The Trillionaire They Taunted

Uninvited

Arya shook her head frantically, but the truth was the truth.

It was hanging in the air like their breath, soaring all around her.

“He is a nobody, Grandpa. Brian is my husband, and getting this deal wouldn’t have been possible without him.”

“No…” Don Pedro retorted with a cold tone, pupils contrasted in annoyance.

“You will bring no shame to the Kirk family, child…” He took a deep breath, then he breathed annoyance.

“This…” He pointed at Brian, in search of the right noun to use.

“This leech will certainly not be my grandson-in-law. You had better divorce him now that it is early.”

“I agree…” Travis nodded, smiling as though he was going to get a reward for it.

“I am sure that he would want to reap where he did not sow. That’s what wretched men like him do.”

Brian slowly pulled down his right hand, returning it to his side.

He inhaled sharply, ignoring Travis and turning to the old man.

“I think you are mistaken, Mr. Kirk. I am not a nobody, I am…”

“I don’t care.” Don Pedro cut him short, eyes flaming with contempt.

“As long as you are not known in this City or anywhere in the world, you are a nobody to me.”

He cleared his throat, and then he snapped his fingers, summoning one of the guards.

The brawny fellow hurried to Don Pedro and leaned closer to hear what he whispered to him.

The next second, the guard pulled out a bundle of cash and handed it over to the old man.

“Take this…” Don Pedro lifted the cash, brandishing it all over Brian’s face.

“This should be over a hundred thousand dollars…” He looked Brian in the face, resentment still glittering in his eyes.

“I want you to leave my Granddaughter alone, boy. This should be enough for you to get your miserable life back together. But you can choose to squander it if you desire. After all, you failed once, and I am sure you will fail again.”

Arya gasped, her eyes almost pushing out of her pupils.

She shook her head, but it didn’t look like Grandpa got the message.

Then she turned to Brian, uncertainty written all over her face.

Brian scoffed, taking his eyes slowly off the cash and moving them to the old man’s face.

“You think I am with her for money?”

“Isn’t that obvious?!” Travis snapped, but he was disappointed when Brian didn’t even bother to look at him.

He growled, annoyed by his demeanor.

Brian took a deep breath, then he cleared his throat.

“I don’t want your money, Sir. I don’t even need it.”

The old man was taken aback, and he had to look at the cash to be sure that it was not counterfeit.

“I see…” He huffed, withdrawing the bundle of money.

“You are not just foolish, you are also proud. Two wrong occurrences at the same time.”

He slowly handed the cash back to the bodyguard while his eyes were still on Brian.

“How much? Name your price and I will have my grandson write a cheque for you right away.” He was almost desperate to get rid of Brian, sensing he was ill-fated.

Travis nodded, pushing forward while he stared at Brian with a wry smile.

“My Grandfather is not always this generous. So, I will suggest you take the offer and grab this opportunity while it lasts.”

He waited until he was certain that Brian was listening to him before he continued.

“Come on, name your price! How much do you want?” He asked, pulling out a pen from his jacket.

“One million? Five million? Even ten million?”

A white cheque book from one of the biggest banks in Lakeville followed, Travis flipping through the pages with the pen gripped in his other hand, ready to scribble.

Arya turned to Brian with a look of despair in her eyes.

She already knew that he was going to take the mouth-watering deal.

“I mean... Who wouldn’t?” She thought to herself, looking away and bracing up to hear a solid YES from Brian.

“Thank you for your kind gesture, Mr. Kirk,” Brian said politely, staring at the old man with a smile.

“But no amount of money is enough to buy me. I won’t accept anything from you to make me leave Arya.”

Travis scoffed, his jaw dropped as he turned to look at his Grandfather.

Arya lifted her face at once, turning to look at Brian who looked at her and chuckled softly.

The old man was stunned as well, staring at Brian with wide eyes.

“Amazing!” Done Pedro exclaimed silently, but his disappointment was still palpable.

“I didn’t know that there were still young men with a little dignity in them. But that doesn’t take anyone anywhere these days.”

Travis nodded in agreement, gnashing his teeth while his eyes were still on Brian.

“I think he needs more time to think about this offer, Grandpa.” He insisted, nodding in confidence.

“Maybe we should give him a few hours to think about it. He is still basking in the euphoria of the whole situation. He is probably enticed by my sister’s beauty.”

The old man sighed heavily, then he turned to his granddaughter.

“I need you home before nightfall, Arya. We need to plan a party to celebrate your new success. Possibly, this weekend.”

The old man stepped forward and patted his granddaughter on her right shoulder, then he let out a silent and deep chuckle.

Arya gave a silent response, then she smiled.

It was rare to get an approval from her Grandfather- the same man who was impossible to please.

Don Pedro turned to look at Brian, causing Arya’s smile to vanish in a hurry.

“He is not invited. Except he is coming as the CEO of a company. I can’t have you gallivanting with a nobody all in the name of marriage.”

He turned slowly and the guards did the same.

Travis stared behind for a while, sneering at his sister.

“Don’t be too relaxed, sister. Grandpa will never make you a permanent CEO. You are only going to fill in the gap until I am ready to take over.”

Arya looked away, ignoring everything he said.

“And you…” Travis pointed at Brian, his pesky nature roaming around him.

Then he snorted, passing the threatening message with his eyes.

He hurriedly walked away, catching up with his companions before they left the building.

“I can’t believe that you rejected money, Brian,” Arya said as soon as she had gotten a grip on herself, turning to Brian.