Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
She didn’t say there was no need to apologize, but rather that she forgave her.
Marigold looked up, met Danika’s gaze, and confirmed she’d been truly forgiven. At that moment, the heavy boulder that had been pressing on her heart was finally lifted. She could finally see Danika for who she was and recognize her benevolence.
‘Let’s go. We still have to register for your baby’s Social Security number,” Danika said.
After getting into Danika’s car, Marigold said, “His name is Caleb Hawthorn, and his nickname is Cal.”
Danika paused for a moment and then grinned. ‘Cal? That’s quite nice.”
‘Yes.” Marigold also thought it had a good ring.
With Danika’s help, the Social Security registration for little Caleb was swiftly taken care of. When they arrived at Gilbert’s villa, Danika asked, ‘ What about holding a naming ceremony for the baby? Things like these won’t cross Gilbert’s mind. As his mother, you should make these plans yourself.”
‘I-I wasn’t planning to do anything.’ Marigold bit her lip, feeling somewhat contrite after saying it out loud.
Danika frowned. ‘Why not?”
Marigold didn’t say anything, but Danika quickly realized her concern and felt indignant. “Even though you’re not married to Gilbert, what does that have anything to do with the child? You shouldn’t hesitate to give him anything he deserves, do you understand?”
‘Danika…”
‘The naming ceremony must be held, and it must be grand! Everyone must know that Cal is your child with Gilbert. Even if you’re not married, he’s still your child and deserves all the love and adoration,”
Danika said in a serious tone.
She didn’t think not being married was a valid reason for Marigold not to hold the naming ceremony. If they could skip such a meaningful event this time because they weren’t married, what about next time? Would they deny what the child deserved again because they were unmarried? If the child was bullied in the future, would they have to cower and be unable to fend for themselves because their parents weren’t legally wedded?
Although Horace took care of Danika when she was young, some classmates still teased her for not having parents. She was young then and didn’t understand things well, but she was particularly sensitive to such matters.
If Horace hadn’t comforted her later and explained things to her patiently, she might have gone astray.
Therefore, she didn’t want Cal to go through the same thing. She wanted everyone, including Marigold and Gilbert, to acknowledge that he was their child, and regardless of whether his parents were married or not, he would receive all the love and care he deserved.
Gilbert and Marigold (8)
When night fell, Marigold was sitting on the sofa in the living room. She was normally already asleep at this hour, but today, she didn’t feel the least bit drowsy. The words Danika had said to her in the afternoon kept replaying in her head, and she began to reflect on herself. Perhaps she’d been wrong. Was her child destined to be inferior to others just because his parents didn’t get married? Danika had reminded her of an important point.
While being lost in her thoughts, she heard the sound of a car outside.
Gilbert was home. Soon, the living room door was opened, and in came Gilbert. After turning on the lights, he spotted Marigold sitting on the sofa. Feeling puzzled, he asked, “It’s late. Why are you still awake?”
“I have something to discuss with you.” Marigold looked at him resolutely- she’d finally made a decision.
Gilbert didn’t hurry to sit down and listen attentively. Instead, he leisurely put his bag aside, walked over, and grabbed a glass of water. Only then did he ask, “What is it?”
Marigold gestured for him to come and sit down. Gilbert walked over and took a seat across from her. Immediately, Marigold handed him a Social Security card. “The child’s name has been decided, and the Social Security registration is done.”
Gilbert didn’t look at it. Instead, he responded with a perfunctory “okay” without much reaction. Marigold couldn’t gauge what he was thinking.
Nevertheless, she persisted and shoved the card before him. “Don’t you want to take a look?”
She held the card right in front of him, so even if he was genuinely uninterested, he had no choice but to reach out and take it from her. When he saw the name “Caleb Hawthorn,” his hand jolted a little involuntarily. Hawthorn…Was the child really taking his surname?
‘Why didn’t you let him have your surname?” Gilbert handed the Social Security card back to Marigold. Although he appeared unaffected on the surface, his heart was actually beating rapidly.
‘I think Hawthorn sounds nicer. Don’t you think Caleb Hawthorn sounds much better than Caleb Wagner?” Marigold asked with a smile. Gilbert looked at her and remained silent for a long time. Putting the Social Security card aside, Marigold continued, “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about organizing a naming ceremony for Cal.”
‘A naming ceremony? Didn’t we agree not to hold one?” Gilbert furrowed his brow. He was more inclined toward not having one.
“After thinking about it for some time, I realized that even though we’re not married, this has nothing to do with our child. Since such celebrations are commonly held for other children, shouldn’t we organize one for him too?” After all, Gilbert was her child’s father. Although she’d already decided on having the celebratory ceremony, she felt it was still necessary to inform him. However, regardless of whether he agreed, Marigold would still organize it for their child.
Gilbert kept quiet as he was genuinely pondering Marigold’s words. The child was his, too, so of course, he wanted the best for his child and didn’t want him to lose out on anything compared to his peers. He believed that his child should be showered with love from the moment he was born.
‘Alright. I’ll go with your decision,” he finally agreed. Just as Marigold had said, if other children had such a ceremony held for them, their child should have one too. Upon hearing his agreement, the corners of Marigold’s lips lifted upward.
‘Okay, then I’ll start making arrangements for Cal’s naming ceremony. It will be lively and festive for sure!”
“No need. I’ll have someone take care of it. You should rest more,” Gilbert stated, concerned about Marigold’s health. He didn’t want her to personally handle the preparations and tire herself out.
Marigold pursed her lips and disagreed with him. “Cal is my son, so it’s only natural for me to take care of the arrangements-“
‘He won’t just have a naming ceremony. There will also be birthday parties and other even more significant events like his graduation, first job, marriage…There will be many other opportunities in his life for us to hold celebrations,” he elaborated, suggesting that she shouldn’t exhaust herself over just one celebration and end up compromising her health.
Gilbert and Marigold (9)
‘Okay.” Marigold nodded in agreement. She knew Gilbert was right. She would have many other chances to personally organize such events for her child in the future. But if she were to succumb to illness, she wouldn’t be able to witness their child’s growth.
Seeing that she no longer insisted, Gilbert felt relieved and got up. Then, he walked toward the kitchen. “Do you want some pasta?”
Marigold was rendered speechless, not quite comprehending his sudden unrelated question.
A little over ten minutes later, Marigold looked at the plate of pasta in front of her, lost in thought.
‘Do you skip dinner every day?” She couldn’t help but ask. If Gilbert had indeed waited until this late to eat on a daily basis, it was very unhealthy for his body.
Gilbert continued eating his pasta without noticing the flicker of concern in Marigold’s eyes. “I’m way too busy with work at the company.*
If Marigold hadn’t said she was hungry the previous night, he wouldn’t have eaten dinner at all. As for tonight…Perhaps it was because he was reminded of last night that he proactively asked about dinner.
‘You can’t neglect your meals just because you’re busy. Your body won’t hold up if you don’t take care of yourself,” Marigold nagged, sounding displeased. “You’re not a bachelor anymore; you need to take care of your health.’
‘Hmm?” Gilbert paused in action, not quite understanding the meaning behind Marigold’s words.
With her ears turned slightly red, Marigold hastily averted her gaze. *What I mean is, now that you’re a father, you should consider your child even if you don’t care about your own wellbeing.”
‘Oh, I see.” With that, Gilbert casually brushed off her concern earlier.
Upon hearing his response, Marigold knew he hadn’t really taken her words to heart. She felt helpless but also realized she had no right to dictate what he should do. There was a tinge of bitterness in her heart as she thought of that.
Sometimes, having the right to care for a loved one was a privilege.
After chowing down their pasta, they each returned to their rooms. Gilbert took a shower and lay on the bed, constantly thinking of the child’s name.
Caleb Hawthorn…
Did this mean that he had actual family from henceforth? Another living family member who shared a blood connection with him and had his last name.
Gilbert couldn’t quite describe his feelings at the moment. It was a mix of emotions, but for the most part, he felt glad that he wasn’t alone anymore. It was a marvelous feeling.
In the next room, Marigold lay in bed but had difficulty falling asleep. As soon as she returned to her room, she received a phone call from Paul.
“Paul,” Marigold greeted as she answered the call.
‘How long do you plan to stay at Gilbert’s place? What exactly is your relationship with him? Aren’t you afraid of people mocking you for living with another man without a proper status?* Paul didn’t mince his words. He’d never been fond of Gilbert.
Before this, Gilbert had refused outrightly to take any responsibility for Marigold no matter what. Now, he was willing to let her stay at his villa. Paul genuinely had no idea what Gilbert was thinking, so as a result, he had a very poor impression of him.
Marigold could tell Paul wasn’t happy about her situation, but she insisted,’ I’m fine here. You don’t have to worry.”
‘Fine? How are you fine? Who are you to him? Has he given you a legitimate status to stay with him?” Paul was furious.
‘I’m not concerned about those things,” Marigold replied.
Paul was on the verge of bursting an artery at this point. “You’re devaluing yourself!”
The Wagner family had become one of the Ten Elites of Bardoff City. As a daughter of the Wagners, Marigold deserved a man way more superior than Gilbert. But what did she do? Not only did she show no intention of distancing herself from Gilbert, but she even chose to live with him without any official status or recognition.
‘Paul, I’m just an ordinary person. I’m not part of the high society,” Marigold said. No matter how well the Wagner family developed, it had nothing to do with her. She’d never revealed that she was connected to the Wagner family to anyone else.
“You’re the eldest daughter of the Wagner family-‘
*The Wagner family has many daughters. Someone would gladly fill that spot in my place,* she said with a hint of mockery.
Her father might not be good at many things, but he was extremely good at producing children. As a result, numerous descendants fought for control within the family. If it weren’t for Paul’s exceptional abilities, who knew what the Wagner family would be like today?
Gilbert and Marigold (10)
‘Marigold!” Paul bellowed angrily. “Didn’t you desperately want to be the distinguished young lady of an affluent family before? Now, you could no longer care less because of Gilbert. Is that it?”
Before Marigold met Gilbert, what she wanted the most was to gain the recognition of every single one of the Wagners and be acknowledged as the eldest daughter of the Wagner family.
However, things were different now. After Gilbert came into her life, everything she’d feverishly chased after in the past lost its meaning and value. Right now, Paul found this change hard to accept.
‘He’s not the cause, Paul. I’ve merely changed my perspective,” Marigold said with a bitter smile. She no longer needed affirmation from the
Wagners. Before Paul could speak, she continued, “I used to hope for the approval of the other members of the family. I cared so much that I ended up driving myself into a corner. I tried hard to prove myself just like you. But in the end, what did I gain?”
Aftercareful consideration, she realized she hadn’t gained anything over the years. Before her father died, he never looked at her with a hint of recognition or fondness. After his death, things weren’t much better, as no one else in the family acknowledged her status.
She didn’t suffer much at the hands of the other Wagners simply because Paul took control of the family. He was her half-brother and had a pretty good relationship with her. Because of that, the other Wagners refrained from picking on her so as not to cross Paul.
Having been at death’s door and being granted a second chance at life, status and title no longer mattered to her-they were superficial and meaningless.
So what if the Wagner family acknowledged her? And so what if she was the young lady of the Wagner family? Would it make her happier?
The answer was no.
Hence, she changed her perspective.