The Billionaire's Revenge

Chapter one.

"I'm sorry, miss Malou. There was nothing we could do."

I don't wish that upon anyone. I don't want anyone to hear those words. Those words broke my heart, my will to live. Tears were running down my cheeks. This was the second time my heart got broken into pieces. He was the reason my heart was healing again. He was the reason I had hope. He was the reason I was holding on. But I don't think I can hold on anymore.

That was eleven years ago. Now I was standing over his grave with a bunch of flowers. My mom was standing next to me for support. Even though it has been eleven years, it was still hard for me to come to visit his grave alone.

"It's okay honey," My mom was caressing my back. "Place the flowers and we will go home. We have been standing here for over an hour."

I took a deep breath and placed the flowers on his grave and turned around to walk to the car. My life has changed so much after I left New York City for California. I had so many reasons to leave. First, my boyfriend broke up with me. Second, I met the love of my life. I couldn't stay in New York anymore in fear of people judging me. I was trying to tell Jaxon, my boyfriend, about it but he didn't want to hear anything. He jumped to conclusions before I could even tell my side of the story.

When the only person in the world who I trusted so much didn't want anything to do with me anymore, I decided to leave New York and move to California to live with my mom and the love of my life. She wasn't excited about it, but she supported us along the way. Until he died.

"Should I drop you off at the office?" My mom asked as she climbed into the driver's seat of her range rover. I was staring blankly out of the window. I shook my head slowly. "Just drop me home."

I had my own jewelry shop in Rodeo Drive. I sell high-end jewelry made with the most exquisite materials and stones. They are the rarest and luxuriously crafted pieces available, made with world-class craftsmanship, each piece was truly one of a kind.

"Do I need to call Pam to help you with dinner tonight? I can't come, I have a meeting with investors from China."

I shook my head again. "No, it's fine. I will just order babat fried rice and chicken satay from Simpang Asia restaurant. Have you tried the chicken satay from there, it's so good."

"No, but I did try the Gado Gado salad from there. It's delicious." My mom took a left and drove up into my driveway. She parked the car and looked at me. "He wouldn't want to see you sad, Tal. I know it's hard baby, but you will get through this. Slowly, but surely."

I smiled. "Thanks, mom. Have fun at the meeting." I grabbed my purse and jumped out of the car. "Tell Mr. Wu I said hi."

I walked up to my front porch and opened the door of the mansion I bought five years ago. The mansion was all concrete and tall glass windows that gave a view of the mountains, a chance to relax and take in the changing of the seasons from the comfort of an easy chair. After my business took off six years ago I finally felt like I had my life slightly together.

I walked up to my bedroom and plopped down on my kingsized bed. I was exhausted. The entire morning I was busy at the jewelry shop and afterward, I went to the cemetery with my mom. I grabbed my phone and ordered my dinner for tonight. After the breakup with Jaxon, there was only one time I felt so happy and whole again. I had the most amazing thirteen months with him. From telling him stories to having late-night conversations to singing songs, and waking up in the middle of the night to make him food. His laughter and presence made my heart fill with so much joy. He was the only one who could make me smile and slowly I felt all the broken pieces of my heart coming together.

Until that one day, he didn't wake up from his afternoon nap. I saw my life falling apart in front of me. I felt my heart breaking...literally. And now my heart was in a thousand different pieces and when someone tells me to follow my heart I refrain myself from asking 'which one?'

I wanted to go back to my happy self again. I want to be the bubbly Talia again. Now I'm just living. I work, I travel, and I do everything I have always wanted to do. I have more than enough money to buy myself an entire island and live far away from humans, but that wouldn't make me happy. I don't even know what makes me happy, because It certainly isn't money.

My phone buzzed and I swiped up to see my order has been delivered. Scratch what I said before. Food makes me kind of happy. Especially Indonesian food.

I walked downstairs to receive my order and headed towards the kitchen. The smell of chicken satay filled my entire kitchen. "Mmhh." 

Last year I went on a work trip to Jakarta. My friend Cinta showed me around the city and brought me to the best food places in town. The people were so nice and the food was so good. She even dressed me up in their traditional clothing. After I returned from Jakarta, the first thing I did was searching for the closest Indonesian restaurant in town. Needles to say, I became one of their regular customers.

I was in the middle of digging into my babat fried rice when my phone buzzed again. I groaned annoyed. It was almost eight pm, who needed me this late? I don't have friends and the only person who calls me at night is my mom. I looked at the caller id and saw it was Valerie, my employee. She worked at my jewelry shop as a cashier.

"Hey Val, what's going on?" I asked after I picked up the phone. Valerie never calls unless it's an emergency. 

"Hello Miss Malou, sorry for bothering you. But Carl the security called and told me there's a man at the jewelry shop asking for you. I told Carl to tell him to come back during business hours tomorrow, but he said it was urgent. He needs an engagement ring for tonight."

I rolled my eyes. "Tell him he should have booked an appointment a week in advance."

"I told him, Miss Malou. But he said it all happened so fast," Valerie sighed. "He wants the pink star ring."

I coughed. "The pink star ring?"

The 59.60-carat pink diamond ring features the largest Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid diamond ever graded by the GIA. The price for that beauty is seventy million dollars.

"Yes, miss. That's why I called you. It's the most expensive ring in our collection. Do you really want to let this opportunity slide?"

"I will be at the shop in fifteen minutes," I said as I ended the call and hurriedly cleaned up the mess I made. I placed the food in the fridge and reminded myself to get back to it after I'm seventy million dollars richer. Whoever his fiancee is, she's a lucky woman. 

I grabbed my car keys and opened the garage door. I put on music and made my way towards the shop. I really wondered who this rich man was. I forgot to ask Valerie for his name. He must be someone from abroad. A sheik maybe? I know they don't mind throwing with money. I got another notification on my phone.

I glanced at it and saw it was from the local orphanage. It was a thank you note for my donation. When I was younger I volunteered at an orphanage in New York. I loved to go there and read the little ones' stories. I kept doing that until I graduated college and my life got a tad bit busier. So I compensated for my absence with a donation every month. I do spend Christmas with them every year. That was something I would never miss.

I parked my car in front of my shop and saw Carl conversing with a man in a black coat. Definitely not a sheik. 

I walked up to them and cleared my throat. "Good evening, gentlemen."

The man in the black coat turned around and my eyes widened in surprise. 

"Jaxon?!"