chapter 3

Danielle clenched her fist tightly and rose to her feet. She wiped the dirt from her body and scanned the room, glaring daggers at each one of them present who were enjoying the show Davis was putting on.

Her gaze finally stopped on the devil himself. "Davis, you think you crushed me tonight, huh? I promise, you will regret this day.” She smirked sinisterly at him before stomping off.

Rushing out of the place dejectedly, tears rolled down her cheeks freely, and for the first time ever in her life, she felt completely helpless and disgraced.

"What do I do now? What if Davis does something worse to destroy me?“ All sorts of thoughts race into her head, making her feel fuzzy.

She sighed deeply and decided to give her mother a call; she couldn't stop worrying about their safety or if Davis was planning on sending his men to harass her parents at the hospital.

As the cellphone kept ringing, Danielle's heart pounded faster in her chest as she prayed for her mother to answer the call.

"Mom, are you and Dad alright?“ Danielle immediately asked as the call got connected.

"Yes, we are fine, dear. Your dad is already fast asleep."

She heaved a sigh of relief, knowing her parents were safe.

Mrs. Young chuckled bitterly. "I was just about to give you a call. The doctor said it's best that the surgery be conducted this week, or they are afraid that waiting too long might reduce the chances of your father surviving the surgery."

“Mom, I will come up with a way to save Dad and the company. I promise you, please stop crying. You need to stay strong for dad while I quickly come up with a solution,” Danielle said in a hoarse voice.

"Okay, child, I believe in you, but please don't put us before yourself or your dad, and I will feel guilty for the rest of our lives,” Mrs. Young reminded.

“ Mom I will hang up now. I'll see you tomorrow.” Knowing she couldn't keep that promise any longer, she ended the call.

Danielle knew it was time to take a bold step and come face-to-face with that one person who is a match for Davis Anderson and can turn the tables on him in a wink of an eye.

…

 

The taxi pulled over outside the company, and Danielle got out and sorted out the driver before proceeding into the opulent building in front of her. Stepping feet into the lobby, Danielle began to have second thoughts on this last-minute decision of hers.

Her heartbeat accelerated faster as some shameless men surveyed her body like she was some kind of commodity. She looked down at herself cautiously and gulped hard. The realization dawned on her that she wasn't in an appropriate dress, but she knew it was already too late to do anything about it.

Her problems were way bigger for her to worry about than her outfit at this critical stage; she didn't even mind dressing up like a slut as long as her life could go back to normal.

She cleared her throat slightly and approached the receptionist. "Hi, I would like to see Mr. Carter."

The receptionist scanned her from head to toe, and her look of scorn marred her facial features. "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Carter?” She demanded her tone, holding a tinge of crudeness.

Danielle was astonished at first, but before everything became clear to her, the lady must have mistaken her for a cheap whore who is trying to test her luck with her boss. "I don't have an appointment with him, but it's very important I speak to him."

"My boss is not someone anyone can hook up with. I mean, meet up. Without an appointment, you can't see him. Please kindly leave the premises,” she responded dryly.

Danielle brought out her phone from her purse and dialed a number; it rang for a couple of seconds before it was connected. Never in a million years did she ever think she would call this number; even if someone had told her this two days ago, she would definitely burst out laughing.

"Hi, I'm in the lobby of your company right now, and I would like to speak to you; it's very important."

"Mhm,” a deep, sultry sound flowed into her ear, making her heart race. Shortly after, the receptionist received a call from the telephone beside her. Danielle couldn't make out what he was saying to her, but the frown on her face made it evident that it was something far from nice. As the call ended, she beckoned for Danielle and eyed her suspiciously before saying, “Last floor.”

Danielle felt conflicted with her decision to ask Jake for help; rejecting her would be a big slap to her face, considering someone of her type who had never been rejected, but she knew at this junction there's no going back, no matter the outcome. 

Stepping out of the elevator promptly, her eyes scanned the entire floor, and her gaze landed on the door to his office. Taking in deep breaths, she finally summoned the courage and knocked on the door before stepping in.

"Long time, no see! What brings you here?" the man sitting in his leather armchair asked, a smug smile displaying on his lips as he fiddled with his pen.

Danielle clenched her teeth in anger. She was quite aware that he knew about her situation, yet he wanted her to say it out loud. A moment ago, while she was in the elevator, her father's assistant called and informed her that the CEO of C Group seemed interested in buying their company.

Which means the rumors of the Young's cooperation going bankrupt must have been flying around, and Jake must have heard about the rumors of her family's business.

"I want you to lend me fifty million," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jake blinks innocently. "Fifty million? What do you need such a huge amount of money for?" he asked, arching his brows at her.

Danielle was taken aback as she watched him feign innocence. What she hated the most was the fact he was acting oblivious, and at that instant, she felt like ripping his face off. Being thick-skinned was an understatement when it came to the almighty Jake.

She let out a deep breath. "Can you quit the act already? Will you lend it to me or not?" she demanded, her voice coming out firmly. Despite being in a desperate situation, she refused to succumb to him.

Jake shrugged his shoulders. "Why don't you be my wife instead, and you won't have to pay back a dime?“ His eyes shone with instrest, which didn't last for a moment before he returned to his stoic demeanor.

A snicker escaped her lips. "Mr. Carter, are you doing this just to get back at me?"

The man slowly got up from his seat and gracefully walked up to Danielle, who was standing a few inches away. His lips curled up faintly as he closed the little space between them. They were so close to one another that Danielle could feel his warm breath fanning her cheeks.

"Do you think I'm over you, Bubbles?" He whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.