Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
On the other side, Danika, Stephanie, and Jade sat together. Melanie had been sitting with Paul, yet he ignored her completely and treated her like she was air. Hence, after giving it some thought, she reluctantly came over to Danika’s side.
“Danika, after a long conversation with Leonard last night, we decided to have our wedding on a beautiful island,” Stephanie announced.
Finding their choice interesting, Danika chirped, “That’s wonderful! Now that’s going to be a unique wedding. I’m sure your wedding will be totally unforgettable.”
“Don’t forget to invite me by then,” Jade said. She’d never attended a wedding on an island before.
Stephanie nodded, and as she was about to reassure Jade it wouldn’t be a problem, Melanie requested meekly, “Count me in. I would like to attend your wedding too.” As soon as those words left her mouth, everyone turned to look at her. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she continued, “I just want to witness your happiness, Stephanie.”
Of course, her main intention was to bring Paul along so that he could witness Stephanie and Leonard’s wedding firsthand. Melanie was hoping that he wouldn’t keep fantasizing about getting back together with Stephanie after that.
“You’re welcome to join my wedding, of course,” Stephanie replied.
Although they weren’t close to Melanie, she didn’t dislike her. In addition, she knew that Melanie was having a tough time connecting with Paul emotionally, so she wanted to help her.
While the women were chatting, Gilbert finished his drink and got up to join Paul.
Paul frowned as he saw Gilbert sitting next to him. “Do you need something?”
Personally, Paul thought that they had no common topics to talk about. Even though Marigold had accepted Gilbert’s money and didn’t plan to hold him responsible for their child, that didn’t mean Paul would let it go as she did.
“Have you seen Marigold recently?” Gilbert asked.
Paul laughed in response upon hearing that. “Be honest with me, Gilbert. What do you really want to say? Why are you suddenly showing concern for Marigold? What are you up to?’
“You’re reading too much into it. I’m just reminding you to visit her. She didn’t seem to be doing well when I happened to run into her the other day, ” Gilbert said, sipping his beer. He wasn’t someone who enjoyed meddling with other people’s affairs.
Paul downed the beer in his cup and said mockingly with a sneer, “Why do you care, hmm? It’s all because of you that she’s like this now, Gilbert. Stop pretending that you care.” Paul didn’t show restraint in his choice of words when talking to Gilbert.
“I’m just going out of my way to remind you to check on her. After all, she’s still a Wagner. Are you going to sit back and do nothing?’
Gilbert felt that he was being wrongfully blamed. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around how Marigold’s current situation had anything to do with him. Even if the child was biologically his, it wasn’t like he consented to Marigold getting pregnant with his child in the first place. In light of this, how could he be blamed?
However, he felt that there was no point in explaining anything. “Whatever, she’s Paul’s sister. This has nothing to do with me,” he thought with a shrug. And so, he got up and left. Since the conversation with Paul was meaningless, there was no need to continue.
After everyone had lunch at Danika and Eustace’s marital home, one by one, they started leaving. All of them had their matters to attend to, and life still had to go on. They would probably be unable to gather again like today for a very longtime.
Now that Danika had gotten married, Stephanie and Leonard, as well as Zack and Janet, were planning their respective marriages too. Both couples had intended to tie the knot but decided to wait until Danika’s wedding was done first. As the dust had settled for Danika’s wedding, they naturally didn’t want to waste any more time and drag things out.
As their wedding celebrations came to an end, Danika and Eustace accompanied Old Mr. Quincey and David to the airport.
“Grandpa, Eustace and I will come visit you soon,” Danika said to Old Mr. Quincey. Then, she looked at David and said, “Uncle David, thank you for coming.”
Although he was the only one who came, Danika was grateful enough for his presence. To Danika, his presence there was equivalent to her late adoptive grandfather, Horace, being there too. In a way, David represented the Wilkins family. She believed that her grandfather was watching over her in heaven.
“Danika, I’m sure you’ll live a happy life, so I won’t need to worry about you anymore. But if anyone dares to bully you in the future, remember to tell me. I may not have much, but I’m strong.” Worse came to worst, he could beat up Eustace if he ever made Danika suffer in any way.
Hearing that, Danika’s eyes reddened with tears, and she nodded with a smile. “Don’t worry, Uncle David. I’ll definitely ask for your help if someone dares to bully me.”
After saying their goodbyes to Eustace and Danika, Old Mr. Quincey and David walked into the airport together. Since they were both returning to Parrington, Danika arranged for them to be on the same flight to keep each other company.
Watching their retreating figures, Danika had a somewhat ambivalent feeling; she even felt a little melancholic. Eustace pulled her into his arms, comforting her, “Hey, it’s okay. If you miss them, we can visit them anytime. 鈻?/p>
“Yeah, I know.” Danika nodded.
After their plane took off, Danika and Eustace left the airport. They would go back to work for a few days and get their ducks in a row before leaving for their honeymoon. They’d decided on it before they got married. Time was racing; they had to get their work affairs in order as quickly as they could.
As soon as Danika arrived at the hospital, she received a package. She was flabbergasted upon opening it. The package had come from overseas; it contained a diamond and a letter.
The letter read,
“Hi Danika, I heard that you and Eustace got married. I’m sorry I couldn’t attend your wedding. Well, you wouldn’t want me there either, so I didn’t come. I don’t know if you’ve forgiven me. I don’t dare to hope for your forgiveness, but that doesn’t matter. I won’t disturb your life in any way in the future.
I hope Eustace treats you well. If he doesn’t take good care of you, I’ll come and teach him a lesson, even if you’ll hate me for it.
Danika, I wish you all the happiness in the world.”
By then, Danika knew who the sender was. Looking at the contents of the letter, Danika felt a complicated mix of emotions.
If it hadn’t been for all the unforgivable things he’d done before, she would have been thrilled for Evan to come and witness her happiness.
Unfortunately, there was no way to turn back time and undo all the harm that was already done.
Three days later, Danika and Eustace boarded the plane for their honeymoon. The first destination they’d chosen was Xeridia because many great legends about love originated from that country. Even though they might not necessarily be true, Danika and Eustace still wanted to go and see it for themselves.
At the same time, Graham and Lynette started their tour around the world as well. They decided not to travel with Danika and Eustace, as they also preferred to have private time with each other and no one else to make up for all their years apart.
However, fate had a funny way of arranging chance encounters when one least expected them. At their first stop, Graham and Lynette coincidentally ran into an old acquaintance that neither of them was particularly fond of.
Their first stop was Harthor, a small country with picturesque scenery. At the moment, they were strolling on the streets and browsing the wares the vendors had to offer. To be more exact, Graham was accompanying Lynette to shop around. Women, whether young or old, were generally unable to resist the temptation of acquiring items that were pleasing to their eyes. Shopping had always been something the fairer sex was enthusiastic about.
‘What do you think of this one?” Lynette went into the fitting room and changed into a new set of clothes. Currently, she was standing in front of Graham and seeking his opinion.
Graham looked up and nodded in appreciation. “It looks very beautiful on you.”
Lynette rolled her eyes at him. She’d tried many different outfits, and he’d yet to say she didn’t look good in any of them. “Alright, let’s go with this one and check out the shop next door.”
Swiftly, the salesperson packed the outfit Lynette wanted into a bag. Graham carried all the shopping bags for Lynette as they made their way into the next store that sold bags.
‘Welcome.’ The salesperson instinctively bowed and greeted them. But when she looked up and saw the person standing before her, she froze in shock. Right then, she wished the ground would give way and swallow her whole to spare her from embarrassment.
‘Rowena?” Graham furrowed his brows and called out her name. He was surprised to see her there and couldn’t quite come to terms with the fact that she was working as a salesperson in a store.
When they divorced, he’d given her a huge sum of money. That money should be enough for her to spend for the rest of her life!
Rowena’s expression became strained and awkward, and her gaze constantly wandered between Graham and Lynette. After some time, she spoke up, “Rowena? You must have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Lucy.”
‘It’s definitely you, Rowena! You’re not fooling anyone,” Graham exclaimed internally and was about to say what he thought out loud.
However, Lynette quickly interrupted him by saying, “Apologies, Miss. We mistook you for someone we know.”
Afterward, she hastily led Graham away, feeling quite awkward about the whole encounter.
As they left, Rowena breathed a sigh of relief. Comparing the luxurious outfit Lynette wore to her own shabby and unrefined appearance, she felt a twinge of bitterness. She thought that if Graham had loved her even a tiny bit, she wouldn’t have fallen from grace and ended up in such a miserable state.
The money Graham gave her during the divorce had long been swindled away by a con man. Therefore, she could only resort to working in order to make ends meet now. Needless to say, she was leading a tougher life here than when she was in Clusia.
Yet, she never considered returning home, even though her daughter, Jolene, was still there. Going back was never an option for her.
On the one hand, she didn’t want to be mocked by others upon returning to the country with her tail between her legs. On the other hand, if she returned with her current situation, it would cause Jolene to be looked down upon as well.
Since she’d chosen her current path, there was no turning back, no matter what kind of adversity she faced. She made her bed, so now, she had to lie in it. While she was lost in thought, another customer entered the store. She hurriedly bowed again and said, “Welcome.”
Meanwhile, Lynette had dragged Graham off to another store, and Graham still hadn’t picked up on the cues. “Nettie, I’m absolutely sure that was Rowena. Why did you-“
“Think of it, Graham. For someone as proud as her to stoop to such a state …Do you think she wishes for others to recognize her?” As a woman herself, Lynette could gauge this much. That was why she steered Graham away so that Rowena could retain a tiny bit of dignity.
Lynette’s reminder gave Graham an “Aha!” moment. “You’re right. I’m just curious how she ended up like this. Even though I wasn’t particularly happy with her demands during the divorce, I didn’t mistreat her in any way.”
“Who knows? A person’s fate is predestined sometimes.” Lynette didn’t want to delve into the matter, and she didn’t want Graham to delve into it either. After all, Rowena was his ex-wife. She would be a saint if she said she couldn’t care less that Graham showed more concern than necessary for Rowena.
Even if she minded, she wouldn’t find fault with Graham because of this.
After all, she was no longer a naive and willful young girl in her twenties anymore.
“Is there anything else you would like to buy?” In the next second, Graham had Rowena out of his mind and continued shopping with Lynette.
Compared to the unexpected encounter Graham and Lynette had on their side, Danika and Eustace had a relatively peaceful time. After landing in Xeridia, they decided to stay at a hotel by the sea. They had a great view of the ocean by simply looking out of their window, which put them in a rather refreshing mood.
At this moment, they’d just gotten up from bed after an intense round of lovemaking. Perhaps it was because they’d left work and other worries behind on this vacation, which was rare for them, Danika and Eustace were in high spirits.
“Shall we go out for a walk?” Eustace asked as he hugged Danika from behind.
Glancing at the nearby beach, Danika nodded. “Okay.”
With that, the two of them walked out of their hotel and made their way toward the beach.
Sunlight shone upon them, casting long shadows in the sand. The setting sun further added to the romanticism of the scene and made it all the more beautiful.
Holding hands, husband and wife strolled along the beach leisurely.
Suddenly, a group of children ran up to them. They were holding some roses in their hands and spoke in broken Elderonian, “Hello, sir. A rose? For lady?”
Eustace turned to look at Danika, but she averted her gaze. She didn’t give any indication as to whether she wanted the roses or not. It was up to Eustace to decide.
He chuckled lightly and accepted the rose a young boy handed to him.” Sure.”
Upon seeing that he was agreeable, the children all started promoting the roses they had in their hands. Not long after that, the children dispersed, and Eustace was left holding a large bouquet of roses.
Danika was amused and felt a little helpless at Eustace’s generosity. “You’re such a benevolent man, Mr. Quincey.”
Although she did want one, she never expected Eustace to buy all the roses in one go. She thought he’d performed an unnecessary act of generosity-he could have just bought one rose instead of all of them.
In response to that, Eustace laughed sheepishly and replied with a straight face, “Well, I think one rose isn’t as pretty as a bouquet of roses. Look at this. What do you think?”
“I think…” Danika looked at the bouquet of roses and reached out to take it from Eustace. “You’re right. It does look more beautiful like this.”
Upon hearing that, Eustace smiled.