Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
Knowing what was in his mind, she advised him, “Gilbert, even if she was the reason behind Zack’s injuries, she was not to blame. She can’t choose her parents. You don’t have to shift your anger to her.”
“If she can’t choose her parents, why doesn’t she choose to stay away from Zack? Zack wouldn’t be lying here if it weren’t for her.”
Just Dealing With Some Annoying Stuff
Although Gilbert fought a lot with Zack, he still viewed Zack and Danika as some of the most important people in his life. He was taken in and raised by Danika’s grandfather as a young orphan; to him, Danika and Zack were family. Therefore, he would never allow Zack to get in danger for a woman, and he was being civil for not pulling tricks to break up the couple.
“That’s enough, Gilbert. Calm down. I know you care a lot for Zack, but we can’t do anything about his relationship. It’s all up to him. If he’s willing to die for Janet, our protests won’t do a thing.” After the incident, Danika finally realized that Zack must have fallen hard for Janet. Why else would he sacrifice his life for her? In the beginning, she thought that the couple might break up due to conflicts after some time, but it seemed that she was naive.
“I don’t think he’s that stupid. He’ll know that the woman isn’t for him after this incident. He won’t go back to her.” Gilbert sounded confident.
Danika didn’t share the same optimism, but she kept her thoughts to herself because there was no point arguing. She’d rather leave the discussion for when Zack regained consciousness.
After that, Danika was ready to stand guard at the hospital with Gilbert. Eustace was against the idea. “Gilbert will be here. Let’s go home and rest,” he suggested.
Ever since Danika agreed to his marriage proposal, he had been addressing Gilbert more easily and cordially regardless of Gilbert’s perception of him. Of course, Gilbert wasn’t too fond of the closeness, but he didn’t bother to argue with Eustace. “Eustace’s right. You should rest. I don’t know when Zack is waking up. Go rest. I’ll get someone to inform you when he’s up.”
“But Zack…”
“He won’t wake up quicker just because you’re around. It’s useless,” Gilbert retorted.
Danika agreed with him. She should rest and be mentally refreshed to face everything after Zack woke up. From what Gilbert told her, the men behind the attack were quite something.
When she left the hospital with Eustace, she found Janet at the entrance, making a call.
“Why do you treat me this way? Am I not your daughter? How could you sell me off for that useless son of yours? Do you know who those men are? Do you know what you’re getting me into?”
Janet was wailing and howling. Danika couldn’t hear the response from her parents, but she assumed that parents who had the audacity to inflict such harm on their children would not be moved by tears and speech. They wouldn’t have done that to Janet if they had an ounce of conscience.
Janet hung up and turned around, only to see Danika standing not far away. Her hysterical communication with her parents must have been overheard by Danika, and she felt rather ashamed of it.
Danika felt awkward because she didn’t intend to eavesdrop. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s fine. Just dealing with some annoying stuff. I’m used to it.” She smiled bitterly. She should have succumbed to her destiny after years of being exploited by her family. Had she not crossed paths with Zack and stopped financially supporting her family, her parents wouldn’t have had to put her as collateral. At that time, she recalled Gilbert’s words. “Can you be sure this won’t happen again?”
Sure? How could she be sure? She could not promise anything. The more she dwelled upon her thoughts, the further she sank in despair.
It Depends on How Determined You Are
“You alright?” Danika was worried at the sight of her pale face. At the end of the day, Janet was not at fault. She and Gilbert merely thought that Janet wasn’t suitable for Zack. However, judging from recent events, it would be impossible to separate the two-at least, she had given up on that. She’d rather peacefully accept the fact that she might have Janet as a sister-in- law.
“I’m good.” Janet nodded and forced a smile. Danika didn’t press on, knowing that no one would feel okay given the circumstances. “Where are you going? I’ll give you a lift.’
Janet wanted to turn down the offer, but Danika insisted, “Get into the car.” She held the door open for Janet, and Janet had no way to reject her.
Janet thanked her and went into the car.
Eustace was in the driver’s seat, Danika beside him. Janet settled into the back seat without a word. It was Danika who finally broke the silence, “Gilbert can be harsh. Don’t take his words to heart. As long as you and Zack are truly in love, no one can stop you from seeing each other.”
“I know. But Gilbert wasn’t wrong.” Janet smiled wryly. She refused to admit the truth, but she was indeed not a perfect match for Zack. Putting aside the problem of her birth family, she was not a good candidate for Zack’s partner with her qualifications. Moreover, her life was greatly entwined with her troubled family.
She heard from Gilbert that he and his siblings were orphans who had never met their parents. Danika was finally united with her parents much later. At that time, she wondered how nice it would be if she were an orphan. Her childhood might be rough, but things would have gotten much better as an adult. She wouldn’t have had to suffer during her childhood only to be a sacrificial adult child.
Her parents exploited her, and only her, but if she married Zack, she worried that her parents would lay their fingers on him as well. Would she be causing harm to Zack? She had once dreamed of Zack as the dashing prince who would save her from her hellish life, but what if she was the one who dragged him into her hell? She shuddered at the possibility.
“The incident this time is not your fault.” Danika was worried that Janet might overthink. “I’ll make those men pay for hurting Zack. As for your parents…Have you thought of a way to deal with them?”
If Janet wanted to be with Zack, she couldn’t allow her parents to treat her in the same manner. Her parents were a time bomb that would explode any day.
Janet shook her head with a bitter smile. “I don’t know how to deal with them. In fact, I wished I never had parents like them.” But what else could she do?
“There’s always going to be a way. It depends on how determined you are,” Danika casually remarked.
Janet’s eyes lit up with hope as she stared at Danika. “What’s it?”
“There’s no rush to discuss this. Go home and have a good rest. I need to think this through. Plus, we need to wait until Zack’s awake.” Danika didn’t have a clear picture yet, but getting rid of two people wasn’t too hard.
Janet pursed her lips and asked no more. She knew her situation was tricky, and she didn’t have much hope of ever solving it. She had tried to sever ties with her parents, but it was useless. She only enjoyed two days of peace when her parents regretted their decision-they went to her workplace and put on a show, kicking and crying, forcing her to cave in.
You’re Inviting Yourself
The car rolled to a stop in front of Zack’s villa. Danika told Janet, “Rest well.
Have a good sleep. Zack might already be awake by the time you’re up.” “Okay.” Nodding, Janet left the car. Danika let Eustace drive away only after she watched Janet enter the villa.
On their way back, Eustace joked, “I thought you hated her. Looks like you’ve accepted her.”
“Well, she must be someone he loves dearly if he’s willing to give up his life for her. If so, why should I hate her? I should accept her instead.”
If she refused to change her attitude, she might alienate herself from Janet, or worse, Zack. Every individual had the right to make their personal decisions. It might not be an acceptable decision at the moment, but sooner or later, people around them would come to accept it.
“You’re quite cool about it.” Eustace smiled and admired her carefree attitude. Since she couldn’t change Zack’s decision, she tried to accept it. The world would be simpler if everyone acted this way.
She put a hand on her head and sighed. “I have no choice. I don’t want to be a frustrated young lady.” No matter who Zack married, he was the one who would spend his life with the woman. As his sister, she had no right to interfere too much. She was fine as long as Zack and his partner were happy.
They arrived at their villa. Feeling spent from the flight and the trip to visit Zack, they took a nap once they arrived. It was dark outside when Danika was woken up by the sound of her ringing phone. It was a call from Gilbert.
“Gilbert, did something happen?” she answered in a panic.
Gilbert was speechless at her reaction and replied, “Don’t you worry. Zack’s doing fine. He has woken up, and he’s been transferred to the normal ward.”
“Is that true? Great! I’ll head to the hospital now.”
With that, she rolled out of bed and shook off the exhaustion. After hanging up, she noticed that Eustace had dressed himself. When she approached, he asked, “I thought you said you were going to the hospital. Let’s go, shall we? It
“It’s late. Are you going too?” Danika knew Eustace was much busier than her. He really didn’t have to join her.
However, he didn’t take that into consideration as he got up. “Zack is your brother, so he’s mine too. Of course, I have to visit my brother when he’s in the hospital.”
Heh, Eustace was inviting himself. Danika didn’t bother to argue with him, and they went to the hospital together after she changed her clothes.
Gilbert likely informed Janet, or maybe Zack forced him to do so. When Danika and Eustace arrived, they found Janet in Zack’s room. She had arrived sooner than them.
“Zack.” Danika went up to him, tears forming in her eyes when she saw his pallor.
Zack didn’t think much of his condition. A smile spread across his pale face. “Danika, don’t worry. I’m fine. I am hardy, don’t you know? Nothing’s going to happen to me.”
“You’re still stubborn even when lying in bed like this.” She glared at him. He survived the ordeal this time out of sheer luck. If he were unlucky, no one could have imagined how he might end up.
Zack smiled without care. “I was indeed too careless this time. Sorry for making you worry. But don’t fret—I promise there won’t be a next time.
Once I’m discharged, I’ll train hard to take on ten men at once!” He never once mentioned Janet, as though by not mentioning her, no one would know her involvement in the incident. He seemed worried that people might perceive her differently after learning about the actual events.
It’s Useless
Everyone knew what Zack was up to.No one called him out or said a thing, saving for a slight snort from Gilbert.
Still, Janet felt bad about the incident, especially when she saw how Zack was protecting her in front of everyone.But what else could she do for him? Not only was she helpless, but she might also cause more trouble for him.She hated herself for being incompetent.
“I’ve arrested the man who stabbed you.He’s not the main problem, but he’s backed by the Britts.”
As Gilbert spoke, he turned to Danika.He believed the man’s connection to the Britts complicated the situation more than they had expected.
The man was the club owner on papers, but he was financially backed by the Britts, hence the impudence.
Although Gilbert was doing well in Bardoff City, he was far from being as influential as the Ten Elites.
Therefore, he’d need Danika’s help with this.
Zack felt frustrated because he knew he couldn’t take down the Britts.
At the same time, he didn’t want to trouble Danika.
“If he’s the one who stabbed me, we should send him to prison.”
As long as whoever was backing the man didn’t bail him out, Zack had no plan to drag on the matter.He didn’t have the capability to do so anyway.
Knowing what was in her brothers’ minds, Danika held a different opinion.
“Zack, just focus on your recovery.You don’t have to worry about other stuff.I’ll take care of it.”
“Danika…”
“Listen to me.I will take care of it,” she cut him off with a laugh.She knew Zack was worried about her safety, but she didn’t fear the Britts, not in their current state.She had given Brandon Britt a stern warning after the drama involving Yvonne.
Although Yvonne had disappeared from Bardoff City, it didn’t stop Danika from holding a grudge against the Britt family.
Now that Brandon Britt had once again gotten on her wrong side, it would be a pity not to do something about it.
Moreover, the Zellwegers and the Quinceys needed to expand their businesses within the confines of Bardoff City’s limited economic pie, and to do so, they would need to acquire the businesses of their rivals.
Through exchanging glances, Danika and Eustace reached a pact.
They wanted to take everything owned by the Britt family.
Zack didn’t say more in the face of Danika’s determination.He had full trust in her capabilities.
“Sure.I’ll leave it to you, but don’t let them take advantage of you.”