Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion >>
“Who’d want to be with Eustace again?!” Danika thought furiously, glaring at Christopher.
Just then, Eustace and the woman entered the cafe. Danika turned away from them, indignant.
Unfortunately, Danika and Christopher were quickly spotted by Eustace in the small cafe. Eustace’s sour expression immediately turned gloomy. Danika wasn’t even going to look at him?
Christopher smirked, meeting Eustace’s gaze. He prodded Danika’s plate. “Eat your food. Channel that rage into your appetite.”
Danika didn’t respond. When she looked up, Eustace had already gone into a private booth in the cafe.
The anger in her chest boiled dangerously. She directed it to Christopher. “What are you, eight?”
“Maybe.” Christopher met her rage with a grin. He was delighted right now, more so than when Danika had said she’d go to Bardoff City with him. Sometimes, he wondered if he wanted to date Danika or if he just wanted to see Eustace and Danika at odds with each other.
Danika sighed, ignoring him further lest she had a stroke.
Morgan returned to the table a while later, oblivious to Eustace’s arrival and, consequently, to the tension between Danika and Christopher.
“Done with your food? Let’s go then.” Danika suggested after Morgan finished eating. She got up, ignoring Christopher, who nonchalantly followed behind the two.
Back in the private booth, Natalia Cruz was perplexed as to why Eustace looked so upset. “I haven’t done anything to piss him off, have I?” she wondered.
She wouldn’t have come to this blind date if her father hadn’t recommended him, saying how wonderful he was and what a great future lay ahead of him.
She had to make a good impression since she was already there. “I’m sure you know the basics about me, Mr. Quincey, so we can just skip past the introductions. What do you say?”
Eustace glanced at her and hummed a response, then looked away.
“Here we go,” Natalia thought.
“Why did you agree to come to this blind date?” She had come here only because of her father’s insistence and how attractive Eustace was. She wondered what Eustace’s reason was.
“Is the reason important?”
“Well, alright. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Natalia wasn’t going to pursue it further, though she did grumble something fierce internally.
Just because he was hot didn’t mean she’d appeal to him so desperately.
The atmosphere grew silent. It took some time before Eustace finally regained some virtuous sense. What would you like to eat, Miss Cruz?” he asked, handing her the menu, but he had already left quite a bad impression on Natalia.
“I’ll be straight to the point here, Mr. Quincey. I don’t think we’re right for one another.”
Hot and promising, yes, but Natalia still didn’t want to risk it. It would’ve helped if the man had been respectful from the start. Clearly, that wasn’t Eustace Quincey.
Eustace was taken aback at how fast Natalia called it off. He wasn’t upset, though-he wasn’t interested in Natalia anyway. “I see. Alright.”
Looked like Natalia didn’t hit his marks either. No wonder he was so indifferent. She huffed and got up to leave before her anger started peaking. “Goodbye.”
“Why don’t you have lunch first, Miss Cruz? We’re already here. I want to discuss a business opportunity with you.”
“Oh? Sure.” Natalia sat back, now curious as to what Eustace had in mind.
The two had their lunch, oblivious to Danika’s terrible mood.
After dropping Morgan off, the car was filled with tense silence.
“Don’t you wanna know who the woman is? Eustace’s female friend?”
Who was she?
All Danika knew was that she wasn’t from Parrington; otherwise, she’d have seen her profile during her investigation.
“She’s Natalia Cruz from Bardoff City’s Cruz family.” Christopher had seen her a couple times during public events but never spoken to her. She was a proud woman, that one.
Cruz family from Bardoff…
“You noticed, too, right? Eustace’s heading straight for the winning prize after dumping you.” Christopher snorted. “The Cruz family is just about the same level as mine, but they’re still pretty influential here in
Parrington.”
Danika had a feeling Eustace wouldn’t do that. It was very likely that he wanted to work with her on business terms only.
“The Quinceys don’t have any connections to the Cruzes, both socially and in the business world,” Christopher added, bursting her bubble.
It was met with a glare. “And why are you telling me all this? Why would I care who Eustace is with now that we’ve broken up?”
Just then, Christopher’s car came to a stop outside Perry Residence. She stepped out and left, slamming the door behind her. That man was truly infuriating.
Christopher smiled, murmuring to himself, “You’re more interesting than I thought, Danika.”
He had adamantly refused when his grandfather told him to pursue her, but as time passed, he slowly realized how much more attractive she was. Maybe having her as his wife wasn’t such a bad idea.
Good thing Danika didn’t know this. She’d give him a tongue-lashing for sure.
Christopher took out his phone. “Look into what the Cruzes are up to, dipping their toes in Parrington.”
At the Old Mansion, Mortimer eagerly asked Eustace, “What’d you think of the Cruz girl? Not bad, right?”
Eustace hummed in response.
Mortimer grinned, now hopeful. “Then you should continue keeping in touch with her. She’s much better than that Zellweger girl.”
Hearing this, Eustace’s hackles rose. He hid his fierce expression from Mortimer, making sure he didn’t see the dangerous glint in his eyes.
Back at the apartment, Danika lay on the couch with her laptop against her chest. If Christopher saw what she was looking at now, he’d definitely make fun of her.
Every single bit of information available online about the Cruzes was opened on Danika’s laptop. Christopher hadn’t lied when he said it was Natalia Cruz Eustace had gone to the cafe with. The Cruzes were of similar status to the Spades in Parrington, both second-class.
She really didn’t know what to feel right now. Eustace wouldn’t meet up with a woman for no reason, especially alone. Danika shook the thoughts away. She really had nothing to do with all of it anymore.
With that in mind, Danika switched off her laptop and went to her bedroom to sleep.
Just then, someone knocked at her door. It was already 10 pm. Who could be knocking at her door at this hour?
Danika went to open the door, coming face to face with Eustace himself.
“You-”
The man lunged at her, cornering her against the wall. He reeked of alcohol.
Danika pushed at his shoulder. “What are you doing here?”
“Do I need a reason?” he grunted. “Moved on from me so fast?”
Clearly, he was talking about Christopher. But Danika felt he had no right to question her. In fact, she should be the one asking him about the woman from earlier.
Still, she didn’t. “We broke up, remember?”
In simple terms, they no longer had anything to do with each other. Danika was free to be with whoever she wanted, just like Eustace was.
That seemed to trigger something in Eustace. He held her by her chin and kissed her harshly on the lips. In the midst of their heated exchange, they fumbled from the doorway to the couch, where Eustace started sliding a hand between her legs.
It jolted Danika out of her stupor. “Don’t touch me, jerk!”
Eustace sneered. “I’m the jerk? Weren’t you just as eager moments ago?”
“You!” Danika snapped but had nothing to respond with.
Why hadn’t she pushed him away in the first place?
She blushed fiercely when Eustace lasciviously licked his lips, and she said, “Why did you even come here? Leave if you have nothing better to do!”
She shouldn’t have opened the door.