Rising to the Top for Revenge

Chapter 7

Dave abandoned his intention to drive the car. His brow furrowed, indicating his confusion.

"What's the hold-up? Why haven't we left yet?" Brianna asked, still in her arrogant tone.

Dave remained silent, staring at her more intently.

"What did you just say?" Dave looked at her, signaling his request for a more detailed explanation.

"What do you mean? I didn't say anything else. Stop your nonsense and just drive," Brianna demanded, expecting her command to be obeyed immediately.

Brianna now looked puzzled, as the man seemed to be not doing what she had asked.

"What's wrong? Hurry up and obey me! If you really want to be my bodyguard," Brianna said arrogantly, feeling confident because she believed the man would never refuse her.

The offer of payment and the opportunity to always be by the side of a beautiful woman like Brianna would surely not be rejected by Dave . Brianna was so sure of that.

"I don't want to be your bodyguard," Dave stated plainly.

Brianna immediately turned to look at him. What did he just say? Did Dave just refuse her offer? This was impossible! It made no sense at all.

"What do you mean?" Brianna asked, afraid that she might have misheard him.

Dave let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm refusing your offer to be your bodyguard," Dave clarified, causing Brianna's expression to change instantly.

Hearing that, Brianna was shocked to say the least. For the first time, someone had dared to refuse her offer.

"Just so you know, there are plenty of people out there who would want a position like yours! To work as a bodyguard and always be with me."

Dave furrowed his brow, facing the woman fully.

The unmistakable feeling of discontent was evident in her eyes. Her pressing words made it clear that Dave should be grateful for such a golden opportunity.

"So, do you think I should be like the people you've offered to be your bodyguard before?" Dave asked nonchalantly.

"Yes! You should know your place and be aware of yourself. You won't make much money if you don't work with me!" Brianna retorted.

"Oh really?" Dave stared back at her, smiling slyly as if challenging her.

Brianna clenched her fists, trying to control the emotions bubbling up inside her.

"You!" she exclaimed.

Dave then started the car's engine, driving onto the fairly busy street.

Witnessing his indifferent behavior ignited Brianna's anger.

"So many people out there want the job I offered you. They have to try hard and pass several tests, while you, you don't have to do any of that at all. Because I offered it directly to you," she continued, trying to speak up, but Dave didn't hear a word.

"You ungrateful! You're so insolent. You never appreciate what's given to you!" Brianna folded her arms across her chest.

"What's the difference with you? You're also unaware and never thankful for the help others have given you," Dave finally uttered.

Brianna stared at him sharply. "I already rewarded you. You should think of it as my way of thanking you for your fake kindness."

Dave chuckled, still indifferent to her words.

Silence ensued. Throughout the journey, Dave tried to think of what he could ask from the woman. Because arrogant and haughty women like Brianna sometimes needed to be taught a lesson.

After considering for a while what reward he could ask for, an idea suddenly came to him. Dave smiled faintly, eager to see Brianna's reaction.

"Ahem!"

The cough instantly broke the silence between them. Brianna knew that the man would speak to her again, but she tried to show that she didn't care about it at all.

"I know you can pay for everything," Dave continued.

Hearing that, Brianna furrowed her brow, shifting her gaze fully to him. She raised an eyebrow, silently urging him to continue his sentence without hanging it like that.

"You don't need to bother making me your bodyguard. You just need to give me a reward of $10,000. That's more than enough," Dave said casually and contentedly.

Brianna's eyes widened instantly. Something seemed to be wrong with the man's mind; there was an issue there.

Now, Brianna felt like she was being deliberately extorted and taken advantage of by him for the kindness she had shown.

"You're insane! I won't give you that kind of money. No. I won't give you a cent," she retorted angrily.

Brianna refused, crossing her arms in front of her chest and lifting her head arrogantly.

Without waiting for a response from her, Dave already anticipated that her reaction would be as she was showing now.

"So, you refuse to give me that reward?" Dave asked to confirm.

Without hesitation, Brianna nodded. "I will never comply with your ridiculous request."

Hearing that, Dave nodded in response.

Simultaneously, he stopped the car, pulling over on the relatively quiet street.

"Alright, if that's what you want. You can go on your own now," Dave said.

Brianna was stunned, unable to believe the man's decision.

Dave even seemed ready to get out of the car.

"Wait!"

Dave closed the car door again, looking at her with one raised eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

Brianna let out a long sigh. For a moment, she observed the man's face, which had managed to stir up her emotions.

After watching him for a while, Brianna couldn't help but admire his appearance. She had to admit, he looked quite handsome.

Rarely did Brianna encounter a man like him.

"Here's the deal. As a reward, I'll treat you. You can ask for anything within reason to be bought for you today. Deal?" she proposed.

Upon hearing the offer, honestly, Dave didn't feel the slightest bit interested.

Dave actually hesitated to accept the reward, but seeing the woman, who seemed sincere this time, Dave eventually just complied with her words.

The man then shook hands with Brianna.

"I accept your offer."

As quickly as possible, Brianna tried to release her hand. Hastily cleaning her hand with the tissue available there.

"Here we go again," Dave thought, observing the woman's arrogant behavior.

He then restarted his car engine, driving through the streets of the capital. Occasionally, conversations occurred between them about where they were headed and their destination after this.

***

"Thank you," Dave expressed gratitude to the servers who had brought and served the food on their table.

A small smile was also thrown by Dave , remembering Brianna, who was completely indifferent to it.

"No need to act so nice. Besides, this is all part of their job. So, what's there to thank for?"

Brianna then wiped her utensils with the tissue available there.

Seeing that, Dave could only shake his head, understanding their vastly different principles.

"If anything is lacking, just order again. You can order anything here."

Brianna remarked before finally starting to enjoy the food in front of her.

Dave nodded as a reflection of agreement.

Ping!

A message notification caught both of their attention.

Apparently, the message came from Brianna's phone lying on the table. At a glance, Dave could see and conclude that the message was from her work colleague.

Brianna then stopped her eating motion, taking her phone to immediately find out who sent the message.

-Investor M***

[Good afternoon, Miss Brianna. We from company M*** would like to inform you of the decision from our superiors. They have entrusted us to convey to Miss Brianna to withdraw all the shares that our company has invested in Miss Brianna's company.]

[We, as company M***, sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. However, we really cannot continue to collaborate with Miss Brianna's company anymore. We have made the decision to terminate our business contact. Please confirm the return of our company's shares as soon as possible. Thank you.]

Instantly, Brianna completely lost her appetite.

The message sent via email made Brianna feel like she had lost all the high walls that guarded her.

Damn! How could all of this happen? Brianna needed to discuss this more clearly with the company that intended to terminate their contract with her.

Her gaze then shifted to Dave , who seemed not too concerned with her affairs either.

"Just go ahead and eat. I won't run away, I'll definitely be back. Just wait, there's an urgent matter I need to take care of."

Brianna straightened up, contacting someone related to the company.

"Just finish your meal. I'll be back soon."

Brianna reassured the man. Before finally, the phone call she made was answered by the other party.

"Hello, Sir? Good afternoon? Can we talk for a moment about the email? I..."

Slowly, the voice was no longer heard in Dave 's ears. The woman went to find a more comfortable place to contact the person on the other end of the line.

"Let it be. Eventually, that woman will surely tell the story herself. It's better for me to focus on this food," thought Dave , who happened to be feeling hungry at that moment.

As requested by Brianna, patiently and sincerely, Dave waited for her until she truly returned to him.

Dave even ordered another drink because Brianna still hadn't returned.

"The bill, Sir?" the waiter asked.

Dave shook his head. "I'm still waiting for my friend."

The waiter nodded and then left.

Dave then sipped his drink again.

Shortly after, Brianna returned with a weary expression.

It was clear something had managed to dampen Brianna's spirits.

"Argh!"

Brianna seemed to curse in frustration. Meanwhile, Dave just looked at her with furrowed brows.

"Damn it! He shouldn't have invested in shares if in the end, he's going to suddenly terminate our partnership. Damn it!"

Brianna appeared to bury her face on the table. She seemed so desperate with all the issues that had drained her emotions and heart.

As Dave was about to say something, suddenly Michel came and whispered, "Sir, you must go home now. Mr. Maximus has been waiting for you."