The Billionaire's Revenge

Chapter 3

The next morning, Pearl woke up to the doorbell ringing.

She wondered who it could be as she headed downstairs. She looked through the peep hole, and she could see that it was a delivery man who stood on the other side the door. When she opened the door he had a package in his hand which she was to sign for, she did and he handed the package to her. As she shut the door she studied the box, it was small and oblong, and also beautifully wrapped. It did not come with a card, which was kind of strange.

Just then her phone vibrated, it was an sms alert. As she looked at the screen she saw that she had just received a text message from an unknown number. She then set down the package and picked up her phone and read the simple one sentence text "I am certain you would love this. Derek."

What arrogance he had stating that she would certainly love something he had sent. So Mr. Edensor thinks he is going to impress me with his wealth. She thought. Well he is in for a big surprise. Whatever he has sent… whether an expensive piece of jewelry, or some priceless material.. I'm going to send it back to him.

Curiosity got the most of Pearl as she stared at the package on her living room table. She sat on the sofa closest to her, eyes still fixed on what she was holding, then she opened it.

It was a leather bound first edition of 'Nada the lily' by Henry Rider Haggard, her favourite author. How could he have known? she wondered. She was more than fascinated with the author, and over the years she had come to have quite a collection of his works.

Despite her solemn resistance, Pearl was pleased with the gift. She wrote a polite thank-you text, and thought: That's that and I'm definitely not going to save his number.

The following morning another package arrived. This time she was almost breathless when she opened the box to see the contents. It was an unreleased version of Adele's hit love song.

Adele was her favourite music artist. She remembered how she and her friends in school would save up money to buy tickets to attend her concerts and how she would always end up with her voice hoarse from all the yelling of the lyrics which she knew almost word for word.

She had missed a chance of getting Adele to sign onee of her records last summer but now, in her hands she had a signed unreleased record. It felt quite unrealistic. But somehow Derek Edensor had pulled it off. She was getting quite amused by his uncanny knowledge of her taste.

The text that came this time read: "You will certainly relish listening to this, even as you read Nada the lily."

Her cheeks flushed as something inside her moved. He was probably enjoying himself with all this show of attention to detail she thought.

From that day on there were always surprises everyday. Ranging from her favourite perfume, music, books, flowers. Derek Edensor had gone to lengths and found out what Pearl's likes were, and she could not help but be flattered by his undivided attention. But she wasn't going to let all that fool her into believing that he was genuine.

Now she had no choice but to save his number as they were having much more communication than she had expected.

And whenever that unknown number came up on her phone screen as her heart was sure to patter.

When Pearl called Derek to thank him, he said: "There is nothing which I could give you that would do you justice."

Who did this man think she was? A fool? Just how many other women had he said those exact same words to before? She thought. She was now more resolved that she hated him. She had made up her mind that she was going to text him to stop sending her the presents.

But she procrastinated. She never procrastinated anything. What was happening to her?

The next day she received a text that read: "Will you have dinner with me, love?"

He had used the same endearment she had shunned before, was he playing a game with her? She thought. Well if he was he was most definitely going to be disappointed. She was sure that she was going to politely say no, but she was surprised by what her hands had typed and sent. "Alright." She had sent it back to him as a reply.

But she quickly added "It's not going to be a date Mr. Edensor."

She had found that she was actually curious to know how he would proceed. She was almost certain that he had done all this for her for a reason. Did he really believe that she would fall, all big eyes and heaving bosom, for such a lavish display of apparent devotion?

When she mentioned to her cousin–Cian Dowey whom she came to love and take as her very own brother– that she was going to have dinner with Derek Edensor, he disapproved.

"He has a reputation that precedes him dear, and I don't want to see your heart broken, so why go see him?"

Cian had been there for her almost all through her life. They had grown up together even though at the age of thirteen, he had gone off to a boys college in Yorkshire and the hardly got to see during those years. They had reconnected when he graduated.

It was thanks to him that she hardly felt like only child, and she was grateful for that. He had also been a voice of reason for her through her first few years at the university, when she had stopped talking to her mum.

Now he was a man, engaged to be married to the stunning lady Mia Rigel, whom Pearl had come to completely adore and also take as a sister.

"Cian, he has been sending me little presents for weeks now. I'm going to tell him to stop and that's that." Pearl said.

But even as she said the words her heart skipped a beat as she thought: I could have easily told him that over the phone the other day.

Derek Edensor was glad that she had accepted his request for a dinner and even though she had said it would not be a date, he knew in his mind that it had no way of deterring his plans.

He actually saw her as a worthy foe. He had half expected that she would be conceited because of her beauty. But she wasn't, and he found himself liking her. He was quite sorry that hatred had led him to her and that hatred kept him in pursuit of her. He had found out that Mark Ashton -her father- loved her very much and there was a satisfaction that came with that knowledge.

He had also found out that the outright display of his attention and wealth wouldn't sway Pearl Ashton. But he had another plan in his mind and that was sure to succeed.

He called his assistant to make reservations at the Pethroa de liuo that afternoon before he left the office. He gave the handling of the other details to her to see to. He wanted everything to be perfect.

He had sent the little gifts knowing that she would love them but he had also cautioned himself not to overdo it as that would inevitably spoil his chances with her. He knew exactly what he was doing.

But there was something he had seen in her eyes that evening as they had danced together. Something quite hidden. He could not yet put a finger to it but he knew it was there. She had also succeeded in piquing his curiosity in her. He found himself wanting to know more about her just then.

But he also knew that he had to be patient for his initial plan to work. He would tread softly and get his revenge once and for all.