you should think about it carefully. Although I’m not as formidable as you, it won’t be easy to kill me. Can you bear the consequences if your attempt doesn’t succeed?”
By then, Danika would find out everything about Evan-his shady secret identity, Randy’s death, and also his plans to get rid of Eustace. Based on Danika’s personality, she wouldn’t be able to accept him being such a person.
If Eustace could think of it, Evan would naturally be able to foresee how things would turn out as well. His sullen expression clearly indicated that he’d arrived at the same conclusion.
The two of them remained at an impasse. After a long while, Evan chuckled and said,
“How about I help you take care of everyone in the Quincey family? Wouldn’t that be better?”
“You’re not capable enough to do that.” Eustace’s reply was blunt. So what if Evan was the leader of a group of mercenaries? He didn’t bring in many people. Being able to take care of Xavier would already be a remarkable feat on his part. As for taking on the other Quinceys, it would be too far a stretch for him.
“From what you’re saying, it seems you’d actually want me to do it if I had the ability?”
