The Trillionaire They Taunted

Increasing Speculations

“What did you tell him?” Romeo turned to Brian with so much rage in his eyes.

“What did you tell Mr. Sterling that he decided to let you stay?”

“Does it matter?” Brian gave a quick response, and then he cleared his throat.

“You heard the Manager. Or do you want to get into his bad books?”

Romeo gnashed his teeth, wishing he could insist on dealing with Brian.

But the odds were against him. Even the other guests knew they could do nothing.

“Don’t think this is over, Brian!” He pointed Brian in the face, almost poking his right eye.

Brian refused to blink.

He stood still like a statue, wearing his confidence like a robe.

Like a defeated warrior, Romeo turned around, his eyes meeting Pearl who was ready to throw questions at him.

“What just happened, Romeo? Why did Mr. Sterling disappear like that?”

“I have no idea,” Romeo whispered his response, and then he adjusted his tie even though it was still in place.

“We need to go have a seat, Pearl. Come on.” He grabbed his partner, leading her toward a table.

Pearl was forced to turn her head just to look at Brian.

Disdain was still flashing in her eyes as she glared at Brian, even when he waved at him.

“What was that all about?” Arya’s voice caught Brian’s attention as she looked at him.

Brian turned to her slowly, then he took a deep breath.

“Nothing you need to worry about, Arya. Let’s just say that Mr. Sterling changed his mind about throwing me out of this place.” He chuckled softly, still looking the lady in the eyes.

Arya couldn’t hide her confusion, her eyes glittering with it.

The Event Manager was the only one standing tall in that space.

He returned to his former position and cleared his throat.

“Miss Kirk?” He waited until Arya turned to him before he continued.

“Please, this way.” He ushered her in, holding onto his smile.

“I am so sorry about the embarrassment.” He added, leaving Arya with a beam.

“It’s okay, Mr. Hall.” Arya nodded as she stepped forward.

She grabbed Brian as she marched toward the table Ethan had pointed to, still sauntering with so much elegance.

Eyes continued to trail them until they sat down, voices still piling up because of what had happened.

Even Arya needed an explanation, but she could only look at Brian who seemed too relaxed for what had happened.

The smile on his face seemed a bit suspicious, but there was absolutely no clue for the lady who couldn’t take her eyes off him.

“I am nervous…” Arya confessed, prompting Brian to lower the glass that he had just withdrawn from his mouth.

“Why?” He asked calmly, dropping the wine on the table.

“Because…” Arya was forced to return to silence as the situation seemed a bit overwhelming.

The thoughts inside her made her remain silent for a while, but Brian was patiently waiting for a response.

“I don’t think I will make it on the list, Brian. I don’t think Link Tech will be among the companies to be part of the Power Line deal.”

“Hmm.” Brian took a deep breath, and then he cleared his throat.

“Why do you think so?” He asked, but Arya needed more time to process her thoughts.

“Look around you, Brian.” She paused for a while, her eyes glowing with tension.

“Pearl and Romeo already have the Manager to their side. This puts me at a great disadvantage.” She sighed in despair, her fingers tapping frantically on the table.

Brian slowly moved his hands over the table, then he grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop tapping.

Yet her nervousness was still simmering inside her, buried deep under her skin.

“Relax, Arya. You will get the deal.” His smile was evergreen, his grip on her hand soft while her caressed the back of her palm.

“You sound like you are so certain of this, Brian.” Arya exhaled sharply again, looking Brian in the face.

The fact that the look on his face was meant to reassure her was barely enough to restore her hope.

“Look around you, Brian…” She gestured, her face drained of its color.

“There are over fifty representatives of different companies in this hall. How do you think that Link Tech will emerge as one of the top listed companies?”

“Because I believe in you, Arya.” Brian silenced her with his response, and then he nodded to affirm his words.

“You worry too much, Arya. Just wait until the companies are mentioned, okay?”

He continued rubbing her hands while he kept looking her in the face.

Arya eventually agreed to stop lamenting, but that didn’t mean that she could stop thinking about her worries.

Seated across the hall, adjacent to her were Romeo and Pearl, and they couldn’t stop snarling and pointing at them.

Their eyes and gestures were a promise of vengeance, and it seemed like some others had joined the fight uninvited.

Arya’s phone chimed, and when she looked at the message that popped up on the screen her heart skipped a beat.

“I hope you are ready to leave that position to me by the time you fail to get the deal.”

She couldn’t count the number of times she read the message from her cocky brother, her mind drifting into several possibilities as she sat frozen.

“Grandpa is going to be so disappointed.” She thought, watching the last ounce of faith she had soar away like vapor.

Nothing excited her about the activities that followed immediately after the most important guests were introduced, especially those from abroad.

Romeo was also recognized even though he was not called up to the stage like the others.

But that was enough to cause more tension to drift into Arya’s system.

However, each time she looked at Brian, she had a good reason to believe that things were not going to be as bad as they looked.

Then it was time. The most important part of the event finally arrived.

Hearts began to beat faster, whispers rose from several corners.

There were stares of anticipation, guests already picking their favorite choices, even when it was themselves.

“I think Apex Ventures is going to be the number one company to be chosen for the Power Line Project.” A lady in a blue dress whispered behind Arya, and no matter how hard she tried not to, she found herself tilting her head.

Without any provocation, she detested the lady for what she said, watching her with a grimace as she gulped the remaining wine in her glass.

Ethan mounted the stage at the right time, then he tapped the microphone to draw everyone’s attention.

While stillness took over, he scoured through the hall, and some of the guests could already see themselves moving their eyes alongside him.

“I know all of you have been waiting for this moment.”