The Trillionaire They Taunted

The Response

“Hello.” Arya waved at the couple, a smirk plastered across her face.

Pearl snorted, disgruntlement etched on her face.

“Have you come to make fun of us?”

“No! Not at all!” Arya shook her head, yet she refused to discard her wry smile.

“Why would I do such a thing?” She asked silently, moving her eyes from Pearl to Romeo, and back to Pearl.

“As a matter of fact, I have come to sympathize with both of you. Not every day do we get to see people get so disappointed and yet stand courageous like you.”

She tutted continuously, shaking her head with a palpable sneer.

Her words stung the couple as though a hive of bees had attacked them, their temper rising as they scowled at her.

“What did you do to make Mr. Adkins put your name on the list?” Romeo asked, but Pearl interrupted before Arya could decide if she was going to respond or not.

“Did you sleep with him?” Her voice was cold, her glaring eyes demanding an immediate response, refusing to even blink.

Arya scoffed, and then she took a deep breath.

She was still composed even though those words from Pearl were supposed to hurt her.

“Not every one of us goes about sleeping with men for money, Pearl.” She fired back, leaving Pearl with wide eyes.

“What did you just say to me?!” Pearl tried to attack her, but Romeo held onto her firmly.

“Not here, Pearl. Look around you.” He advised silently, looking around slowly.

Pearl looked around as well, and she could see that there were still people around.

Phone cameras were flashing in the midst of chuckles and excited comments, and in no time, the press was let into the hall.

The attention was too much, and the risks were plentiful.

Any careless reaction could be feeding the press and the media throughout that week or even beyond that.

Pearl had to cautiously take a step backward, but that didn’t stop her from glaring at Arya, hatred glittering in her eyes.

“This is not over, Arya. You will surely pay for this.”

“Oh, please!” Arya huffed, and then she turned to Romeo.

“What the hell is your concubine talking about? What exactly am I to pay for? Snatching a deal that was meant for her?”

Her sarcasm hung in the air, and Romeo couldn’t even give her a response.

He just stared silently, gnashing his teeth while anger continued churning inside him.

They thought the silence was going to linger much longer, but not until they heard a scream from a corner.

Everyone in the hall turned to see a couple of young people celebrating from a distance.

“We got the deal! We were selected as the uprising company!” The Young Lady who was barely up to twenty-five years of age announced to the hearing of everyone willing to share in their joy.

They were a group of young tech pros who had come together to form a small company.

They needed funding, and that was a dream come true for them.

Pearl tutted, hatred burning inside her.

She had never met the four of them, but the fact that they got what she couldn’t get pained her to the bones.

“They don’t even deserve it.” She hissed, rolling her eyes at them.

“I bet they are still struggling to set up, and probably don’t even have a good edifice where they operate from.”

“Is that envy I sense in your voice?” Arya cut her short, causing her to turn to look at her slowly.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Pearl tried to deny the truth, bending her face to hide her countenance.

“It’s written all over you, Pearl,” Arya observed, insisting on her words.

“You are jealous of those young lads. You don’t even know them, yet you hate them with so much passion…”

“One more word from you, Arya. And I swear, I will punch you in the face.” Pearl threatened, ready to overlook the crowd that was around them.

Her right fist was lifted and balled, ready to make a thrust.

Arya took a deep breath, then she lifted her hands in surrender.

“It’s okay, Pearl. You don’t need to show me how violent you can be. I already know. Brian told me everything, how you treated him like he meant nothing to you.”

Pearl grunted, annoyance stretching all over her veins.

“Did he also tell you that he has refused to divorce me? That he tore the divorce papers that I gave him?”

“Mm-Hmm.” Arya nodded, her wry smile still intact.

“And?” Pearl lifted an eyebrow, waiting for Arya to say something else.

“What?” Arya shrugged, a hint of ridicule smeared on her face.

“You don’t expect me to force him to do what he doesn’t want to do, do you?”

There was silence, but it stopped lingering when Pearl snarled, eyes sparking with rage.

“You two know what you are doing. But I swear, you will regret it.” She pointed Arya in the face while her stern warning still lasted in her blazing eyes.

Romeo noticed that the tension was soon going to get out of hand.

He slowly pushed closer to Pearl and grabbed her.

“I think we should get going, Pearl. We don’t want people thinking that we are about to fight her. She is very important now.”

He hated the fact that he had to say those words, the admittance written all over his face even when he glared at Arya.

Pearl knew that her partner had said the truth.

She grunted, and then she took a step backward, but not without a warning.

“This is not over yet, Arya Kirk. I suggest you watch your back.”

Arya was silent, staring with her eyes on Pearl.

She watched them walk away, a sharp exhale escaping her lungs while she continued to stare.

“I hope they didn’t give you any trouble.” A familiar voice made her turn at once, causing her to sigh.

“Not at all.” Arya shook her head, smiling at Brian who was standing right behind her.

“They are no threat to me, Brian. I can take care of myself.”

“True…” Brian chuckled softly, nodding in agreement.

“Congratulations to you, Wifey!” He lifted the glass he was holding, then he clicked with Arya before they took a sip.

Arya gave him a suspicious look, looking him deep in the eyes.

“What? Why are you staring like that?” Brian tried to act oblivious, but deep down, he already knew why the young lady had refused to take her eyes off him.

Arya’s curiosity was written even in her eyes, and she couldn’t wait to satisfy it.

“How did you know that I was going to get the deal, Brian? How did you know?”

She waited and waited, even when it didn’t seem like she was going to get a response.

After a period that almost felt like an eternity, Brian decided to break his silence.

He cleared his throat, and then he spoke with a tone that managed to get through the excitement in the hall.

“Let’s just say that my instincts told me that you were going to get it. Besides, you deserve it, Arya. You have really worked so hard for this.”

“Right.” Arya nodded, pretending to be satisfied with the response.

Her visage was still etched with suspicion, her lips separated as though she was about to express her lingering doubt.

Then her eyes found themselves moving to straight to the entrance of the hall.

Her eyes bulged, her heart sinking deep into her stomach.

“What are they doing here?” She muttered, her throat running dry even with the presence of the wine she had gulped earlier.