Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion >>
“Why are you following us?” Eustace asked.
Christopher felt a little guilty, but he quickly recovered. “What do you mean? I wanted to go to this restaurant. What, are you the only people who can come here?” Although he was determined to steal Danika away, he was at a loss for what to do.
Eustace glanced at him and gestured for Vincent to take his men away. He led Danika to the restaurant, ignoring Christopher’s presence.
Christopher followed them quickly and walked beside Danika with a smile. “Let’s eat together, Danika. I don’t have a friend in Parrington. You’re not going to ignore me now, are you?”
He was invading her personal space, and Eustace’s face turned sour. “Don’t you know what harassment is? Do you think this is appropriate?”
“Of course. There’s nothing inappropriate about this.” Christopher was being very bold. He was determined to tag along.
Eustace’s face darkened. He wanted nothing more than to punch him.
“It’s okay,” Danika said hurriedly. “He can eat with us.”
“Danika!” Eustace was unhappy, but Danika smiled and whispered something to him. Eustace looked better at once, but he still glared at Christopher.
They found a place to sit in the restaurant.
Christopher was feeling unpleasant. He’d seen how sweet Danika and Eustace were together. Maybe they truly had feelings for each other, but he dismissed the thought when he remembered his grandfather’s words. Eustace was definitely faking it to win Danika’s trust. He couldn’t fool him.
“What do you want to eat?” Eustace handed Danika the menu.
Danika didn’t hold herself back. She and Eustace were a couple now, after all. She ordered a few dishes, some of which were her favorites and some were Eustace’s. Then, she handed it to Christopher. “You just got to Parrington, so this meal is on us.”
Christopher pursed his lips. He said nothing as he chose his food.
Christopher’s presence prevented Eustace from having a romantic conversation with Danika, so he felt resentful. Danika, however, was intrigued by Christopher.
“I’m curious. You said that your motives are the same as Eustace’s. What is it, exactly?” she asked.
Christopher froze. “Nothing. I was just spouting nonsense.”
“Nonsense?” Danika raised an eyebrow, not believing him. “You can’t fool me, Christopher.” She smiled and continued, “You’re here because of me, aren’t you?” She wasn’t being full of herself at all. Christopher had indeed admitted that he was there for her.
Christopher drank his coffee, feeling like he was about to be exposed.
“We’re not going to keep things to ourselves. Why don’t you tell us what your motives are? I’d help you if I could.” She had agreed to eat with him so she could ask him about it.
A smile tugged at Christopher’s lips. She’d definitely be able to help if she agreed to marry him. The coffee was running out, so he had to put it down. He met Danika’s gaze and said, “I was joking, really. You got together with Eustace and not me, after all. I was just angry. I only have one motive: to make you my girlfriend. Even better, to have you marry me. I would definitely be a better choice than Eustace.”
Eustace was instantly upset. What did Christopher mean? Why did he have to drag him into this?
“Ignore him, Danika. He definitely has an ulterior motive.” Eustace regretted taking her there. He should have brought Danika home, and they wouldn’t have run into this psychopath.
Christopher was unwilling to tell the truth. Danika didn’t ask him anything else, but she was visibly peeved. “If you don’t want to tell me, then I’ll have to ask you to stop bothering me after this meal.”
“Danika…”
“If you want to be friends, Mr. Spade, you need to know that friends don’t keep secrets from each other.” Although unsure of his intentions, she was certain he was just as Eustace had said. He had his reasons.
Christopher found it hard to look her in the eye after that. If this were about anything else, he could use his status as the heir of the Spade family to subdue her, but how could he do that when it came to feelings? She’d only feel repulsed by him.
He turned toward Eustace, upset. “It’s true that friends need to be honest with each other, but are you sure that this person next to you is sincere?”
Eustace’s advantage was that he had known Danika longer. If not, perhaps it’d be unclear who would be her boyfriend now.
“What do you mean? What right do you have to accuse me of being dishonest with her?” Eustace stood up. His patience was at its limit.
Christopher didn’t back down. He sneered at him. “Honesty is not proven by words. Why are you being so loud?”
“I’m not afraid of you, Christopher Spade. If you upset me, I’ll make sure you never leave Parrington.” It was a good thing that Christopher stayed in Eustace’s city. He would have no means to defend himself if Eustace decided to go for him.
Christopher coughed dryly. He believed that Eustace had the ability to do that. “Why? Are you feeling guilty because I exposed you?”
“You fucker!” Eustace was about to rush toward him, but Danika pulled him back in time, preventing an ugly brawl.
“Forget it. We can’t let him get under our skin.”
“Danika.” Eustace was still upset.
“Who cares what he says? Do you think I’d believe him over you? You don’t have to be this mad,” Danika comforted him. She didn’t think he needed to be angry. Although she was sure that
Christopher had his motives, she believed in Eustace. Hence, she didn’t care about what Christopher had to say.
Eustace heaved a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Danika.”
“What do you mean, thanks? How can a relationship survive if we don’t even trust each other?” Danika didn’t think his thanks were necessary. It was a given that she would trust him.
“You’re right. I was being rash.” Eustace sat, deciding to wholly ignore Christopher’s presence.
Christopher was conflicted when he heard their conversation, and they were ignoring him. Was he the villain now? Besides, Eustace had great acting skills. He couldn’t compare to his performance.
They ate their food silently. Eustace sometimes put more food on Danika’s plate, and they’d talk in hushed tones. Christopher suddenly felt that he shouldn’t have come. Why did he want to torture himself?
When the meal was finally over, Christopher didn’t bother Danika anymore and chose to leave. Whether or not they would see him again was a mystery.
Once he was further away, Danika said to Eustace, “What do you think he wants from me?” She couldn’t understand it at all. She was born and raised in a tiny village. What was Christopher plotting?
Eustace didn’t understand either, but he didn’t think it was a good thing. “I’ll get someone to spy on him and learn his real motive.”
“Alright. I’ll do my part, too.” Danika retracted her gaze and looked at Eustace playfully. “Why did you get angry so easily? You’re not that type of person.”
Eustace was stoic, cold, and logical. But he was none of those things before.
“I just don’t want him getting close to you.” Eustace didn’t meet Danika’s gaze.
Danika didn’t think much about it, dismissing it as Eustace being afraid of losing to Christopher. She even felt that it was funny. “Don’t worry. I absolutely have no interest in him.”
“I believe you.” Eustace nodded. The mysterious look that had flashed in his eyes was gone. Danika didn’t notice it.
Back at the apartment, before Danika could open the door, Felicity opened it first. When she saw Danika and Eustace outside, her face darkened.
“Did you guys eat together again?” She was doing her best not to lose her temper. Since her arrival, Danika hadn’t cooked a single meal in the house. She ate out nearly every time and always with Eustace. Most important of all, they never invited her.
How could she stand that?
Felicity didn’t know about Danika and Eustace being together. She thought things were going as usual, so she still wanted to flirt with Eustace.
“Do you have something to say?” Danika eyed her, feeling impatient. Firstly, it really was none of Felicity’s business whether Danika ate with Eustace or not. Secondly, Felicity didn’t take her job seriously at the company, and Danika was displeased by it.