Chapter 136 – The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion

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“D-Dr. Zellweger?” The boy sounded unsure.

“Joey Little!” Danika was angry. “Shouldn’t you be in school? Why are you working here?”

The boy named Joey lowered his head and dared not look into Danika’s eyes. He didn’t answer her either.

“Did you drop out of school?” Danika couldn’t think of another reason he was working here. He lowered his head when he heard her question, affirming her suspicion. Feeling sorry for the boy but furious at his decision, she demanded to know, “Why did you drop out? Didn’t I tell you to look for me if you face any trouble?”

Joey Little was the boy who almost lost his life at the hands of his stepmother. He was forced into a craniotomy even when he didn’t need one, and had it not been for Danika, he would have lost his life.

That was how Danika found out about Joey’s unfortunate background. After Joey’s dad remarried, he stopped caring about his son and allowed his new wife to abuse Joey, even to the point where she wanted Joey dead.

Danika felt sorry for Joey and worried about his future. Therefore, she reminded him to come to her if he faced any difficulties in life. To her dismay, not only did he not contact her, but he also decided to drop out of school and work in a restaurant, which infuriated her.

“Stop what you’re doing and get back to school.” She reached out and grabbed the tablecloth from his hand.

He looked up with teary eyes. “Dr. Zellweger, this is my problem. Please stay out of it.”

“I could very well leave you alone. Whatever happens to you doesn’t affect me anyway. But have you thought about it carefully? You might regret your decision to drop out and work when you’re older,” she advised him earnestly, hoping he wouldn’t go down the wrong path. She was never one to meddle in the affairs of others, but the matter at hand concerned the future of a boy she was acquainted with. She couldn’t possibly turn a blind eye to it.

Joey’s hands were trembling. He understood that Danika wanted the best for him, but… he had no option.

Eustace seemed to have recognized Joey too. Although he never interacted with Joey, he had helped Danika investigate his stepmother, and he learned a thing or two about the boy in the process. He interjected to break the tension between the two, “Danika, let’s not get too riled up. Sit down and talk it out with him.” Then, he called a waiter over to get them a quiet dining room.

Joey was reluctant to follow them but had no choice because Danika was staring at him. They took their seats in the room, and Eustace ordered some food. After that, he turned to Joey. “Tell us now. Why did you drop out?”

Feeling their eyes on him, he sighed and told them his story. After his stepmother was sent to jail, his dad, who had grown increasingly displeased with him, put all the blame on him. Not long after, his dad stopped paying for his school fees and pocket money. At his wits’ end, he decided to quit school and work.

“You’re only sixteen. Are you going to work retail forever?” Danika was upset but didn’t get mad at him because she understood he was in a difficult position.

He shook his head. “I don’t want to, but I don’t have a choice.” It would be hard for a sixteen-year-old to continue school without basic financial support for meals.

“Can your boss legally hire you? You’re technically child labor,” Eustace questioned, wondering if any boss would be so careless.

Joey panicked when he brought up the topic. “I…I lied about my age.

Restaurants of this level usually didn’t run stringent background checks. If one lied about their age and claimed that they had lost their identification card, no one would raise a brow.

“Go back to school. Don’t worry about the school fees and your monthly expenses.” Danika looked at him, angry but sympathetic. However, Joey merely bit his lip without agreeing to her plea. He didn’t reach out to Danika for help to avoid creating problems for her-he always felt that his existence was trouble, and the last thing he wanted was to annoy others. Although Danika had volunteered to pay for his schooling. he was reluctant to be indebted to her because he had received too much kindness at this point.

“Are you really going to work here forever?” She fumed at his silence.

Eustace quickly assuaged her, “Relax. I get him.” After all, it was normal for a teenage boy to be egoistic and sensitive. Eustace furnished a name card and wrote a phone number on it. Then, he handed it to Joey. “This is the number of the person in charge of our company’s philanthropic arm. Call him, and he’ll settle your living expenses for you to continue studying. Of course, this comes with a condition-you must sponsor another child in a similar situation after you graduate from university and start working. Can you do that?”

Even though it was an optional request, most children sponsored by the trust managed to fulfill the promise, and he trusted that Joey could do that too.

Joey was flustered upon seeing the name card. “Can I…accept this?” He refused to accept unconditional kindness and would rather earn the sponsorship, such as accepting Eustace’s conditional help.

“Of course. Do you really think that all poor kids could only end up quitting school and working?” Eustace smiled at him weakly and added, “You’re still young. When you run into problems, you should come up with solutions. Don’t give up easily. Even if Danika and I didn’t sponsor you, you could have told your teacher about your situation. They could have figured out a way to help you, so you didn’t have to quit school to work.”

Joey was unaware of his options, nor had he tried them out. When his teacher asked him the reason behind his decision, he merely answered that he didn’t want to study anymore. Despite his teacher’s attempt to change his mind, he didn’t budge. Therefore, his teacher was left with no choice but to process the paperwork for him.

“But…I already dropped out.” He hung his head in regret.

“I can handle that for you. What you need to do is to show up to school on time. Don’t fret about it,” Eustace replied.

Joey looked at the two with teary eyes, even though he was a tough guy. “Thank you.””

“Study hard and score well if you really want to thank us.” Danika was relieved after Joey agreed to go back to school.

He nodded. “I will.” Joey had always been good at studies, which was why he was placed in 12th grade at sixteen. If all went according to plan, he’d be taking the SAT the following year.

“All the best! If you get into a good college, I’ll buy you a gift.” Danika finally broke into a smile and appeared more relieved.

After lunch, Danika accompanied Joey to submit his resignation to the restaurant manager. The manager readily accepted the resignation, paid his wages, and offered him words of encouragement.

Joey followed Danika and Eustace from the shopping mall to their car. At that moment, he had no idea where he should head to.

“Where do you live now?” Danika asked.

Joey looked troubled. “I was living at the employee dorm, but now that I’ve resigned, I have no idea where to stay.”

“Your home…”

“I don’t have a home. He kicked me out.” A look of resentment flashed across Joey’s eyes when he mentioned his father, but he tried not to show his negativity in front of Danika. He refrained from telling her that not only did his dad chase him out, but his dad would also ask him for money every month. Although Joey’s pay was too little to live on, he had to put aside money for his dad to buy alcohol.

“I wonder if he found out I left my job and went back to school? What if he looks for me at school?” he wondered. He dared not picture the scene where his classmates laughed at him behind his back. Still, he kept his worries to himself instead of confiding in Danika because he was sure he could handle the matter.

He had decided to continue school even if his dad made life hard for him. That was his only ticket out of his current situation, and he could only repay Danika’s kindness with success.

Danika thought about it and suggested, “Why don’t you crash at my place for a few days? When we settle the paperwork at school, we can send you there.”

“No!” Eustace quickly responded without giving Joey a chance to speak. Danika and Joey stared at him, but he was unfazed and said, “How are you going to take care of him with that busy schedule? He might even go hungry at your place. How about this, Joey? I’ll check you into a hotel for a few days. The hotel will serve all three meals, and all you have to do is relax.”

Joey felt burdened by the luxurious arrangement and muttered cautiously, “I can stay at an inn. I’ll cook my own meals.”

“Listen to Eustace. Clear your mind and rest well before returning to school.” Danika agreed with Eustace’s suggestion because she was indeed too busy to look after the boy.

Joey nodded and did not argue further. “Okay. Thank you so much. I will repay your kindness one day.” Eustace and Danika chuckled at his serious attitude. Danika chirped, “Sure. Good luck! I look forward to that.”

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