Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion
He never liked nagging.
“Alright.You can break the news to the Bradshaws and get Esther to sign the contract.”
“Alright.Many thanks.”
If it weren’t for Eustace’s help in designing the trap, Gilbert would have had trouble executing it alone.
Eustace waved it off.
“You’re Danika’s brother, so you’re my brother, too.”
Gilbert was not a sentimental person.He left with no questions asked.
That day, most of the people in Bradshaw operations knew of Gilbert successfully bagging the deal with Quincey Group and inviting a new big project to the company.
If it succeeded, everyone in Bradshaw Operations would receive a large year-end bonus.
To the employees, they didn’t care who inherited Bradshaw Operations.
They only cared about how much of the profits they’d be able to take.
Evidently, if Gilbert did become the successor, he seemed to be a pretty good choice based on what was happening now.
Gilbert and Marigold (74)
That very afternoon, Esther and Gilbert rushed to Quincey Group to sign the deal. Gilbert said he was worried that Eustace would change his mind, so he urged Esther to sign it. Only through a written contract would they be able to relax.
Esther thought it made sense and agreed to rush to Quincey Group with Gilbert.
In the meeting room, Eustace looked at the two people before him, expressionless. “You have a good son, Mrs. Bradshaw.”
“I’m flattered. My son had Bradshaw Operations’ interests at heart. He’ll inevitably be a little insensitive. Please don’t hold that against him, Mr.
Quincey.” Esther smiled. She didn’t mind Eustace’s sarcasm because it didn’t matter. As long as Bradshaw Operations could truly benefit from this, she didn’t care how much Eustace mocked her.
Eustace smiled coldly and slid the contract over to her. “You may flip through it.”
Esther took it and read through it seriously.
If this project succeeded, they would reap massive rewards. However, it required a massive upfront investment. It would drain nearly all of Bradshaw Operation’s assets. They would have to put their other projects on hold to make this succeed. Hence, she had to be serious.
The contract seemed harmless. Quincey Group was generously giving them fifty percent of the shares. It was unbelievable to Esther. “I thought that even thirty percent of the shares would be extravagant of you, Mr. Quincey.”
Eustace scoffed. “If it weren’t for Gilbert bothering my wife, I wouldn’t have agreed to give you so much.” Displeasure was written all over Eustace’s face.
Esther was a little hesitant. Bradshaw Operations could barely cover thirty percent of the shares. However, if it was fifty percent, it would be an incredible strain on them. The Bradshaws had multiple ongoing projects. Even if they paused them, it would affect them greatly if their investment did not produce immediate results.
“What are you hesitating for, Mrs. Bradshaw? You’re not broke, are you?” Eustace sneered and took the contract back. “If you are, you should stop dreaming about projects you can’t afford to have.”
He looked incredibly unwilling to collaborate with Bradshaw Operations, so he mocked them for having no money.
But Esther would never give up an opportunity like this.
“You’re worrying for nothing, Mr. Quincey. Our company has nothing but money.” Esther took the contract back from Eustace’s hands. This time, she signed it with no hesitation at all.
When he saw the contract getting signed, Gilbert smirked. He looked at Esther. She’d better enjoy her highs while she could. They would be taken from her very quickly.
They walked out of Quincey Group. Esther held the contract, feeling uneasy.
“The shares had suddenly grown to fifty percent. It’s very hard for Brashaw Operations to give out that kind of money. What should we do?” Esther asked Gilbert.
Gilbert thought about it for a while and said, “We can ask for money from the bank. Once the project is over, we’ll just give it back to them.”
Esther shook her head in exasperation. Things were not as simple as that. Bradshaw Operations already had a large sum of debt with the bank, and this would be yet another lump sum of money. The bank would not be willing to lend it to them.
“I could also approach Danika and get her to lend us some money from Zellweger Inc,” Gilbert said.
“Will she agree to that?”
“At most, we’ll trade our projects with her. Once we pay her back, we’ll still have our projects back. After all, those projects will be paused anyway,” Gilbert said nonchalantly.
Although he’d spoken lightly, Esther thought it was a good idea
Gilbert and Marigold (75)
In the end, Esther went with Gilbert’s suggestion. However, she did not trade Bradshaw Operation’s projects with Danika. She went with the Silveras.
For one, she did not trust the Zellwegers. On the other hand, the Silveras and the Bradshaws were going to be united through marriage. They deserved to be trusted more.
Gilbert didn’t mind. After all, if anything happened to the Bradshaws, the Silveras would not help. With those projects in hand, they would only fall further into debt.
The plan was going smoothly. Gilbert had not gone to see Marigold once. He knew that before subduing the Bradshaws, going to visit Marigold would only endanger her.
After all, Marigold was safe. Nothing had happened, and Caleb was growing up healthily.
One month later, things began to feel off in Bradshaw Operations.
After Quincey Group received their money, they did not start the project. No one knew what they were doing.
Esther was feeling antsy. She prodded Gilbert to ask if there was anything wrong with it.
“Oh. I forgot to tell you that the project can’t be done. The land beneath the surface is heavy metal. There is no way to build anything on it,” Gilbert said indifferently.
Esther shook. She couldn’t believe her ears. “What did you just say?”
“Didn’t you see the news? The reporters have covered it. That land is barren, ” Gilbert said, looking like the perfect picture of innocence.
“You…” Esther was so angry that she wanted to pummel him, but Gilbert would not just let her hit him. She placed a hand on her chest and looked at him in disbelief. “Did you know about this? Did you plan this with Eustace? But that can’t be right. He invested money into it. If he’d done that, he’d be the one to suffer losses.”
Esther couldn’t figure it out, so Gilbert helped her. “The Quinceys had not given out a single penny. They’d used the money that Bradshaw Operations had invested into clearing the land.”
“You…Oh!” Esther was foaming at the mouth.
Gilbert and Eustace had long discovered that the land was unusable. That was why they built their scheme around it and claimed that there was great potential investing in it. It was all just a ruse to make Esther cough up the money and make a huge profit later on.
But in reality, that plot of land was barren.
It took a long time for Esther to recover. With reddened eyes, she glared at Gilbert. “Why? Why are you doing this?”
“There’s nothing much to it. I never wanted to be part of the Bradshaws. You just had to invoke my wrath.” If the Bradshaws hadn’t suddenly attacked him, he wouldn’t have come up with such a time- consuming plot to destroy them. Gilbert no longer kept up with the pretense. He said,” Didn’t you want to know why I’d gone missing for all these years? Why don’t you investigate your son, Eli? If he hadn’t made me follow him back then, I wouldn’t have gotten lost.”
“What?” Esther didn’t quite know how to react.
Gilbert did not plan on explaining further. He’d already said enough. If Esther just took the time to investigate, she would find it out on her own. Of course, he didn’t want Esther to take revenge on Eli for making him go missing. It no longer meant anything.
“You’d better watch out. The Bradshaws are no longer like before.” The Bradshaws were on the verge of bankruptcy. The money that they owed the Silveras was due anytime soon.
Besides selling off their properties, there was nothing else that the Bradshaws could do. Gilbert could already predict what would happen to them. In this state, they were no longer a threat to him. He could finally live the life that he wanted all along.
Gilbert and Marigold (76)
That afternoon, Gilbert called off his engagement to the Silveras. He did not pick up a single one of Lottie’s calls.
When he found Marigold, she was taking Caleb on a stroll around the neighborhood. It had been a while since she’d taken notice of anything related to Gilbert. She suddenly felt how nice it was to have her mental energy spent somewhere else, no longer being so hung up on that man.
However, when Gilbert appeared before her, her heartbeat quickened.
“Why are you here?” Marigold said, snapping out of her reverie.
Gilbert smiled lightly. Without saying much else, he pulled her into an embrace. Didn’t you say that I could come to see you once everything is settled?”
Marigold was stunned. She was in disbelief. “So, what you’re saying is it’s all over?”
“Didn’t you read the news?” Gilbert was speechless.
“No. I didn’t want to care.” Every time she saw anything about Gilbert and Lottie, she felt miserable. She’d rather save herself the pain and block out anything to do with them.
Gilbert was not mad. Instead, his heart ached. It was because of him that Marigold refused to see the news. “The Bradshaws have been ruined. They will not threaten us anymore. And I’ve called off my engagement with Lottie.”
Marigold felt like she was dreaming.
After moving out from Danika’s villa, she hadn’t taken Gilbert’s words to heart. She didn’t think that he would actually come to find her. She was fully prepared to spend the rest of her life with just her child.
But now…
“Is that true?” Marigold wasn’t too certain. She was doubtful of Gilbert’s words.
Gilbert looked at her and said once more, seriously, “It’s true. I’m not lying to you.”
Marigold didn’t know what to say.
“Let me take care of you and our child, Marigold. Please,” Gilbert said, finally taking those words off his chest.
Marigold said nothing. Her eyes watered.
“I like you, Marigold. Let’s be together.” It took him a lot of courage to say that. He was finally admitting it today.
In fact, once those words were out, it didn’t feel as hard as he thought.
Marigold cried. She’d been waiting for these words for far too long. “You wont leave us, will you?” she asked.
Gilbert shook his head. “I won’t. I never will.”
With those words, Marigold finally nodded and agreed. This was what she always wanted. Gilbert had done it. He had never lied to her, and she was willing to give him another chance. She knew that she was easily won over, which would make anyone take her for granted, but she had no defenses when it came to Gilbert.
The moment he waved at her, she would run toward him.
She thought that she had let go of him. It turned out that she hadn’t, not at all.
“So all the nice things you did to me were all an act, weren’t they?” Lottie appeared all of a sudden. No one knew for how long she had been standing there. But judging by the expression on her face, she’d heard a lot.
Gilbert let go of Marigold and shielded her behind him. “I apologize. That was my fault.”
“Is one apology enough?” Lottie asked.
“I can make it up to you.” Lottie was innocent, after all. Even though Gilbert didn’t like her, he wouldn’t hold anything against her.
When she heard that, it was as if she’d heard a joke. “Make it up to me? Do you think I need your pity?”
“What else do you want me to do?” Gilbert asked coldly.
With his attitude, Lottie didn’t know what else she could say. “So you truly never liked me?”
“Never,” Gilbert replied without any hesitation.
Lottie did not press on. She turned and left.
Gilbert didn’t know if she would bear a grudge against him, but he didn’t want to think about it. Right now, he just wanted to be with Marigold and their child. He didn’t want to care about anything else.
Only Marigold was concerned. “She won’t do anything to us, will she?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be here to protect you both in the future.” He embraced her, looking at her with nothing but love. “Let’s go home. Our home.” Gilbert took her hand and held Caleb in the other. He led them onward.
Marigold did not refuse.
Home.
She wanted one so much. A home that belonged to the three of them.
She was finally getting what she always wished for. Right this moment, all the pain that she had gone through suddenly felt worth it. Maybe all the bad days were over, and the good days were finally waiting for them.
“Don’t you dare disappoint me, Gilbert,” she thought.
——-The End