Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
Once they finished with the spinach, Zack and Janet went out to the garden with Danika.
The place was piled with snow at this point, forming quite the snowy wonderland.
“Danika,”
Eustace murmured longingly when he spotted the trio playing in the snow next door.He stood right beside the fence in his own garden.
Danika went up to him.
“You guys finished preparing lunch yet?”
“Mhm.The butler’s making it.”
A two-person meal didn’t need much lavishness or grandeur.
Eustace only wished Danika could join them for lunch.
Recalling it would only be Eustace and Old Mr.Quincey eating together, Danika suddenly pitied them.
“You didn’t invite Mortimer and Alfred for lunch?”
She knew Eustace would loathe seeing them right now, but it was New Year’s, the time for family to reunite and spend time together.
“Them?” Eustace scowled.
“Why should I? We’re not family.”
“Alright then.”
“What about you? I’m guessing Gilbert’s cooking in the kitchen?”
Danika nodded, feeling embarrassed.
“Yeah.Zack and I don’t know how to cook, so we leave it to Gilbert.”
“I see.I’ll cook for you too, next time.”
His words made Danika blush.
When she recovered herself, she rolled his eyes at him.
“It’s not like I need another servant in the house.”
Eustace laughed but said nothing about it.
“Why don’t you guys join us for dinner then?”
Though he hoped only Danika would come, it was nigh impossible.
So might as well invite all of them on a whim; that way, Danika would still be around.
Eustace wouldn’t stop Evan from joining too.
“I’ll have to ask them first.”
Danika wasn’t worried about Gilbert or Zack in this case, but Evan.
There was a high chance the man wouldn’t agree at all.
“Okay.”
Just then, Gilbert called out from the kitchen window, “I need your help, Danika!”
“Coming!”
Danika replied, then said to Eustace, “I need to go back.Tell Grandpa! said hi.”
“I will.”
Eustace nodded, then went back to the living room.
Zack meanwhile went up to Danika when she walked past, asking quietly, “Eustace lives right next door?”
“Mhm.”
Danika nodded.
“He didn’t move here on purpose, did he?”
It was too thought out to be coincidental, especially with what Eustace was like.
Danika didn’t disprove the suggestion.
Seeing this, Zack affirmed his guesses.He scoffed, “The heck does he want? To spy on you and Evan Clarke?”
“When did you become a busybody, Zack?”
It’s not like Danika was oblivious to Eustace’s intentions.
“I just want to know if you still have feelings for Eustace Quincey.”
“You should worry about yourself first, or every single time you meet up with Gilbert again, the air turns into solid ice,”
Danika sighed, then went into the kitcher..
Zack chewed on his lip, sighing to himself, “Do you think I like it? He’s doing this on purpose.”
Well, not really.
Gilbert just didn’t like Zack dating Janet Hale.
I Regret It All
Danika was about to say something else but ultimately kept silent since Janet was there.
“Be smart, then.”
After Danika left, Zack huffed and pursed his lips, feeling conflicted.
“I’m sorry, Zack,” Janet said softly.
She knew things only devolved to this because of her, though Zack never said anything of the sort out loud.
Janet guessed that Zack’s siblings knew of her past too.
After falling in love with Zack and his personality, she felt guilty for subjecting him to that sort of response from his family.
If only she hadn’t had such a complicated past, things wouldn’t be so tense today.
“Don’t be sorry.It’s not your fault.”
Zack had done his homework on Janet, too, and confronted her about everything.
Yes, it was morally incorrect, but Zack didn’t blame her.
Who wouldn’t want to live a worry – free life? Now Janet really felt ashamed.
“It is,” she mumbled weakly.
“Janet…”
“I regret it all, you know that, right?”
Zack’s heart clenched painfully.He gathered Janet into his arms, saying, “I can empathize with you, Janet. I’ll never leave you, don’t you worry.”
He’d never leave Janet, no matter what Gilbert or Danika said.
Janet’s eyes brimmed with tears.
“Thank you.”
Sometimes she wondered if maybe God sent Zack to her in pity for all she’d been through.
In the kitchen, Danika noticed the two hugging, though she was oblivious to their conversation.She turned to her brother, who was busy cooking.
“Are you still upset with Zack, Gilbert?” she asked curiously.
“No,” Gilbert grunted as he chopped up carrots.
“Really,”
Danika shot him a look The brothers hadn’t spoken to one another since they arrived.
Gilbert stopped what he was doing and gazed out the window at the couple.
“I’m just disappointed in him, is all.”
Zack had always been the most innocent among the three of them, always carefree and happy with life.
