Ch. 1851..1860

Chapter 1851 Help In Secret

“I'm heading to the airport right now.” Francesca asked, “What's up?”

"Why are you going to the airport at this time?” William asked hastily. “Where are you going?”

“I have things I need to take care of in S Nation,” she replied. “Do you need something from me?” “It's nothing. I just want to meet you.” He sounded disappointed. “Have you met with Mr. Lindberg?”

"I did,” she answered. “I have things to do, so Ill hang up the phone now. Please remember to keep my secret. Goodbye.”

Then she hung up the phone.

"He still hasn't given up on you yet?” Anthony sounded envious. “Both of you don't live in the same world. It's impossible for him to stay with you...”

"You keep saying no one lives in the same world as I am. How many worlds do you think are there on this planet?” Francesca rolled her eyes at him.

“Ugh...” He felt even more uneasy when he heard that. “Does this mean you like him?”

“You talk too much.” She glanced at the watch on her wrist and urged the driver to go faster.

While her flight was a little over nine in the morning, she still wanted to arrive at the airport as soon as possible.

For some reason, she couldn't stop feeling uneasy. Danrique’s cold expression and the bruised look in his eyes kept appearing in her mind.

She felt like she had done something wrong, which fueled her desire to leave the city as soon as possible.

"Breaking news. Richard Windt, CEO of the Windt Corporation, was found dead at the bottom of his company's building this morning. His daughter, Charlotte Windt, was at Sultry Night last night...” The radio broadcast inside the taxi was reporting morning news.

When Anthony heard that, he was shocked. “What? I didn't hear that wrong, did 17

“Mr. Windt really did that? Is that really him?” Francesca was shocked too.

"How can this be? He was fine yesterday, and his daughter had just gotten engaged. Why would he do that this morning?” Disbelief was written all over his face.

“Life really is unpredictable.” The taxi driver sighed. “Who could've thought that the richest man in the city would jump off a building?”

"Why isn't there more about the news? Can you make it go back?” Anthony asked anxiously.

“The news had been reported several times in the morning already.” The taxi driver changed the radio channel. The same news was being reported there too.

He speculated, “I heard that the engagement was called off last night. He probably jumped because he was too embarrassed or something.”

“Impossible,” Anthony spoke firmly. “An ambitious man like him won't do something that foolish over such a small matter.”

“That I don't know.” The taxi driver continued, “The news also said that after the engagement was called off, the daughter of Mr. Windt went to Sultry Night to fool around with gigolos. It was a pretty big mess. Maybe Mr. Windt felt so humiliated that he jumped?”

“I don't know if that's true or not, but even assuming that it is, I doubt Mr. Windt jumped because of it.” Anthony sounded a little livid. “Right now, all negative news about the incident can't be trusted. Someone must've been trying to smear Mr. Windt's name.”

Francesca stayed silent.

"My impression of Mr. Windt is that he's a composed, strong-willed, and optimistic man. There's no way he'll do it.” Anthony furrowed his eyebrows. “Maybe he was killed by someone?”

“It's hard to tell when it comes to the business sector,” the driver replied.

Francesca broke her silence and reminded, “He's gone now, and there's nothing we can do about that. You should check if her daughter needs anything. If she does, help her out in secret.”

“Sure, I'll ask my friends to keep an eye out.” Anthony nodded.

“Go do it yourself.”

“But we're going to S Nation right now.”

“The trip to S Nation will only take a few days. After our business is taken care of, you'll come back to H City and see what assistance you can provide Mr. Windt's daughter.”

“Fair enough. They'll probably be busy taking care of his funeral for the next few days, so they'll be too occupied to care about anything else. After it's over, problems will begin to pop up.”

“Mhm. Help her in secret. Don't do it publicly.”

“Roger.”

Chapter 1852 Die

They soon arrived at the airport. Once they passed through the security check, they arrived at the boarding gate.

Anthony gave Francesca a bottle of water and couldn“t help but comment, “Say, since you're so rich now, why do you still act thrifty? All our flights have been in the economy class. I can't even stretch my legs!”

“But I could.” She was reading a medical document.

“That's because you're short. I'm one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, you know. My legs cry out in pain every time we sit in an economy-class seat,” he mumbled.

“You can upgrade your seat, but you'll have to do it out of your own pocket.” Francesca rolled her eyes at him. “Also, I'm one hundred and sixty-two centimeters tall. That's not short.”

“Right, right. You're not short, you're just dainty.” Anthony immediately tried to flatter her. “I'm not going to upgrade my seat. I wanna sit with you.”

She ignored him and continued to read the document.

He was very bored, so he decided to do his work. As he did, he checked out the news on Windt Corporation and found out that the company had had a very big problem in the recent months. After checking the numbers, he commented, “Seems like a powerful force really is messing with Windt Corporation.”

“What is done cannot be undone. There's nothing we can change.” Francesca seemed calm. “The only thing we can do now is to give his daughter a helping hand when she needs it.”

“Mhm.” Anthony nodded. “You've already seen through life and death being a doctor. Have you seen through the worldly matters now too?”

“When I was young, I thought as long as I'm powerful enough, I can control everything. However, in reality, some things can’t be controlled even with power...” She couldn“t help but sigh.

“You're still thinking about that?” He looked at her with a pained expression. “You did your best. The final results have nothing to do with you.”

“If I wasn't arrogant, perhaps that child would've still been alive.” She felt pretty gloomy when she recalled that.

A few years ago, when she just became a doctor, she once treated a patient. It was a six-year-old girl.

The child's father went through a lot of effort so she could have an operation. However, ultimately, due to a few reasons, the operation failed, and the child passed away.

It impacted Francesca a lot because before that, she thought there was nothing she couldn't do. She arrogantly swore to the patient's father that the operation would succeed.

The father trusted her completely, so much so that he even started to prepare his child's birthday party.

However, the child died at the operation table.

The father was plunged into despair. He hated her to the bone and swore to make her pay the price. After that happened, she cut herself off from the outside world and stopped performing her duties as a doctor for a year until she received William's invitation to go to Danontand.

“You were nineteen at the time. It's only natural that you aren't experienced enough...” Anthony consoled.

“Let's not talk about it anymore.” She changed the topic and headed to the restroom.

She wanted to wash her face to readjust her mood.

Bang!

Suddenly, a muffled sound was heard. Something zipped past her head and hit the wall behind her. When she turned back, she saw it was a bullet.

She quickly realized someone was using a gun with a silencer. There's a gunfight in the airport? Before she could dwell on it, a battle had ensued.

Two groups of people were engaged in a violent gunfight, and she was unintentionally stuck in- between.

When she raised her head, she saw Danrique’s men among the chaos.

So, it was likely that someone was ambushing him, and his people were fighting back.

Why am I so unlucky to have come across him again? She did her best to flee the scene as quickly as possible.

At that moment, she suddenly saw the slim, tall figure on the other side. The narrowed eyes on his handsome face were fixated on her...

“Die, Danrique!” Suddenly, someone shouted from behind and fired their gun at Danrique.

Chapter 1853 Stubborn

Francesca dodged subconsciously. However, something suddenly hit her leg, causing her to fall into Danrique’s embrace.

The bullet that was fired hit squarely on her back.

“No!!l” Anthony shouted agitatedly.

As for Danrique, he hugged her in his embrace, completely stunned. His mind had turned blank.. "Ouch..." It was the first time she was shot. Now I know what it feels like to be hit by a bullet as a doctor.

It didnt hit her vital organ, so she didn't pass out immediately, but she could clearly feel the devastating pain spreading throughout her entire body.

"Don't be scared. I'm here.” Danrique hugged her tightly as he roared, “Call an ambulance!” “Roger.” Sean immediately called for an ambulance.

Gordon swiftly took out the hostile gunmen.

Soon, the police arrived to control the situation.

Danrique carried Francesca into a car. Anthony wanted to follow them, but the bodyguards stopped him.

“Anthony...” She stretched her hand toward Anthony, so Danrique had no choice but to let Anthony get in.

Anthony stared at the injured Francesca as his face turned pale. “Don’t worry, we're going to the hospital right now. You're going to be fine.”

“Take this...” She used her trembling blood-stained hand to grab the cross necklace from her pocket and handed it to him. “Go to S Nation!"

"But—"

“Go!” Her tone sounded commanding.

"Ok, I got it.” He grabbed the necklace and looked at Danrique uneasily. “Please take good care of her."

“Scram!” Danrique kicked him out of the car. “Drive!”

“Roger.”

After Anthony was kicked out, he landed awkwardly on the ground before he aggrievedly crawled up and watched the car leave.

He was extremely worried about Francesca, but he couldn't disobey her either, so he headed to S Nation to take care of the matter with the orphanage first.

At the same time, Francesca had passed out because she lost a massive amount of blood.

Danrique sent her to H City's hospital to receive treatment there.

The doctors swiftly started saving her. Thankfully, the bullet didn't hit her vital organs, so she wasn't in any critical danger.

However, Danrique was furious. He ordered Gordon to figure out who did it so he could tear that guy into pieces.

Gordon immediately set out to investigate.

Sean, on the other hand, carefully reminded that they were all in Zarain at the moment. The law was strict in the country, so they couldn't do anything too drastic.

Danrique ordered coldly, “Then just take him to Erihal and kill him there.”

“Roger!” Sean quickly lowered his head.

"Cece sacrificed herself to save me. I won't let anything happen to her.” Danrique gripped her hand tightly as he stared at her pale face.

He felt touched and guilty.

Sean was stunned. Uh, she sacrificed herself to save you? Did you not notice what actually happened? I'm pretty sure she accidentally stumbled into your embrace and unintentionally took a bullet for you.

Of course, he wasn't going to say that.

All Danrique could think of at the moment was Francesca. If he revealed the truth then and there, Danrique would probably strangle him in a fit of embarrassment.

“It's all because of me.” Danrique stared at the unconscious Francesca and spoke with guilt. “She intentionally found a man to piss me off, and I actually fell for it. I should've known that she didn't forget about me. She told me that she was going to marry me after she grew up.”

“Uhm, Mr. Lindberg...” Sean couldn't keep quiet anymore and reminded, “Didn't she say that she's pregnant?”

“The doctor checked her. She's not pregnant.” Danrique’s expression darkened as he said seriously, “She's probably avoiding me, which was why she made up that lie. And yet, at that moment, she still protected me out of instinct. She loves me. I just know it...”

Sean was speechless. He has a one-track mind when it comes to love.

Chapter 1854 Home

When Francesca woke up, she realized she was in a white room.

All the decorations in the room were mainly white with a touch of other plain colors. It looked refreshing and romantic.

Just as she was still observing the room with a blank mind, a few maids suddenly entered the room and greeted her politely. “You're awake, Ms. Cece.”

Francesca was dumbfounded. Ms. Cece?

"Greetings. My name is Norah, the stewardess of this castle. Mr. Lindberg had asked us to take good care of you. How are you feeling right now? Does your wound still hurt? I've already asked someone to call the doctor.” A foreign middle-aged woman with a warm smile approached the bed Francesca was lying on.

While she was a foreigner, she could speak pretty fluent Chanaean.

“Where am 1?” Francesca tried to sit up forcefully.

Two maids swiftly rushed toward her to help her up.

“This is the Lindberg residence in Xendale, Erihal,” Norah explained with a smile. “It's also Mr. Lindberg's home.”

"Ah?" Francesca was shocked. Danrique brought me to his home in Erihal? Oh no, oh no. There's no way I can’t escape now.

At that moment, the door was pushed open. A few female doctors entered the room. They first bowed at her politely before examining her wound.

Francesca was in so much pain that she couldn't move properly, so all she could do was to let them examine her. Have they found out about the injury at the back of my brain? Did Danrique know my true identity? I guess I'll know soon enough...

After a while, she let out a sigh of relief in her mind. No, I wasn't found out. If I was, then they would've known my true identity. And if they did, then they wouldn't be calling me Ms. Cece. Still, I suppose that isn't weird, since they're just normal doctors. They're only concerned about treating the gunshot wound on my back. It's unlikely they'll notice the metal hidden inside my noggin. It's good that they don’t know, otherwise, Danrique will just think I'm lying to him and playing him. Still, I told him I'm pregnant, so why did he bring me back to his home? Even if he doesn’t mind I have a boyfriend right now, does he really not mind that I'm pregnant?

"We're going to change your bandages now, Ms. Cece. It'll hurt, but it'll be quick. Please bear with us...” The doctor's Chanaean wasn't great, but it was understandable.

“Mhm.” Francesca lay down and waited for them to treat her wound.

The doctors were already very gentle with their movements, but when they applied the ointments, it still caused a little bit of pain. When Francesca let out a small groan of pain, a roar was heard from outside of the door. “Be gentler!”

“Yes, Mr. Lindberg!”

The female doctors were shaking in their boots and treated the wound even more gently. Francesca turned her head back and saw Danrique standing at the door, looking at her with furrowed eyebrows. There was worry and anxiety on his face.

It made her a little confused. What's going on with this guy? Did he figure out I was lying to him? Did he intentionally bring me here to punish me? Or is he still on his one-track mind thinking that I'm his first love from when he was young and that he wanted to stay with me even when I'm carrying another person's child?

After the ointments were applied and the bandages were changed, the doctors left.

Norah covered Francesca with a blanket and stood aside.

Only then did Danrique walk in. He asked softly, “Does it still hurt?”

“Ugh...” Francesca was feeling a little uncertain as she replied weakly, “It's fine.”

“It'll be better after a couple of days. A gunshot wound usually only hurts for three days. It'll stop hurting after three days.” His voice still sounded like usual, but there was a tinge of caution in his tone.

“I see,” she replied before asking, “Why did you bring me back to your home?”

“You're hurt because of me, so I'm going to take responsibility for that,” Danrique said seriously. “I'll protect you and take care of you from now on!”

She was stunned for a second before she quickly explained, “Is there any misunderstandings? Actually, I—"

Before she could finish, she suddenly heard a loud bang coming from the outside.

She was shocked by that. He furrowed his eyebrows and exclaimed, “Didn't I tell you to drag him further away before killing him? You're scaring Cece.”

“I'm sorry, Mr. Lindberg.”

 

Chapter 1855 Lady Of The House

Francesca was stunned. She looked out of the window with a dumbfounded expression. W-What's going on?

“The man who shot you had just been executed, Ms. Cece,” Sean informed politely. “Do you want to take a look?”

“Uh, there's no need for that.” She shook her head.

“No need to worry.” He smiled and explained, “This is Erihal. Nobles in Erihal have the right to possess weapons and kill people.”

She stared at him as she was certain that there was a hidden meaning behind the lines.

It seemed like he was reminding her that if she pissed off Danrique, she might not be able to leave the building alive...

“No need to be scared.” Danrique looked at her gently. “I won't let anyone hurt you!”

"Uh, about that...” She wanted to tell him that she didn’t block to bullet for him on purpose.

It was just her being unlucky enough to fall into his embrace moments before the hostile gunmen fired at him.

She decided not to tell him that because being alive was far more important than setting the record straight.

Since he was taking care of her at that moment, she was going to recover first before finding an opportunity to escape.

"Just rest, all right?” Danrique said before leaving.

She stared at his back speechlessly. This guy looks tall, big, and handsome, yet he has a one-track mind. How can he think I that I used my body to block a bullet for him? Is he delusional?

“You seem quite familiar, Ms. Cece. Have we met somewhere before?” Sean stared at her deeply.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that she looked really familiar, but he couldn't recall where he saw her. “No, I don't think we've met before,” Francesca denied.

If Danrique knew she was Francesco, he might think she was playing him.

Additionally, once he knew her true identity, she might really be unable to escape.

"Okay." Sean didn't have the nerve to ask her any more questions or even look at her any further. He lowered his head and left.

Francesca lay on the bed; her brain was a mess. I didn't wear a mask before when I was posing as a dancer. There was only a wig disguising my appearance. Now that I'm not wearing any makeup or wigs, there's no doubt I resemble Francesco now. Hell, even Sean's getting suspicious. It'll only be a matter of time before Danrique figures out who I am, even with his love-obsessed mind. So, I need to figure out how to leave this place as soon as possible.

Luckily, he was pretty busy for the next few days. She rarely saw him, which meant she could recuperate in peace.

All the maids and bodyguards treated her with great respect, as though she had become the lady of the castle.

Francesca was too lazy to explain herself. She only wanted her wound to recover as soon as possible so she could book it out of the place.

Five days passed in a blink of an eye. Her wound had recovered a lot, so much so that she could walk freely. That day, she asked for a phone from a maid and called Anthony.

“Hello? It's me!”

"Oh god! Francesca! Are you all right? I was worried sick about you!" He sounded exaggerated.

“I'm not dead yet. There's no need to shout.” She asked coldly, “So, did you open the box? Has the issue with the orphanage been dealt with yet?”

“I did open it and sold a couple of things inside in an auction. The money is in my possession. Right now, Mr. Lincoln and Ms. Layla are taking care of the orphanage. Still, I suspect that there's going to be a problem with the foundation. I'll tell you more about it in detail once you return...”

“The foundation is definitely funneling my money into their pockets. In fact, they might be deliberately creating problems to extract funds. Investigate the matter in secret first. I'll take care of it once I come back.”

“So you knew about it already...”

"Of course I knew! Do you think I'm stupid?”

"Where are you right now? When are you coming back?”

"We'll see... I'll hang up now!”

“Wait.” Anthony quickly stopped her. “I have something I need to report. It's about the Windt family.”

 

Chapter 1856 Guests

“What is it?" Francesca asked.

“An informant in H City told me that Mr. Windt's daughter brought a sapphire necklace to the black market for auction. It was right around the time I just took care of the orphanage, so I went back to H City overnight. The people in the black market had determined that it was a priceless sapphire necklace. Since it came from F Nation's royalty, it'll sell for at least fifty million based on market price. If it's auctioned instead, then the price will go way higher. I've already asked those people to contact Ms. Windt, so she’s making her way here now. I'll be meeting her soon. What price should I offer?”

“Around one million,” Francesca informed.

“Eh? Isn't one million way too little?” Anthony felt bad. “I know what you're thinking. Giving an orphaned, helpless girl too much money will only attract danger to her. But don't you think we should give her a little more?”

“Adversity makes one stronger, whereas comfort makes one weaker,” Francesca replied flatly. “At this time, if she receives too much money, she may easily give up on any desire to improve her situation. In contrast, if she only receives a little bit of money, she'll be able to live comfortably, but there'll also be enough pressure on her to make her strive for the better.”

“I understand.” He was very obedient.

“Protect the necklace and return it to her in the future,” she ordered.

“I know. You always repay a debt of gratitude in secret.” There was a tinge of teasing in his voice, though there was admiration, too. “Say, how are you so mature, even though you're still pretty young?”

“I'm not going to talk to you any further. My head's hurting.” She directly hung up the phone and lay on the bed while holding her head

Recently, she had been feeling really tired and becoming forgetful. She would forget where she placed a thing just a minute ago.

She knew that the metal inside the back of her brain was seriously affecting her health. If she didn't undergo that operation as soon as possible, the consequences would be disastrous.

Therefore, she decided to tell Danrique that she was leaving tonight. If he refused to listen, she would have to show her hand.

Just as she was thinking, Norah's voice was heard from the outside. “There's going to be guests tonight. You lot should go to the kitchen to help out.”

“Understood.”

“As for the rest of you, go decorate the living room.”

“Understood.”

Norah was assigning work to the maids while the doctor entered Francesca's room after knocking on the door. She informed politely, “It's time for your medicine, Ms. Cece.”

“Mhm.” Francesca stood up to take her medicine.

She noticed that there was little difference in modern medicine's prescription when it came to treating external wounds. Thus, she didn't ask any questions and did as the doctor asked.

“Ms. Cece...” At that moment, Norah entered the room with a couple of young maids holding a couple of pretty dresses. “There will be guests today. Do you want to dress yourself up? I've arranged a make-up artist and stylist for you. These dresses—"

“No need.” Francesca yawned. “I don't like wearing weird clothing, nor do I like wearing make-up and high heels...”

"Okay." Norah quickly sent the maids out of the room. “Ms. Lindberg said everything shall be done to your liking.”

“Thank you,” Francesca thanked, took her medicine, and went back to her bed.

“Do you want to take a walk, Ms. Cece?” Norah asked carefully. “You've been staying inside your room for days. It must be boring.”

“No need...” Francesca was going to reject the suggestion, but she quickly found the idea to be a good one.

After all, she would have a chance to understand the layout of the place better to make her escape in the middle of the night smoother.

When she thought about that, she quickly changed her tune. “Sure. I'll go for a walk and get some sun.”

“All right. I'll hold you.” Norah quickly helped Francesca up.

A maid helped her put on a coat before they all went downstairs.

“I don't need this many people to follow me. I can walk by myself.” Francesca wasn't used to being treated like that. “Just find someone to lead the way. The rest can leave.”

Norah dismissed the other maids and accompanied Francesca on a walk in the garden.

She wanted to help Francesca walk, but Francesca walked faster than she did.

Chapter 1857 Love Rival

It was the first time Francesca walked out of the castle after arriving there five days ago. It was then she recalled Xendale was a place set in perpetual winter.

There was pure white everywhere. When the sunlight hit the snow, it was as though the ground was coated with a layer of silvery light. It looked incredibly beautiful.

Francesca followed Norah for more than an hour, yet she still hadn’t seen the castle's exit. She couldn't help but ask, “Where's the exit?"

"About three kilometers at the front from here.” Norah smiled. “The castle is quite big. Do you want me to arrange a car to drive you around?”

“No need...” Francesca glanced at the tight security.

Guards were basically littered everywhere. There was no way she was going to sneak out there. After all, the entire place was so big that she literally couldn't see the borders of it. Not to mention there were soldiers with guns everywhere. It would take a miracle for her to escape.

Besides, even if she did sneak out, she knew nothing about the land. There was no way she could escape the country.

Therefore, the best chance she got was to negotiate with Danrique.

Just as she was deep in thought, the sound of a car was suddenly heard in the distance. Norah exclaimed happily, “Mr. Lindberg has returned!”

When Francesca turned toward the sound, she saw a convoy slowly approaching the castle.

“Let's head inside, Ms. Cece. We're going to prepare the banquet to welcome the guests now.” Norah smiled. “We never had guests at the castle before. You're technically the first guest here.”

“I guess that means Danrique doesn't have good interpersonal relationships...” Francesca commented casually. “All right. I'll go back on my own. You can leave now.”

“That won't do, Ms. Cece. I need to send you back first.” Norah spoke politely.

“No, no need for that. I'll just walk around and go back by myself,” Francesca said before she rapidly headed toward the backyard.

Norah was worried Francesca was going to get hurt, so she sent two bodyguards to follow Francesca.

Francesca strolled toward the backyard and continued on forward until she saw something that made her jaw drop.

There was a forest in front of her, and there were lots of dangerous animals inside.

There were tigers, lions, leopards, eagles, cobras, etc...

It would seem like Danrique had a habit of researching animals. However, what was the purpose behind the research?

Just as she was thinking about that, a gentle voice abruptly came from behind her. “Don't be scared...”

Francesca was stunned before she turned her head back. Danrique was standing underneath a big tree in white attire. He looked even more handsome and cold as the white snow reflected on his face.

“They won't hurt you.” He smiled at her gently.

Just as he was walking toward her, a soft voice entered their ears.

Soon, a woman showed up and hugged his arm.

Francesca was taken aback for a second; she sized the stranger up. The woman was slim and tall. Her skin was as white as snow. She was a typical Erihal beauty with a noble aura. When her eyes met with Francesca’s, a hostile look appeared.

“I was looking for you everywhere, Danrique, but I had a feeling you might be here.” The woman glanced at Francesca before speaking in a coquettish and gentle tone. “It's so cold here...”

Before she could finish, he removed his hand coldly, walked straight toward Francesca, and left while holding her hand.

The woman was left disappointed at where she stood, yet she didn't have the guts to say anything. “Eva.” At that moment, a tall and burly middle-aged man with a sharp look approached her.

“Uncle Donald...” The woman stepped toward him and pointed at Francesca. “That woman...”

“I heard about her. She blocked a bullet for him, and so he brought her back here to treat her wound.” The man stared at Danrique and said in a low voice, “A skinny and short woman like her isn't attractive. He won't like her. Even if he does, you need to make him yours. Remember, don't act arrogant and pampered in front of him. A high and mighty man like him doesn't have the patience to coax a woman.”

 

Chapter 1858 Good Side

“Yes, Uncle Donald.” Eva nodded.

“Let's go in.” The man brought her into the hall.

Francesca glanced back. She could tell the man was up to no good, and it was obvious that the woman was gunning for Danrique. That's actually good. If someone's bothering him, then he won't have time to bother me. This way, he'll probably let me leave soon.

As she was still mulling it over, Norah greeted Danrique. “Mr. Lindberg!”

“Let's rest upstairs first,” Danrique informed softly. “We'll come back down when it's time for dinner.”

“You have guests to attend to. I won't disturb you any further.” Francesca had no intention of getting involved in his messy business.

“You'll need to meet them sooner or later,” he uttered with a serious expression. “No need to be afraid. I'm here.”

She was dumbfounded. What does he mean by that?

“I'll help you upstairs, Ms. Cece.” Norah approached and held onto her.

That caused Francesca to snap out of her thoughts and stop thinking about what he said.

When she returned to her room, Francesca lay down on the couch lazily again.

Norah served her a cup of hot beverage. Francesca took a sip before going to sleep.

After Norah covered her with a blanket, she informed the maids to take care of her before leaving quietly.

Sean guided Donald and Eva to the study room downstairs. “Mr. Lindberg is currently changing. He'll join you two soon. For now, please wait in the study room.”

“All right.” Donald looked around the building and sighed. “It really is completely different from how it looked eleven years ago. Everything's changed.”

“The castle underwent a renovation. Naturally, it'll look different,” Sean explained. “After all, the current owner of the castle is Mr. Lindberg!”

“That's true.” Donald nodded with a smile. “Danrique is an accomplished young man. He'll surpass the older generation.”

“Please head inside, Mr. Donald.” Sean led the two guests into the study room.

Norah entered the room with maids to serve coffee and red wine

“Can I take a look around here?” Eva asked politely.

"Of course.” Sean made a gesture before a maid immediately showed Eva around the room.

Even though it was called a study room, it was actually more like a library. The round high-rise design exuded a mysterious and quaint Epean aura.

Eva was looking around while Sean and Donald chatted with each other. Their conversation touched on their loyalty toward Danrique and their denial of the rumors from the outside world.

Sean smiled along, though he knew what was going on in his heart.

Ever since Danrique poisoned the Lindberg family in a single night and took control of Lindberg Corporation eleven years ago, he had only one relative left, Donald.

Of course, there were other more distant relatives, but they were in no position to affect Danrique. Donald had a lot of power in the company and the family. It wasn't a well-guarded secret that he had been persuading the branch families to join him in secret.

Additionally, Lindberg Corporation wasn't inherited by a single family. The majority of the stocks were split between three major families, which made it difficult to manage the company.

That was why Danrique wanted to expand into the Epea and Adrune market. If he could add more of his own chips to the table, he would be able to compete with other factions vying for the company’s control.

Lindberg Corporation might seem peaceful on the surface, but it was quite the opposite beneath the facade.

Since Danrique had successfully expanded into the Epea and Adrune market, Donald immediately decided to visit with his niece to get on Danrique’s good side.

If Donald couldn't get rid of Danrique, then all he needed to do was to make Danrique his ally. That was the principle he lived by to survive.

He hoped he could show his good faith to Danrique through that method.

Creak!

At that moment, the door to the study room opened.

Danrique walked into the room in a comfortable and relaxing white suit.

“Mr. Lindberg!” Sean greeted his employer.

Eva hastily let down the book in her hand and gracefully approached him. “Danrique!”

“I don't like you calling me that,” Danrique said coldly.

Eva was shocked by his cold attitude. She stayed silent fearfully and looked at Donald meekly. "Danrique is right.” Donald went along with what Danrique wanted. “I think you should call him Mr. Lindberg like the others.”

v

Chapter 1859 Fiancee

“Mr. Lindberg!” Eva carefully called Danrique that.

It was then she realized her enthusiastic and coquettish facade was ineffective. In fact, it would only make him dislike her more.

Danrique nodded politely and asked Donald a question. “Why are you here, Uncle Donald?”

Donald laughed. “Eva just returned from F Nation, and I wanted to introduce her to you. Right now, she’s an international model and she knows how to speak three languages fluently. Since you two are young, I thought you two might become friends—"

“That's nice.” Danrique cut him off and said plainly, “If the company’s marketing department needs a model, I'll consider collaborating with you.”

Eva's expression froze with awkwardness.

“That's a good joke, Danrique.” Donald went along with the flow. “Eva's father is a famous jeweler, and he just signed a collaboration contract with Victoria's Secret. Her family isn't lacking any money. She's nineteen years old this year, and she never had a boyfriend before. She's pure and innocent. Since you're single right now, I thought I could introduce her to you so you two can know each other—"

"Okay, we've known each other now.” Danrique nodded and spoke with a straight face. “If you need anything else in the future, you can find Sean.”

He then stood up and said, “Dinner’s ready. Let's eat.”

Eva had no idea how to respond to that. She could only look at Donald restlessly.

Donald promptly stood up and smiled. “Thank you for treating us.”

“Let's go.”

They all exited the study room and arrived at the dining room. The maids had already prepared a lavish feast.

Danrique asked, “Where's Cece?”

“Mdm. Norah had gone upstairs to bring her down,” the maid replied politely.

Francesca was yawning and rubbing her eyes inside the room. “I'm not going to join them. I don't know the guests. It's just going to be awkward.”

“Mr. Lindberg had ordered that you must join them for dinner downstairs.” Norah pleaded anxiously, “Please, Ms. Cece. Don't make things difficult for us.”

Francesca didn't have the heart to say no after seeing how anxious Norah was. So, she changed into another outfit before going downstairs.

The sound of piano could be heard playing inside the dining room. There were dozens of delicious dishes on the table.

Danrique sat in the main seat talking about business matters with Donald in Erihalean.

Eva listened to the conversation obediently at the side as she stared at Danrique with admiration. There was an irresistible charm about Danrique that deeply attracted her.

Sadly, he never once looked at her. However, when Francesca arrived, he immediately stood up and pulled out a chair for her. He even thoughtfully laid out a napkin for her.

Eva was dumbfounded when she saw that.

Donald stared at Francesca deeply before asking with a smile, “And this is?”

"She's Cece,” Danrique introduced plainly. “My fiancée.”

Pfft!

Francesca almost spat out the water she drank. Thankfully, she managed to cover her mouth in time. However, that caused her to cough relentlessly as she choked on the water. What's going on? Why am I suddenly his fiancée? No one told me about this.

Donald was befuddled. He never expected Danrique to have a fiancée already, and that Danrique would tell him about her that straightforwardly.

Eva was shocked and stunned as well.

Donald was able to recover quickly from that shocking revelation and greeted Francesca with a smile. “Nice to meet you!”

Francesca smiled awkwardly before leaning toward Danrique and asking in Chanaean, “When did I become your fiancée? Why didn't I know about this?”

“It's only a matter of time,” Danrique replied matter-of-factly.

She was speechless. This hole of misunderstanding is going deeper and deeper. Looks like I have to escape this place soon or else I really will be forced to marry him. I don’t want to get married. Giving birth to a child is scary...

Chapter 1860 Flattery

"How should I address you then?” Donald turned to ask Francesca casually.

“I...” the latter was at a loss for words.

Danrique introduced her right away, “You can address her as Ms. Cece. After she fully recovers, I'll start preparing for our wedding. I'll notify everyone again after the date is set.”

Francesca was thunderstruck. What? Am I hearing things? Did he just mention about our wedding? Even though we'd known each other during our teenage days, we'd not met each other for ages! Now that we've only reunited for barely a few days, he’s already thinking of marrying me? My goodness! Has he gone nuts?

Donald smiled jubilantly. “What great news! Congratulations!”

Next, he turned toward Eva. “Eva, congratulate Mr. Lindberg now!”

"Ah!" The latter was momentarily stunned before she finally forced a tight-lipped smile. “Mr. Lindberg, congratulations!”

“Thank you! Let's dig in,” Danrique replied indifferently.

Shortly after, the few of them chatted jovially while enjoying their meals. Donald asked Francesca affably, “Ms. Cece, you're from Zarain, aren't you?”

"Ah! Yes,” Francesca, who was cutting the steak, replied courteously.

In the meantime, she could not help feeling awkward and could barely wait for the session to end. “What do your parents do?” Donald asked again.

Paying no heed to his question, Francesca told Danrique, “I'm done. Enjoy your meal.”

The next moment, she stood up and was about to leave.

The moment Danrique made a gesture, Norah moved forward to help Francesca up toward the stairs.

“Mr. Lindberg...” Eva lifted her wineglass, thinking of clinking glasses with Danrique. However, she somehow accidentally splashed the glass of red wine onto herself. Startled, she yelped and stood up hastily.

Donald frowned and reprimanded, “What's the matter with you? Why're you so careless?”

“Go and clean yourself up then,” Danrique stated placidly.

The next moment, Sean assigned a maid to bring her upstairs.

Eva quickened her pace to catch up with Francesca, who was going up the stairs, and apologized in Ustranasion, “Ms. Cece! I'm sorry about my impulsiveness in the backyard just now!”

“It's all right,” Francesca replied casually.

“My dress is dirty. Can I get myself cleaned up in your room?” Eva asked eagerly, putting on her brightest smile. Evidently, she was trying to butter Francesca up.

“There're plenty of guest rooms. Why do you have to go to my room?” Francesca cut to the chase. “Ehm...” Blushed crimson, Eva could not utter any words.

"Ms. Eva, I'll get someone to take you to the guest room then.” Norah tried to rectify the situation at once.

Flashing the latter with a smile, Eva thanked her sincerely, “Thank you.”

After that, she turned to pester Francesca, “Mr. Lindberg is usually occupied and might not be able to keep you company all the time. I bet you must be feeling bored in this castle. I can accompany you to explore Xendale. There're a lot of interesting tourist spots here...”

An inexplicit glint flashed across Francesca's eye as something came to her. She turned to look at Eva, “Oh, is that so?"

"Of course!” The latter was over the moon at Francesca’s response and uttered excitedly, “I grew up in Xendale, so I know well about all the interesting places here and eateries serving delicious food. I can bring you to go skiing and look at the snow leopards and auroras. If you are a food lover, I can take you to savor a wide variety of sumptuous food and even take you to parties..."

“That's great! Come to my room to get changed then. We can even have a chat there,” Francesca stated friendlily, a stark contrast to her indifference a while ago.

"Okay!" Eva responded blissfully.

At the dining table, Donald's lips curved into a smile at the sight of the two young women who seemed to get along well. He lifted his wineglass to give Danrique a toast. “Danrique, you know that I'll always take your side, don't you? Despite anything, we'll be family members forever...”

Needless to say, Danrique disliked wasting time blabbering hypocritically with Donald. Nonetheless, he had to play along with the latter as the other three great forces were eyeing their corporation at the moment. Thus, he had no choice but to join hands with Donald to battle against their foes. Clanking glasses with him, Danrique stated subtly, “Uncle Donald, I feel relieved when you say so. We're the only two left from the direct bloodline of the Lindberg family. Hence, we're now in the same boat and should be in unity for our family’s prominence!”

Donald nodded and reassured him, “You're right. Don't worry. Regardless of any decision you make, I'll always support you!”