Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion >>
After the old man left, Danika and Eustace returned to his room. She opened the thermal food container and said, “Time to eat.”
“Mmm. Did you make this?” he asked without thinking, but her silence suggested otherwise. The dishes that she laid out were too complicated for her. He coughed in embarrassment. “I count myself lucky to enjoy your food delivery. It doesn’t matter whether the meal is homemade.”
She chuckled wryly, dismissing his opinion of her. Her lack of culinary skills was a known fact anyway.
While digging in, he was bothered by her silence and said, “Don’t take Grandpa’s words to heart. My feeling for you is a matter between you and me; no one else has a say. Just ignore them.” He hoped she would agree to date him out of pure affection instead of indebtedness.
“Don’t worry. I’m not the type to bend under moral blackmail.” Although she felt bad after hearing Old Mr. Quincey’s words, she would never agree to a relationship with Eustace under coercion. If she said yes one day, it would be out of her free will.
He nodded in satisfaction. “That’s good to hear.”
Eustace finished up his meal while Danika sat without a word. Silence hung in the air between them. When he was done, he asked casually, “Have you looked into Marigold’s car? Did someone tamper with it?”
“I looked into it. Someone tampered with the brakes.”
“And who was behind it?”
“Yvonne Dickman.” Danika gave him an amused look. “Yvonne deliberately contacted Marigold and fed her ideas. Marigold probably hadn’t expected Yvonne would modify her brakes. As long as Yvonne could get me killed, she wouldn’t give a damn about Marigold’s safety.”
His expression sank. “She’s still coming up with wicked tricks after marrying into the Blooms. Hasn’t she learned anything from what happened to the Dickmans?”
“She’s not the type to learn her lesson.” Danika wasn’t surprised by Yvonne’s moves. She knew how to read other women and was sure that Yvonne wouldn’t give up any time soon. If she failed this time, she would keep trying until one of them was dead.
“What’s your plan now?” Eustace asked. He assumed she had an idea judging from her expression.
Danika dodged his question and asked instead, “Aren’t you going to speak up for her?”
“I gave her one last chance when she framed you for the murder.” Eustace looked frigid. “Even if you don’t do anything against her this time, I will not let this slip.”
Somehow, her heart fluttered with joy when she heard his promise. She said, “We’ll need to go against the Blooms to deal with her.” She had a rough idea of what to do but had not found a loophole yet.
“The Blooms…” Eustace muttered, “They’re definitely not an easy target. Remember, they’re old money in Parrington with hundreds of years of history and lots of connections. It will be complicated.”
Even Eustace dared not guarantee that he could ostracize the Blooms in Parrington. However, in the event that he wanted to make a move, he’d have to get rid of the Blooms once and for all. Else, he would be planting a ticking time bomb for the future.
“That’s why I’m still thinking hard.” Danika had no bad blood with the Blooms, and her actions were driven solely by the grudge between her and Yvonne.
Seeing how troubled she looked, he suggested, “We can go against them openly if there’s no better idea. I don’t think that the Quinceys need to fear them. And the Blooms might not want to turn against us just for Yvonne’s sake.”
She knew he was spitting facts, but she had other ideas. She explained, “I don’t think the Quinceys and the Blooms have to go to war. The clash between two powerful families will only cause collateral damage. That would be unnecessary.” She was adamant about not having the two families fight against each other out of her petty grudge against Yvonne.
“But…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll figure out a way.” Danika believed that the Blooms were not invincible. Once she found their Achilles’ heel, she would hit the bullseye. Her goal was to leave Yvonne defenseless, not bankrupt the Blooms.
Eustace wanted to help and provide suggestions, but Danika was dead set on solving the matter on her own. She reminded him to have a good rest and left the room.
After she left, he made a call instead of resting. “Keep tabs on any developments within the Blooms.”
At the Spades Manor in Bardoff City, Harvey Spade ended a call with a serious look on his face. At the same time, Christopher knocked on the door and entered the study. He looked at the old man sitting at the desk. “Grandpa, are you looking for me?”
“Christopher, there’s nothing much going on in the company. Why don’t you go out and have some fun?” Harvey put on a smiling face in place of his gloomy expression.
Christopher was surprised by the suggestion, for his grandfather had always wanted him to work hard. He’s asking why I’m not having fun. How strange. That’s very unlike him,” he thought.
Harvey had no idea what his grandson was thinking as he kept smiling. “Do you still remember Danika Zellweger from Parrington?”
“Of course. She’s an interesting lady. Didn’t you ask me to go after her?” Danika had left a deep impression on Christopher.
“We’ve been back to Bardoff for a while. Haven’t you contacted her lately?” Harvey prodded.
Christopher shook his head. “We’re not exactly on friendly terms. Sure, we call each other friends, but I can tell that she doesn’t see me as one.” He was smart enough to notice Danika’s lack of interest in him. As a self-respecting heir of the Spade Family, he wouldn’t lower himself and pester her.
“The past doesn’t matter as long as you befriend each other in the future,” Harvey advised him. Christopher frowned and wondered what he meant. Harvey added, “Since there’s not much work lately, why don’t you take a few days off and visit Parrington? Invite Danika along when you head home. Just tell her that you’ll give her a tour of Bardoff.”
“Why?” Christopher gave Harvey a perplexed look and waited for an explanation.
Harvey merely glanced at him and said casually, “It’s good to have more friends.”
It puzzled Christopher even more. “Grandpa, don’t take me as a fool.” He was speechless at the lame excuse. “Friends? Since when do I need friends?” he thought.
Harvey coughed in embarrassment after his intention was exposed. “I think Danika is a decent lady. I’d like you to bring her around Bardoff and bond with her.”
“But didn’t you say that it was a joke?” Christopher recalled that Harvey had asked him to pursue Danika in Parrington, but they both took it as a joke. He had long put that memory at the back of his mind. Something felt off when Harvey brought up the matter again after a long time.
Feeling annoyed by the barrage of questions, Harvey grumbled, “What’s with all the questions? Don’t be noisy, and get it done!”
“I won’t!” Christopher shook his head furiously. “I don’t even love her. Why do we need to bond?”
“Who do you love, then?” Christopher had no good answer to Harvey’s question. Harvey pressed on, “Do you know what is love?” When he was met with silence again, he advised his grandson earnestly, “See? You have no idea what’s love like. If you can’t define it, how are you sure you’re not in love with Danika? Perhaps you do, but you haven’t realized it yet.”
A confounded Christopher questioned himself, “Do I love Danika?”
Harvey took the chance to convince him, “That’s why it’s not a bad thing to get to know each other better.”
“Oh, okay.” Christopher was fully persuaded by his grandfather. However, he sensed that something was fishy. Before he left the study, he paused and turned around. “What’s so special about Danika Zellweger? Why do you insist that I go after her?”
“You little brat…”
“Grandpa, I know you very well. You’re only motivated when you have something to gain.” Christopher came to his senses and formed a vague guess.
Feeling frustrated, Harvey finally decided to get to the point. “If you marry her, the Spades will be one of the Ten Elites of Bardoff City by your time.”