Daring The Billionaire

chapter two

Richard Gilbert was so lost in grading the first-year student's history papers that he thought the light knock on his study door was probably a figment of his imagination. It was the middle of the last semester at the University of Johannesburg and, as the senior history teacher, he made it a point to give an impromptu assessment for all classes to see if his students were doing well. It allowed him to see if there were students lagging behind or topics that were a struggle to grasp. The downside to this was the huge pile of papers to mark that he had to endure. But he could not deny the love he had for teaching South African history to others.

The knock came again and he knew this time he did not imagine it. He bid entry to the knocker knowing it was either Mrs. Whitman, his housekeeper, slashed nanny, or Alexa, his fifteen-year-old daughter. It was just the three of them at that time of the day until Mrs. Whitman went home at two pm since it was Saturday.

"Hey, Dad! Can I talk to you for a second?" Alexa asked as she poked her head into her father's study. Her shoulder-length curly black hair was the only thing she got from him, it was a mess on her head. Alexa's hair was the one reason Richard wished she had been born a boy, then he could cut it off instead of the constant battle it gave him to make her look decent for school. The boyish cuts he had attempted earlier on grew old very fast.

Alexa was an uncanny replica of her mother, much to everyone's disappointment. It was not that she was ugly or horrid to look at but it had been hard to see the face of the woman who left them every day. Thank God Alexa and her mother were like cheese and chalk personality-wise. While Eleanor Rigby, Alexa's mother, grew up to always be the belle of every ball, Alexa was the opposite. Eleanor was a beauty and she knew it. She had no qualms about using her looks to get what she wanted. Alexa was never like her mother, she shied away from all things public. She had been shy and withdrawn from an early age, she hardly spoke so much that she ended up with a stammer. It had made her school life miserable that Richard contemplated homeschooling on more than one occasion. The horrible haircuts did not do much to help also. But his brave daughter refused to back down and continued with public school even when the bullying started. Luckily, the school Alexa attended had a strict no-bullying policy that helped put a stop before anyone was hurt. Now his little girl was a teenager and he now had to worry about boys rather than bullies.

"Can we do this a little later honey? I really need to finish grading these papers," Richard asked as he pointed to the piles scattered on his desk.

"It's kind of important," Alexa told him as she shuffled in. She looked nervous and Richard saw that whatever she wanted to say was indeed important, at least to her it was.

With teenage girls, the things he thought were silly things were important. The tiny gap in her top front teeth that he found adorable, made her look ugly according to her.

"OK, buttercup, you have my attention for five minutes if you want us to make it tonight," Richard said.

"It's actually about that, I don't think I can go tonight," Lexington said in a low voice which had him worried.

As much as she was shy and often mumbled like she was afraid to talk, she was never like that with him. Lexington knew that he would walk through hell and back for her.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" he asked, slightly worried.

"No," Lexi mumbled.

"This is your favorite thing to do, Lexi. You never miss a chance."

"I know, but we can do it next Saturday or something."

"Now I am curious, what's going on?"

"Tiffany asked me to go to the mall with her and her friends and I really want to go," Lexi mumbled so quickly that Richard almost did not get it all.

"Tiffany? As in Tiffany Miller? The girl who has been bullying you since the first day of school?" he asked.

"She apologized and has been treating me better. Do not worry, we won't be alone at the mall. Her brother Trevor is going with us. He is twenty. We are just going to watch a movie, get pizza and window shop. I have Trevor's number if you want to confirm." Alexa rushed out.

"You have thought this through, it seems," Richard stated.

"I really want to go, Daddy," his daughter mumbled.

"So, we are canceling Saturday triple D?"

Triple D was the daddy-daughter day. It was a thing they started to help Alexa with her stammer. When she was six years old, Richards discovered that her daughter loved to sing and she was amazing at it. With a few lessons in guitar and vocals, Alexa could confidently sing in front of family and friends. Two years ago, Alexa went to her father and asked if she could sing in public. Richard had organized for her to sing outside Marble, a restaurant owned by Daniel and Joanna Gilbert, Richard's parents. He even brought out his saxophone to play with her. Their little show ended up being a success and a tradition. Every Saturday from midday to five they would hang around and Alexa would sing while playing the guitar. People even threw money at them which Alexa insisted on giving to the homeless. Richard was beyond proud of his little girl. Not so little now, since she was going out with friends instead of being with him.

"Just for today. You can read or go through your stamp or coin collection." Alexa suggested with a small smile.

"Stamp collection? Since when do I collect stamps? Are you trying to imply I'm old or something?" Richard asked incredulously.

"I'm trying to say find something fun to do. Maybe even go on a date with Miss Lorna," Lexi suggested with a playful wink.

"No thank you missy, I will find my own dates that are not our nosy neighbor." her father replied with a quick shake of his head.

"She is only nosy 'cause she likes you, Dad."

"She has the weirdest way of showing her crush. She brought that carrot cake with peanuts knowing well that we are both allergic, just to see who had visited."

"In her defense, she thought Aunt Marie was your date or girlfriend. It was hilarious." Lexi said with a little laugh.

His sister had dropped by after spending years at school in France to visit. Richard felt Marie had come to grill him about how much of a boring old man he had become. Before she left, she had dared him to live a little.

"How is having a swollen tongue, hilarious young lady?" Richard asked with a shake of his head.

"It is when you think of it from Miss Lorna's point of view, she came in such a rush she left the peanut-free cake she always brings and brought a deadly one," his baby girl said, giggling.

"I still don't find it funny, now get lost need to finish my work," he said, shooing her away with a wave of his hand.

"Ok, pops."

"Hey, Lexi!" Richard called out, making her pause at the door.

"Yeah Dad," Lexi answered, looking back at him.

"I love you," he told her.

"I know Daddy," Alexa chirped, leaving Richard shaking his head in amusement.