Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion >>
“Grandpa, tomorrow won’t do.” She put down her cutlery. “The hospital has arranged for me to work at one of its free clinics in the countryside. I’ll only be back after a few months.”
“How many months will you be posted?” Old Mr. Quincey appeared shocked and glanced at Eustace.
Eustace froze upon learning that she’d be away, but he soon collected himself and remarked, “That’s very kind of you, Dr. Zellweger! But do the free clinics need a famous doctor like you?”
In his opinion, only average doctors would be stationed at the free clinics. Posting an excellent resource like Danika would be a huge loss to the hospital and the patients of Parrington.
“It’s for charity, after all. It has nothing to do with the popularity of doctors. If we’re measuring profit and loss while performing charity, that’s no different from putting on a show.” She stared at him coolly in her usual hostile attitude.
As they were at Old Mr. Quincey’s place, Eustace could do nothing about it. He understood the sarcasm in her words-she implied he was greedy and materialistic. He gritted his teeth and glared at her. “As the main shareholder of the hospital, it looks like I have neglected to ask for updates. No one bothered to inform me about this program.”
“Mr. Quincey, I know you’re the main shareholder of Parrington Hospital, but you’d better not interfere in the operations because you’re not familjar with the medical field.”
Danika’s remark sent him into a rage, and his grip on his cutleries tightened. He shot her a cold look with an air of animosity. Danika remained unbothered because she knew that he was powerless in front of Old Mr. Quincey.
Finally, Old Mr. Quincey coughed and inserted himself into the conversation. “Danika is right. Working at the free clinic is a great service. She could help those who needed medical attention. Eustace, you should learn from her.”
“Got it, Grandpa.” Eustace nodded. “Fll increase the amount of donations this year. I believe many will benefit from it.”
The Quincey Group made charitable donations every year but never made them public. Eustace thought it was time to market their efforts to change the perception that he was an evil capitalist.
At dinner, Old Mr. Quincey chatted away with Eustace and Danika while Yvonne was sidelined. She felt that she was watching a family of three. Eustace and Danika were especially comfortable together. They took jabs at each other, but it all sounded like a lover’s quarrel.
“I’ll have to call it a day. I’m a tired old man. Time to rest.” Old Mr. Quincey stood up to leave. Before that, he turned around and reminded Eustace, “You should give Danika a house tour.”
With that, he went up to his bedroom. Throughout the night, he did not as much as spare Yvonne a glance.
After Old Mr. Quincey left, the atmosphere in the living room became tense. Danika checked the time and decided to leave as she needed to pack her belongings for the trip tomorrow.
She stood up. “It’s getting late. I shall excuse myself.”
Eustace followed suit. He walked over to her. “Grandpa told me to take you on a walk around the Old Mansion. If you leave right now, you’ll only get me into trouble with him.”
“I won’t…”
“Cool. If so, follow me. It’s just a walk around the grounds. Do you even worry about that, Dr. Zellweger?” He insisted aggressively without giving her a chance to leave.
Danika was reluctant to be shown around the house, especially if it meant spending time alone with Eustace. She turned to Yvonne and said, “Miss Dickman, why don’t you join us? I don’t want to cause any misunderstanding.”
“Sure-” Wonne answered.
“Yvonne isn’t that petty. There won’t be any misunderstanding.” Eustace cut Yvonne off.
Her expression crumbled, but she quickly put on a smile. “Eustace’s right. Miss Zellweger, enjoy the walk. I’m fine.
Speechless, Danika glanced at Eustace, who now stood tall and victorious. She nodded with a smile. “Alright.” Even though her eyes gleamed with resentment, it didn’t bother Eustace. The pair walked into the backyard, leaving Yvonne staring at them and gritting her teeth.
In the backyard, Danika followed right behind Eustace, praying she could get home soon. The tour was unnecessary, for she had visited the Old Mansion countless times. It was merely Old Mr. Quincey’s attempt at matchmaking. She wondered about the reason behind his stubbornness, given that she was incompatible with Eustace.
Deep in thought, she didn’t notice that Eustace had come to a stop and promptly bumped into him. “Ouch!” she gasped and looked up, only to find him staring at her.
He flashed her a half-smile and asked, “Are you looking to get intimate, Dr. Zelliot?”
She said nothing and rolled her eyes at him, hoping that she had made herself clear. His expression fell, and the smile was wiped off his face. “Why go to the countryside and work at the free clinic?”
She would be posted there for three months-the thought of not seeing her suffocated him.
“Mr. Quincey, is everything okay? I told you it was the hospital that made the assignments. Dumbfounded, she refused to engage in further conversation and turned around to leave. However, he grabbed her wrist and trapped her on the spot.
“But you could turn down the assignment!” Although he had little clue about the details of the rural free clinic program details, he was confident that the hospital would not force Danika to participate if she turned it down.
“Why would I?” she fired back, thinking he was being ridiculous. How could he grill her on unimportant details when his fiancée was sitting in the living room?
“He’s such a jerk!” she thought.
“Are you running away from something?” He gave her a deep look as though he wanted to read all her secrets.
That hit a nerve in her, and she raised her voice. “Running away? Why don’t you tell me what I’m running away from?”
“You can’t accept the fact that I’m marrying Yvonne. That’s why you need to run away.” He looked at her intently, desperate to force an admission from her.
Danika, as expected, would not confess and tell him what he wanted to hear. Instead, she shook off his grip and bellowed, “Are you sick in the head? What does your marriage have to do with me? You damn narcissist!”
Enraged, Danika decided to leave. She could not stand another minute around Eustace. However, at the height of her emotions, she didn’t realize that she had overreacted to his question.