Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
These years, Esther guarded him like a hawk, but she had a few lovers outside the household. Octavius had been unable to bear it for a long time now.
“That’s it, then. You may go home now. I will have someone contact you to let you know what I need from the Bradshaws.” Gilbert stood up, feeling that he had nothing more to say.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Octavius quickly said, “Do you…hate me? 鈻?/p>
Gilbert paused in his footsteps. However, he didn’t look back. “Hate you? Is there anything worth hating about you?”
To him, Octavius was merely a stranger.
However, they were conspirators now. They weren’t exactly strangers.
Octavius turned pale. Perhaps he never in a million years would have thought that his missing son would turn out this way. He had imagined his son crying as he ran into his arms, but that never happened.
Perhaps they just weren’t destined to be together. Why else would he go missing back then?
At that thought, Octavius left Gilbert’s company. He had to go back to gather intel on the Bradshaws. Since he decided to work with Gilbert, he was going back to ruin them.
He wasn’t going to ruin them just because he’d had enough of being a househusband. It was also because he hated them.
All these years, no one in the family took him seriously. He wanted to see their faces after they collapsed and were transformed from haughty aristocrats to penniless commoners. It was going to be a delight to behold.
At the thought of that, his footsteps quickened. He began to look forward to it.
Gilbert didn’t care what Octavius had in mind. After talking with him, he returned to his office and continued with his work. Perhaps because he had his dinner, he seemed energetic while working through the night.
He smiled in exasperation. He used to skip meals to work, but now it seemed that he preferred actually having something to eat. He couldn’t help thinking of Marigold’s face. He hadn’t noticed before, but now that he thought of it, Marigold was actually very pretty. Her face was soft and alluring.
Gilbert remembered their kiss from that day. He unconsciously licked his lips, even yearning for it again.
When Octavius returned to the Bradshaws, Esther was already sitting in the living room. Eli was sitting there, too, and was looking at his phone.
“Back already?” Esther glanced at him. ‘What did Gilbert say?’
At the mention of Gilbert, Eli took his gaze away from his phone and looked at Octavius. He had no idea that Octavius had gone to see Gilbert. Did he really want Gilbert to come back so much?
Eli couldn’t understand why they were still so hung up on Gilbert, even though he was the one who grew up with them. They even wanted to hand the family over to Gilbert. Was Eli that useless in their eyes?
Hatred brewed in his heart, and he couldn’t vent it on Esther and Octavius. He could only direct it toward Gilbert.
“He refused.” Octavius went to the chair and sat, sighing.
Esther frowned, displeasure written on her face. He has the nerve! Does he think Hawthorn Inc is that incredible? He doesn’t know where he stands! ” A plan was already forming in her head. Since Gilbert was so attached to his company, she would go against Hawthorn Inc. Once it was demolished, Esther would see how else Gilbert would stand up for himself.
Octavius could tell what she was thinking and grew concerned. “Do you want to plot against his company? This will only make him more repulsed.”
‘ And what about that? I’m not scared of him.” Esther sneered. ‘It’s good for him to have a taste of the Bradshaws’ abilities, just in case he thinks that we’re weak.”
In her eyes, Gilbert refused to come home because he didn’t know of their true capabilities. That didn’t matter. After this, he would know for sure.
Octavius said nothing else. On the one hand, he was powerless to stop anything. On the other hand, he wanted to test Gilbert’s abilities. If he couldn’t handle something like this, devouring the Bradshaws would simply be a fever dream.
“Just let it go if Gilbert doesn’t want to come home, Mom. Maybe he wants to be free.” Eli didn’t want Gilbert to return. If he did, Eli would hold no position in the Bradshaws.
Esther was incensed when he said that. “Would I want him to come back if you would just work a little harder?”
Eli was speechless. He didn’t know what he had done wrong. He was already a hard worker. Besides, the company had so many people employed. He wasn’t needed personally. He could delegate all his work to his subordinates. There was nothing for him to worry about.
However, he dared not say any of this to his mother for fear of provoking her further. He lowered his head, saying nothing more.
Esther grew angrier when she saw him like that. He was trash. She couldn’t understand how a strong person like her would have given birth to such a useless piece of trash.
She slammed the table hard and got up to leave.
Once she left, Octavius looked at Eli. ‘Don’t take it to heart. Your mother just can’t process it right now.”
All these years, no one dared to go against her. Esther would not be able to accept it.
“Do I need you to comfort me?’ Eli rolled his eyes. Although Octavius was his father, he did not take him seriously.
‘I am your father…”
“I don’t have such a reclusive father as you.” Eli just couldn’t understand why his mother would marry someone like Octavius. Sure, he would only be a househusband, but what was the point? Could she have married someone from a higher status? The Bradshaws could be at a higher level right now if so.
As he watched Eli leave, Octavius’ gaze dimmed, bearing a hint of disdain.
Even his son refused to respect him.
If Gilbert could ruin the Bradshaws, it would be a good thing for Octavius.
Gilbert knew nothing about what was happening in the Bradshaws. He was already in his villa. It wasn’t very late when he returned, but Caleb was already asleep. He didn’t go to bother him. At first, he thought Marigold had already fallen asleep. But then, when he passed her room, her door was ajar, and her lights were on. She was obviously still not asleep.
He knocked.
Marigold got up. She was surprised to see Gilbert at the door. He would never go to see her after work.
“You’re back. Are you hungry?’ Marigold asked.
“I had dinner,” Gilbert answered, reminding her of what had happened.
Marigold smiled lightly and nodded. “I know. But you’ve worked for so long after dinner. You might be hungry again.”
“I’m not a glutton,” Gilbert said, speechless. He didn’t have such a huge appetite.
“Nothing happened, right?” Marigold remembered Gilbert’s father coming to see him when she left. She couldn’t help being worried. Based on Gilbert’s attitude toward his mother, he wouldn’t be good to his father, either. She was worried that they would argue and Gilbert would end up suffering losses.
However, her worries were unnecessary.
Gilbert looked at her, his gaze falling on her lips. “Are you worried about me?”
Marigold was stunned, bewildered by his words. She looked up, meeting his unabashed gaze.
She froze.
What was this?
Had he fallen for her?
Marigold couldn’t believe it. She felt as if she was dreaming. “I…I am a little worried, yes.”
“Relax. I’m fine.” Gilbert smiled, obviously in a good mood.
Marigold nodded. She had a million questions in her heart, but she didn’t ask him a single one. She feared that she would be thinking too much into it.
Since none of them spoke, the air around them grew quiet. Marigold’s hands were wrung together as if relieving herself of her anxiety.
What was Gilbert doing knocking on her door?
Gilbert was embarrassed, too. He just wanted to see her for a bit since she hadn’t fallen asleep yet. But then, when he saw her, he didn’t know what to say.
After a moment of silence, he said, “It’s nothing much. I just wanted to see if you were asleep.”
“Ah,” Marigold replied.
It was awkward again.
“Well, you should get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Gilbert said.
Marigold hurriedly nodded. It was too awkward for her to handle. “Alright. You should rest, too. I’ll see you in the morning.”
As if thinking of something, when she was about to close the door, Gilbert suddenly pulled at her. “There will be a party happening tomorrow. Can you come?”
Marigold was flabbergasted. Could this be what she thought it was?
“I want you to be my plus one,” Gilbert said.
Marigold couldn’t believe it. If Gilbert weren’t standing in front of her, she’d be jumping for joy. She had to control herself. She couldn’t embarrass herself in front of Gilbert.
“Why me? Aren’t you afraid of people misunderstanding our situation?” Marigold asked. She could feel her heartbeat quickening.
“I have no one else to go with,’ Gilbert said honestly. However, he had his reasons that he couldn’t say out loud.
Unfortunately, Marigold’s expression shifted when she heard that. So he was only choosing her because he had no other woman to go with. She thought she was a fool. What was she so excited for, thinking that Gilbert had fallen for her?
What a joke.
Seeing that she was not responding, Gilbert thought she was refusing to go. He grew concerned. “WilI you come?”
Marigold looked up at him. Although she was angry, she couldn’t say no to him in the face of his request. She pouted and said after a pause, “Yes, but you can’t blame me if I embarrass you.’
It had been a long time since she went to parties like these.
She used to love going to them, but after her pregnancy and her sickness, she thought many things through and felt that all these things were unnecessary. Hence, she didn’t attend them anymore.
If she went again, this time with Gilbert, she would be nervous.
“Don’t worry. I won’t be embarrassed.” Gilbert smiled, looking happy.
Marigold didn’t know what he was so happy about. Was he happy that she was the one accompanying him, or was he happy just because someone agreed to go with him?