Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion >>
“Weren’t you asleep?” He was surprised.
“Yeah.” She got down the car. Eustace followed behind her quickly, and she looked back at him. “Why are you following me?”
“I haven’t eaten yet.” He’d come to see her right after finishing work at Quincey Group. But then she had fallen asleep, so he had no choice but to wait for her in her office.
“Oh.” Danika was expressionless, as if she couldn’t care less.
Eustace was exasperated. “Is it alright if I make myself some ramen at your house? You wouldn’t be so stingy, would you?”
Danika said nothing as she stared at him for a while. She knew that the ramen was just an excuse. She would never agree to it before, but now, she found that she was too tired to argue with him. “Whatever. Don’t expect me to cook for you, though.” She didn’t cook, much less for anyone else.
Eustace felt pleased that she hadn’t refused. “Don’t worry. I can take care of it.”
They went into the elevator.
When they got to her house, a bag of groceries was hung on the door. “Who put this here?” Danika wondered aloud.
Eustace hurriedly took the bag. “I guessed there’d be no food in your house, so I bought some beforehand.”
Danika said nothing. She went straight to the sofa and lay down, feeling better instantly. “You can cook whatever you want. I’m going to rest for a bit.”
Eustace didn’t mind. He carried the bag of groceries to the kitchen and set to work.
Danika hadn’t woken up because of Eustace; she woke up because of the aroma wafting from the kitchen. She walked into the kitchen and saw Eustace making fried chicken, and a plate of fried sausages was laid on the table.
“Didn’t you say you were making ramen?” she asked, looking at him curiously.
His hands paused in the air for a bit. He smiled dryly. “These are the side dishes.”
“You have side dishes for ramen?” Danika was speechless. Ramen was supposed to be a quick dinner solution. However, she didn’t press it further. She knew what was going on, but didn’t have the heart to face it. “Is my share included?” she asked weakly, suddenly feeling a little guilty.
“What do you think?” Eustace raised an eyebrow, smirking. Why would he put in all this effort if this wasn’t for her as well? He was worried for her health. Why else would he be a cook when he was Mr. Quincey?
Danika smiled and walked over. “Is there anything that I can help with? I can’t cook, but I can wash things.”
“It’s alright. You can take the dishes out to the table. I’ll be done in a minute.” He didn’t want Danika to dirty her hands.
She nodded. “Alright.”
“Be careful. Don’t burn yourself,” Eustace said concernedly, he regretted letting her take the hot dishes.
“I’m not a child, Mr. Quincey. I’m not stupid.” She rolled her eyes and put the dishes out on the table. Nothing that Eustace had feared happened. She didn’t know what Eustace would think she was so stupid. He even warned her about the hot plates. Did she look stupid?
Eustace smiled, not minding her retort. “I’m worried about you. Isn’t that clear enough?”
“It’s so over the top,” Danika said.
Eustace had finished cooking the last dish, and he brought it out. “Let’s eat.”
They sat at the table, facing the four dishes. For some reason, Danika felt satisfied. She gave him a thumbs up. “This is amazing. They smell and look great. As expected of Mr. Quincey.”
“Do you like it?” Eustace smiled. “I’ll cook for you every day.”
“Well…you don’t have to.” The sun would be rising from the west if he did.
They ate in silence, and the living room grew quiet. Only the sounds of their eating could be heard.
A while later, Eustace spoke. “Don’t overwork yourself. You can’t get your body back if you ruin it.”
“You’re a worse workaholic.” Before they divorced, Danika would hear his grandfather lamenting how Eustace was at work every day and wouldn’t visit him. If they really were to talk about health, Danika thought Eustace was in far worse shape.
“You really just want to argue with me on everything, right?” Couldn’t she tell that he was just worried for her?
Danika pursed her lips and chose not to say anything else. Once she was done eating, she gathered up her utensils.
Eustace leaned against the doorframe to the kitchen. “I’ll cook, and you can do the dishes. How does that sound?” He thought they were like any other domestic couple, but Danika’s words shattered his dreams.
“I don’t like doing the dishes. Sorry,” she said.
Eustace looked at her grumpily. “Then, who cooked and cleaned in the village?”
“My grandfather cooked. And Gilbert…” At the mention of Gilbert, she trailed off.
Eustace saw how upset she was and walked to her side. “You don’t have to feel too guilty about it. You’re brilliant. It’s normal for someone to like you.”
“But he’s different,” she said.
“Maybe you think he is. But to me, Gilbert is just like any other guy on the planet.” Eustace looked at Danika and added, “That’s just how it works when it comes to feelings. It’s not like he can control them, either.”
Of course, he just wanted to comfort Danika. He wanted her to be happy, to stop overthinking things. As for Gilbert, Eustace still hated him. He didn’t want him to appear around Danika. But of course, only if Danika could be happy without him.
Danika understood Eustace’s words, but she still felt upset. “Maybe. I just can’t accept this so quickly.”
“Take your time. Just don’t take it too seriously,” Eustace said.
After they had done the dishes, Danika felt tired. She looked at Eustace, still in the living room, and asked, ” Aren’t you leaving?”
“It’s so late. Aren’t you going to let me stay the night?” he said, smiling.
“What do you think?” She raised her eyebrows and clenched her fists as if she’d strike any second.