Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
‘I don’t care about those things anymore, and I hope you can gradually let go, too,” she said. She knew that Paul’s condition wasn’t any better than hers all these years. In fact, he had to shoulder more responsibilities and face more pressure.
Although he seemed to be calling the shots now, Marigold knew he wasn’t truly happy. Stephanie’s getting married to someone else played a part, but most of his misery stemmed from his inability to live a happy life.
“Gilbert has put you under a spell!” After Paul barked that into the phone, he hung up, not intending to continue their conversation. His mind was in utter chaos.
Marigold put away her phone and didn’t think much of it. Since she’d decided to give up her identity as a Wagner, she could care less about the Wagner family and Paul. She just wanted to live her own life now.
The news of Gilbert organizing a naming ceremony for the child quickly spread. Unsurprisingly, Danika was delighted. She felt that everything was progressing positively, and Gilbert seemed to have grown accustomed to Marigold and the child’s presence in his villa.
At this rate, she should receive good news soon.
The naming ceremony was scheduled for the weekend, exactly one month after the child’s birth.
On that day, Gilbert was busy making preparations for the celebration.
Although he delegated some tasks to other people, he wasn’t entirely at ease and constantly wanted to ensure everything was prepared to the best of his ability.
‘Mr. Hawthorn, should we invite the Wagner family?’ Gilbert’s assistant, Greg Moore, asked cautiously. He knew about Marigold’s identity and was aware of the Wagner family’s current affairs. Therefore, he didn’t want to be presumptuous and make decisions without Gilbert’s approval.
Gilbert furrowed his brow slightly, thinking about it for a moment. Then, he instructed, “Send an invitation to Paul. As for the rest of the Wagners, I don’t see the need to invite them.”
Although Marigold was part of the Wagner family, Gilbert could tell she didn’t have much affection for the other members. In that case, he couldn’t possibly invite them and cause her to feel troubled by their presence.
“Understood.” Greg nodded in agreement.
After deciding whom to invite, Gilbert discussed where to hold the naming ceremony with Greg.
To be honest, it was an insignificant matter, and under normal circumstances, Gilbert wouldn’t invest so much energy into it. But this time, his approach seemed to be contrary to his normal style of handling things.
Greg couldn’t help but think that the child’s arrival was actually a good thing for Gilbert. It seemed that he had gained some enthusiasm and vigor in life.
Gilbert and Marigold (11)
Greg came out of Gilbert’s office, and the other secretaries at the door looked at him, eager for gossip. “When does Mr. Hawthorn plan to marry Miss Wagner?”
‘How would I know?” Greg responded with annoyance, glaring at them. It wasn’t something that they should carelessly ask about without a thought.
Besides, they were busy with the naming ceremony now. How did marriage suddenly come into the picture?
‘If they don’t get married, people will definitely gossip about their child in the future,” one of the secretaries remarked.
Others agreed and added their two cents, “Yeah, it’s better for the child’s growth to have both parents around.”
Everyone knew about this, but no one dared to mention it in front of Gilbert.
‘Go on, all of you. Get back to work. This is Mr. Hawthorn’s private matter. It’s not right for us to comment on it casually.” Greg waved them off, signaling for them to focus on their tasks at hand.
The secretaries stopped gathering around to chatter, but surely, they would continue to discuss it privately. Greg would be powerless to stop the rumor mill from churning if it went on in private. After all, he couldn’t dictate what others talked about among themselves. Other than that, he didn’t know Gilbert thought of the whole thing as well.
In fact, Gilbert didn’t think much about it. When it came to allowing Marigold to live in his villa or organizing the naming ceremony for the child, he didn’t delve too deeply into his motivations for doing either. He just felt that they were simply things that should be done, or to be more exact, doing these things didn’t affect him much.
He hadn’t really given any thought to his feelings. He still had no special feelings for Marigold, and living together didn’t suddenly make him develop feelings for her either. But if one were to insist that there wasn’t any change at all, that was obviously impossible.
At the very least, he didn’t dislike Marigold as intensely as he did before. It could even be said that he’d loathed Marigold in the past, especially when she schemed against him. Although they later resolved the issue of Marigold’s pregnancy with money, he still couldn’t bring himself to like her after all she’d done.
Nevertheless, Marigold was unaware of all this at the moment.
During this period, she got along well with Gilbert, and he took good care of her. She’d already had feelings for him to begin with, so it was practically impossible for her to put a leash on her emotions and stop herself from falling for him. She’d even started fantasizing about a life with Gilbert; she began imagining and looking forward to them raising the child together.
‘The post-op recovery is going well, but you still need regular medical checkups. Also, don’t forget to take your medication,” Danika instructed after reading Marigold’s medical report, feeling relieved.
Marigold nodded obediently, not daring to object in the slightest. “I understand. I’ll make sure to take my medicine diligently and come for regular checkups.”
“Well, there shouldn’t be any complications with your health.” Danika put down the documents and smiled at her.
Marigold smiled back in response, but after hesitating for a moment, she couldn’t help but ask, “Danika, is there a possibility of a relapse in the future? 鈻?/p>
Danika’s expression froze; she was hoping that she could dodge the bullet and avoid answering this particular question.
‘ Don’t worry. You can tell me anything. I can handle it,” Marigold said with a nonchalant wave of her hand, appearing completely unfazed.
But Danika saw through her and knew that it was just a facade. “Although the surgery has removed all the cancer cells, there’s still a possibility of recurrence. That’s just how our bodies are-you never know when something might go wrong inside, so you must get examined regularly.” This way, even if there was a relapse, it could be treated promptly without it getting out of hand.
‘Okay, I understand.’ Marigold’s mood was somewhat affected. If there was a chance of relapse, that meant she might leave this beautiful world at any time. She didn’t want that. She hadn’t seen her child grow up yet, and she had yet to get together with Gilbert in earnest.
As if deducing what she was thinking, Danika quickly said, “Don’t fret too much. It’s also possible that there won’t be a relapse. Maintain a positive mindset and stick to a regular daily routine, okay?” ‘Yeah, I know.” She knew all that, but she couldn’t suppress her fear of death no matter how hard she tried.
Gilbert and Marigold (12)
Marigold’s body was trembling slightly, and Danika noticed it. She reached out and held her hand while asking, “Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine.” Marigold forced a smile, but she looked anything but fine at that moment.
“Don’t think too much. Isn’t the baby’s naming ceremony this weekend? I’ll accompany you to go shopping. We should get you some new clothes for such a wonderful occasion,” Danika suggested while getting up and taking off her white coat. She prepared to leave the hospital with Marigold.
Soon, they walked out of the hospital and stood by the roadside. A gust of wind blew over them, and only then did Marigold return to her senses and ask, “Huh? Shopping? Don’t you need to work?”
‘ Eustace is the major shareholder of this hospital.” In other words, Danika had absolute freedom over her working hours.
Of course, most of the time, she still went to work on time. After all, she had quite a number of patients who came to see her every day. But there were exceptions sometimes, like now.
Regardless of whether Marigold could ultimately end up with Gilbert, she’d given birth to Caleb. He was her nephew, and for that reason alone, Danika felt that she had to soothe Marigold’s unease and prevent her from overthinking.
‘You don’t have to trouble yourself. I’m fine, really. You should go back to work,” Marigold said. Ever since she fell ill, she’d completely lost interest in trivial things like buying clothes.
Danika didn’t give her a chance to refuse. She pulled Marigold along and got into a cab. ‘I know you don’t care much about your outward appearance, but you have to consider the child. Gilbert’s friends and family will be present on the day of the naming ceremony. I heard he even invited several business partners. Are you sure you would like them to see a gloomy mother?”
The relationship between Gilbert and Marigold was an open secret. The people attending the naming ceremony were aware of this and wouldn’t ask insensitive questions. Everyone knew that Marigold was the child’s mother, but she wasn’t anyone to Gilbert in any way at the moment. Nevertheless, they would still take the initiative to approach Marigold because no one could tell what might happen in the future. Perhaps they would end up together after all.
“Will there be so many people present? I thought he only invited you and a few others,” Marigold remarked, feeling a bit nervous at the thought of appearing in front of so many people. She hadn’t really dressed herself up all this time.
The car was already moving when Danika glanced at Marigold from the corner of her eye and said, “Yes, Gilbert is taking this naming ceremony very seriously. So, you need to dress yourself up nicely. For Cal, you know?”
‘Okay, I understand.” Marigold nodded meekly in agreement. At the mention of her child, she had no objections to anything.
The car soon arrived at the largest shopping mall in Bardoff City. Marigold wasn’t lacking money, so when Danika offered to pay, she refused and bought a few outfits for Danika in return instead. Danika accepted her goodwill gracefully.
Smiling at Marigold, she said, “Rest assured. In return for these outfits, I’ll help you.”
“Huh?” Marigold didn’t quite understand what she meant by that.
Help her? Help her with what?
“Are you sure you don’t have any feelings for Gilbert?’ Danika smirked.
Although Marigold hadn’t made her feelings for Gilbert obvious, Danika could tell she still liked him. Moreover, her love for him hadn’t diminished overtime. On the contrary, it had become more intense as they lived together.
Marigold didn’t expect Danika to bring it up. Her cheeks instantly burned red in response. “Don’t talk nonsense. Gilbert doesn’t think of me that way.” With that, she hurriedly entered the fitting room.
Danika shook her head helplessly. She thought Marigold needed to stop being shy and act boldly instead. She’d already created an opportunity for the two of them to be together every day. Danika was hoping that Marigold would take the initiative like before and eventually win Gilbert over.
But who could have foreseen that Marigold would undergo a drastic change in attitude? Not only was she not proactive anymore, but she’d also become shy and reserved.
Gilbert and Marigold (13)
Soon, Marigold emerged from the fitting room wearing a red cocktail dress. Due to her illness, her complexion hadn’t been great. The vibrant color of the dress somehow brought some color back to her skin, making her look less washed out.
‘How does it look?” Marigold asked cautiously. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn such a glaringly red dress.
‘It looks great. This is the one,” Danika commented with an appreciative nod.
“But…isn’t it too red?” Marigold wondered if wearing red might be too flashy for a baby’s naming ceremony.
Just as Danika was about to speak, someone beat her to it. “How funny. One would think you’re a hooker in that striking red dress.”
Hearing the voice, both Danika and Marigold turned their heads. Danika frowned as she didn’t recognize the person, but Marigold called out,” Eleanor!”
Eleanor Wagner was the second daughter of the Wagner family. If it weren’t for Marigold, she would have been the most prominent daughter of the Wagner family. Hence, she had always targeted her since their childhood. However, Marigold had never been afraid of her because she had Paul backing her up.
Eleanor was eager to step all over Marigold as she’d heard of the latter’s voluntary disassociation from the Wagners. On top of that, Marigold hadn’t returned to the Wagner residence for an extended period of time. So, she didn’t pose much of a threat to Eleanor at the moment.
“Aren’t you shameless? Giving birth out of wedlock is one thing, but moving into that man’s house without any status or name is unacceptable! You’re embarrassing not only yourself but also our family!’ After a slight pause, she added, “It’s no wonder Father didn’t like you. You’re truly disgusting.” Eleanor crossed her arms, proudly raising her chin as if speaking to someone inferior.
Marigold wasn’t one to back down. Although she didn’t want trouble, it didn’t mean she was a pushover. Staring at Eleanor for a moment, she sneered, “He did like you, but it’s a pity he didn’t take you away with him.”
‘ Marigold!” Eleanor was furious and raised her hand, intending to strike.
Danika, who had been observing the situation from the side, couldn’t just stand by. She stood up in a flash and grabbed Eleanor’s wrist. “How dare you raise your hand against my sister-in-law?”
With just one sentence, not only was Eleanor stunned into silence, but it also left Marigold frozen in place. She could care less about Eleanor stirring up trouble for her at the moment. Instead, she couldn’t help but focus on Danika’s choice of words.
“Your sister-in-law?”
Was that Danika’s own idea, or was it something Gilbert had said?
‘Has your brother married her? They aren’t even a couple for all I care!” Eleanor didn’t dare to lay a hand on Danika, but she wasn’t willing to give up either.
“So what if they’re not married? She’s one of us now. Do you think the likes of you can lay a hand on her?” Danika didn’t know who Eleanor was, but from this brief encounter, she disliked the woman very much.