Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
Indeed, it was tough to get Lynette to divorce Eric. “Let’s not rush it. We’ll go home and figure it out. At least we know where she is. Right?’
“True.” He nodded. Locating Lynette was a huge step forward compared to his blind search from before.
They went into the car and left the hotel. On the way back, Danika was thinking hard about how to leave the city with Lynette. Before that, she had to figure out how Lynette could divorce Eric. However, judging from Eric’s possessiveness, it was unlikely that he’d ever divorce Lynette. Sighing, she wondered if they had finally reached a dead-end after locating her mother.
After the charity dinner ended, Eric and Lynette went home as well. In the car, Eric scrunched up his eyes without saying a word. Lynette leaned against the car window silently, worrying that Eric would lay a finger on Danika and Graham. Still, she wouldn’t bring up her worries-not even bringing up Danika and Graham’s names-out of fear that it’d drive Eric mad.
Soon, the car arrived at the Dafoe Mansion. They entered the house one after another.
“Yo, you’re back.” The voice of a young man greeted them once they entered the living room. Lynette immediately frowned.
“Why are you here?’ Eric cautiously examined the young man.
Pete Dafoe glanced at his father and protested, “I’m still your son, you know? Why? Can’t I even visit home?”
“Home? Do you finally know where your home is? I thought you’d forgotten about your home after you had your crazy fun out there,” Eric scoffed. He was always strict with his son.
However, Pete was unbothered. Instead, he shifted his gaze to Lynette. “I refuse to come home because you married your mistress.’
Lynette’s face fell at that word. “Pete Dafoe, how many times did I tell you? I’m not a mistress.”
“Aren’t you?” Pete chuckled. “Would my parents have divorced if it weren’t for you?”
Lynette thought his accusation was ridiculous. She had been married to Eric for decades. Pete was only a few years old when she first joined the family. For some reason, he thought of her as his father’s mistress since then, and he was always hostile to her.
Try Me
Lynette almost lost it a few times and wanted to beat up the rascal, but she couldn’t because Eric doted on his son.
“Eric Dafoe, have you never told your son what actually happened? You pressured the Bells for my hand in marriage. Did you think I’d marry you otherwise?’ She was truly angered. After being forced to marry Eric, Eric’s son accused her of being a mistress, and she refused to take that lying down.
Eric’s expression soured. ‘You said you didn’t want to marry me? Who would you prefer, then? Graham Zellweger?’
She shouldn’t take his silence on the way back home as his forgiveness.
“Eric Dafoe! Your son is slandering me!” She jumped in anger.
“Why are you taking him seriously?’ Eric countered as though the twenty year-old Pete was still a child.
Lynette gritted her teeth and came to a realization when she glowered at the father and son. “Sure, I shouldn’t take him too seriously. I’m a fool for expecting you to speak up for me. You’d rather have me accused than get yourself dragged, isn’t it? You and your son are both disgusting!”
With that, she stomped up the stairs. Although she badly wanted to escape from that horrible place, she knew that she wouldn’t stand a chance to do so.
Eric was still furious after hearing Lynette slam the bedroom door. He stared at Pete coldly. “Why are you here?”
“Nothing, really. I heard there were some interesting episodes at the charity dinner. So I made a visit on purpose.” He was always gleeful to witness Eric and Lynette arguing.
Eric shot him an icy glare. “Be thankful that you’re a Dafoe. You’d be dead meat otherwise.” Had Lynette agreed to bear him children, he would have long given up on Pete, the problem child.
“Right. Everyone knows that you’re ruthless.’ Pete snickered. ‘You got my mom killed because she refused to divorce you, isn’t that right? I’m curious, though-why didn’t you get rid of me along with her?’
He knew that Lynette was speaking the truth about the mistress accusation. After all, he was no longer the naive kid from years ago, and he had thoroughly investigated his father’s affairs. He would still hate on Lynette because his parents wouldn’t have divorced if she hadn’t shown up, and his mom wouldn’t have lost her life.
“If that’s all you have to say, you can get lost now.” Eric looked unperturbed.
Pete knew that his empty insults wouldn’t hurt his father in any way, but he still hurled the words at him just to release his pent-up frustration. “Well, that’s not all. I heard about that woman’s daughter, and that makes me curious.”
“What do you want to do?” Finally, a frown crept up Eric’s face.
“I think that woman’s daughter might be an interesting character. I kind of want to give her a try.” Pete chuckled.
The bedroom door suddenly flung open, and a wild Lynette appeared in the corridor. She gave Pete a death stare. “If you dare to have any funny ideas about Danika, I’ll dig up your mother’s grave!’
“You—” Pete was astounded by her chilling threat.
“Try me! If you so much as lay a finger on Danika, I’ll see it through!” Lynette threatened him, knowing he cared the most about his late mother. Too bad his mother was dead. If that woman was alive,
Lynette could have held her hostage, but she had no choice but to threaten him with his mother’s dead body
Be More Attentive
In the end, Pete left the mansion in a storm of rage, and one wondered if he had taken Lynette’s words to heart.
Just as she let out a sigh of relief, Eric went up to the second floor and stood in front of her. Before she could speak to him, he grabbed her by the neck. “So, did you meet Graham Zellweger? Did he get intimate with you?”
It turned out that Eric wasn’t as unbothered as he appeared on the surface. To him, Lynette was his woman, and regardless of whether he actually loved her, no other man should touch her. He was silent on their way home because he was figuring out a way to teach her a lesson. What could be done to scare her into not seeing men behind his back?
After racking his brains, he concluded that a beating was the most effective.
“Let go of me!” Her attempts to push him away were futile. “Eric Dafoe, you’re a sick man!”
“Yeah, this isn’t your first day knowing that about me, is it?” he was as calm as water, but he tightened his grip on her neck, and she instantly gasped for air. Then, she was dragged into the bedroom and thrown onto the bed.
“Eric Dafoe, get out of my room!” Even after many years of marriage, they never shared the same bedroom.
“Get out? You’re my wife. What’s wrong if I want to sleep with you?” While speaking, he pinned her underneath and ignored her struggles. He was dead set on taking her.
She fought back against him but ended up being beaten before succumbing to his aggressive advances. Even though they never shared a room after many years, that was not the first time Eric had forced himself on her.
Many times, she considered taking Eric with her to her death, but she had lingering affection for the world. To be exact, she couldn’t bring herself to part with Danika and Graham for good. When she thought she couldn’t go on anymore, she’d think of her daughter and the man she loved the most. Whenever Eric assaulted her, she’d keep thoughts of Danika and Graham in her mind. She could only tell herself that Eric was a tool for her. That was the only way she could live without the crushing humiliation.
Meanwhile, back at Graham’s villa in Bayside City, he tossed and turned for the whole night, thinking of a way to bring Lynette with them. Unfortunately, he didn’t make any progress on that.
Danika woke up in the morning to his dark eye circles. “Dad, did you not sleep last night?”
“How could I when Nettie’s suffering?” he sighed, wishing fervently that he could bring her with him right away.
Danika went to the dining table and wolfed down her cereal. “Don’t worry. Eric Dafoe’s running a huge business. There must be some dirt on him. We need to dig up that dirt. As long as it poses a threat to the Dafoes, I believe he’d choose to protect his family name over keeping Lynette.”
A man like Eric would pick his family’s reputation over everything else.
“Will that work?” Graham sounded concerned.
“Yes.” Danika was confident about the plan. Now that they found Lynette, everything else would eventually work out.
He was visibly relieved when he witnessed her confidence. “I’m aging now and not as shrewd as you when it comes to strategizing. You need to be more attentive to your mom’s case.”
“Yeah. I got it,” she answered without much thought while finishing the cereal.
Graham sat across from her with a complicated look on his face. “Danika, have you never thought of Lynette as your mom?” Every time Danika referred to Lynette by her first name, he would feel upset.
I Hope You Don’t Resent Her
Danika put aside her cutlery and stared at Graham defeatedly. “I had not seen her at all when I was a kid. Now, you want me to call her ‘Mom’? I cant dothat.”
“I know, and I hope you won’t resent her. It’s all my fault that she had to leave.” Things wouldn’t have ended this way if he were capable enough to keep Lynette by her side.
Danika didn’t seem to mind as she brushed it off. “Both of you shouldn’t feel guilty at all. I was living a good life at Orchid Village. And you hired all those teachers to give me lessons. You played a role in shaping my success today.”
Although Graham had never once visited her at the village, she found the teachers he hired very helpful and meaningful.
“It’s my duty.” He wallowed in regret, even though it was too late. The conversation ended there.
Danika quickly changed the topic. “You’d better not go out in the next few days. Eric Dafoe would probably send his men. We’ve strengthened the security here at the villa. You’ll be safe if you stay inside.”
“Okay. I got it.” He nodded. “But what about you? You’re in danger too.”
Lynette had never wanted to be with Eric. Danika showing up would only strengthen her resolve to leave, and under those circumstances, Eric would likely get Danika out of the way.
“Don’t worry about that. I have security.” Moreover, she was skilled in combat herself. To top it off, she had invited Melissa to Bayside City to stand guard over her in secret. Danika could stay safe from Eric’s men if Melissa is with her.
Graham said nothing more and granted Danika a peaceful breakfast. After that, she left the villa to look into the properties under Eric Dafoe’s name to investigate any illegal activities. She thought, “He rules over Bayside City, but so what? He’s not above the law.”
To her surprise, she was greeted by a black sportscar when she arrived at one of Eric’s properties. A young man hopped out and glided over effortlessly with a smile. “Hey there, lovely. Care to have a drink with me?”
“Sure.” She nodded.
“How does coffee sound?” the man inquired, inviting her into his car. She agreed with a smile and entered.
Pete Dafoe was overjoyed. He had thought highly of Danika, but it seemed that she was ready to submit to him. The Zellwegers? They were nothing but a fake Bardoff City elite that amounted to nothing.
Danika would’ve laughed hysterically if she knew what was on his mind. The Bayside City residents were narrow-minded, perceiving their city as the whole world and thinking they were invincible just because they were wealthy. How laughable!
The sports car was parked in front of a high-end cafe. Danika and Pete entered the cafe, and he selected the most expensive private lounge, perhaps to show off. After they took their seats, he asked, “Oh, I haven’t asked for your name.”
“Oh, didn’t you know? I thought you were prepared.” She glanced at him with a smile, resting her chin on one hand. Her gaze was full of ridicule, as though she was staring at a clown.
His face contorted, but he remained composed. “What do you mean?” “Mr. Dafoe, you’re no fun.” She smiled and sipped on the coffee that the waiter brought her. She examined his changing expressions, finding them amusing.
What’s There to Work On?
After an excruciatingly lengthy silence, Pete gave in and asked, “When did you recognize me?”
“First of all, you bear some resemblance to your father,” she explained.” Secondly, I looked into the Dafoes before this. Not only do I know you well, I am privy to the matters of all your family members.’ If people in the Dafoe family tree stood before her, she might recognize and name them better than Pete could.
At this point, Pete’s smile was wiped off his smug face, but he soon emerged from his silence as he recalled the main goal of his meeting with Danika. “Is that so? That’s great. I don’t even have to introduce you to all of them next time.”
“What?” She was perplexed, as though she hadn’t figured out the meaning behind his words.