Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion >>
“Don’t worry about it. It’s the hospital’s decision. And you’re a capable candidate for the program,” Dr. Scott assured her.
She finally agreed to it after some deliberation. “Okay, I’ll go. But let’s make it clear that I’m only there for the CSR program. I hope the director does not show me excessive favor when I’m back.”
“Dr. Zellweger…”
“Dr. Scott, I understand your good intentions. But I’m young and have plenty of opportunities ahead of me. Some colleagues deserved the promotion more than I do,” she explained. She didn’t care much about work titles and wouldn’t want to take away opportunities that belonged to others.
In the face of her stubbornness, Dr. Scott gave up. “Okay, I understood.”
With that, Danika accepted the three-month rural work slated to start tomorrow at a rural town in a district far from Claymond City. Because of the arrangement, she left work early to pack her belongings, check out the directions, and gather more information about her new workplace. She couldn’t show up empty- handed.
Her phone buzzed right when she arrived in her neighborhood. She was surprised to see a call from Old Mr. Quincey.
“Grandpa.” She picked up the call.
“Danika! You haven’t visited me in a long time. Why so? Do you not see me as your grandpa after the divorce?” Old Mr. Quincey’s gruff and tired voice made her feel bad.
“Grandpa, what are you talking about? I was a little busy lately and didn’t have the time to visit,” she replied with a smile.
He chuckled and asked, “Are you still busy? Join me for dinner at the Old Mansion. I missed you a lot.”
She deliberated before agreeing, “Sure. I’ll be there soon.”
“Great! I’ll tell the kitchen to get your favorite dishes ready.” With that, Old Mr. Quincey ended the call. Danika hailed a cab to head to the Old Mansion. Old Mr. Quincey had always been nice to her. Since she would be gone for three months, she decided to break the news in person just to keep him updated.
Soon, her cab arrived at the mansion’s doorstep. After paying the fare, she heard the sound of a car arriving when she was about to enter. She turned around and spotted Eustace’s car. Frowning at the sight of him getting out of the car, she looked more disturbed when she noticed Yvonne coming with him.
“Miss Zellweger! What a coincidence! Are you here for dinner with grandpa?” Yvonne walked up to Eustace with a smile. At first glance, they appeared intimate.
Yvonne went on without letting Danika get a word in. “Eustace brought me home to have dinner with Grandpa because we’re going to be family soon and will be getting in touch more often. Do you agree?”
“Miss Dickman, you have asked the wrong person. I’m not interested in the fact that you’re family.” Danika rolled her eyes at Yvonne and went into the living room, ignoring the two. She didn’t say a word to Eustace or acknowledge him, as though he did not exist.
“Eustace…”
“Can’t you shut up?” He looked at Yvonne and admonished her with a cold voice. Currently, he was in a foul mood, especially when he saw Danika’s indifferent attitude. He almost ran to her and grabbed her, asking what else he could do to matter to her.
Yvonne felt the iciness from his attitude, sending her trembling from head to toe. She understood that, despite the rumors, Eustace had never promised to marry her. Although he had not objected to the idea, his vague response worried her, as she felt he would not forgive her.
Old Mr. Quincey immediately beamed when Danika appeared in the living room. “You’re here!” he said.” You’re early today.”
“Yeah. I was off work early today.” She went up and sat beside him.
He had wanted to chat, but his face fell when he spotted Eustace and Yvonne entering the house. He scoffed and said to Eustace, “Why did you bring her home? Is it to anger me?”
“She wanted to meet you, so I brought her home.” Eustace wanted to clear the air by indirectly telling Danika that it was Yvonne who wanted to come to the Old Mansion. But Danika didn’t care about the explanation as she sipped on the tea that Warren prepared for her.
Sensing the hostility from Old Mr. Quincey’s gaze, Yvonne bit the bullet and said, “Grandpa, you watched me grow up. I am Eustace’s childhood friend. Are you unhappy with me in any way?”
She was confused by Old Mr. Quincey’s change in attitude because the old man once favored her. However, he seemed unhappy when she was about to marry into the Quincey Family.
“Hmph! You were like a granddaughter to me once. That’s why I was good to you. But now? Who do you think you are? How dare you plot against my grandson? Did you think you could marry into the family with those dirty tricks? Dream on!” Old Mr. Quincey was direct and harsh without caring for Yvonne’s feelings.
Yvonne was ashen after the scolding and was at a loss for words. She hadn’t anticipated Old Mr. Quincey’s animosity before visiting the Old Mansion. Considering her relationship with him in the past, she hoped to receive his approval, but it all went south.
Old Mr. Quincey did not let her interject. He declared, “The only granddaughter-in-law I’d approve of is Danika. No one else should dream of getting my approval and marrying into this family!”
Whatever plans Eustace was brewing, Old Mr. Quincey decided to be upfront from the start. It’d be great if Yvonne could bow out after learning she wasn’t welcomed, but if she didn’t, he wouldn’t hesitate to take further action.
Danika, who had been sipping on her tea, was involuntarily dragged into the middle of the fight. She could sense the hatred in Yvonne’s eyes. At first, she wanted to clarify, but she decided to stay quiet because there was no point in explaining just to make Yvonne feel better. Instead, she smiled at Yvonne, and that successfully fanned the fire.
Since Old Mr. Quincey was around, Yvonne had to suppress her rage, a delightful sight for Danika.
Meanwhile, Eustace was staring at Danika again. He snapped back to reality when Yvonne tugged at his sleeve and stared at him with a pitiful expression.
“Let’s have dinner. We can talk after that,” he suggested.
The dinner was uncomfortable for Danika. She had to watch as Yvonne fed Eustace across from her and whispered sweet nothings. At one point, she regretted accepting Old Mr. Quincey’s invitation.
She also noted Eustace’s ambivalence toward Yvonne-he did not respond to her, but neither did he turn down her advances. That was typical jerk behavior.
When she was silently badmouthing Eustace, the two suddenly locked eyes. Feeling caught, she hurriedly looked away and pretended that nothing had happened.
Old Mr. Quincey was unconcerned by the odd atmosphere surrounding the dinner table and turned to Danika. “Danika, are you free tomorrow? Want to go hiking with me?”