Chapter 23 - Amazing Tristin

Ella looked the woman up and down, from her toes to her head, as she stood before them during their small picnic at school. She frowned when she saw her face and asked, "Buhle, can't you see we're busy? What are you doing here?"

Ella's father, Mike Sirmon, was a prominent figure in the province. She had attended many gala dinners with her parents and had met Buhle before.

Buhle hadn't expected Ella to confront her so abruptly. "Ella, this doesn't concern you, and it's not like I'm taking Tristin away forever," she said, looking down at Ella.

"What do you mean it doesn't concern me? I'll ask again, can't you see we're busy?" Ella didn't back down. She was annoyed by Buhle's sudden visit. Tristin had been showing some romantic interest in her, and now this girl had shown up to steal him away, even if only for a moment. It was outrageous.

Buhle decided it wasn't worth arguing and chose to apologize to calm Ella down. "Ella, I'm sorry for disturbing you and Tristin, but this is urgent." She turned to Tristin. "Tristin, can I have a word?"

Tristin looked at her, baffled. He thought to himself, "This girl is really stupid. If I were her, I wouldn't come looking for me so soon. She doesn't even try to make our meeting seem like a coincidence. If Argus Web chose her as the best they've got, then I'm not worried at all."

Ella looked at Tristin with anticipation; she didn't want to let him go. She had planned this whole moment, and their lunch break was only an hour long.

Tristin saw Ella's puppy eyes and knew she didn't want him to leave. But this was the best chance to test Buhle's limits and possibly get some info about Argus Web. "Ella, it will only take a minute," he promised as he stood up to talk to Buhle away from the noise.

Ella knew she had no choice but to let him go.

"What do you want to talk about, Buhle? I don't think you and I have anything to discuss. I mean, we just met yesterday," Tristin said, acting innocent and confused.

Buhle was thrown off guard by Tristin. Out of all her preparations, she hadn't expected him to act like he didn't know anything. "Tristin, please stop the act. We both know it's useless against me," she said, annoyed.

Seeing her annoyance, Tristin continued the act, confident that she would lose her composure if he kept pretending to be clueless. "What act? What are you talking about? I don't understand, Miss Ntuli," he said, using her formal title to annoy her further while respecting her status.

"Tristin, I know you've figured out that I've researched you. I'm here to explain why," Buhle said, trying to calm herself.

"Why would anyone bother to research me? I'm just a low-born guy who lost his parents. I have nothing to hide," Tristin continued, acting as if he knew nothing.

Buhle lost her patience. "Tristin, at age twelve, your father opened a bank account for you and deposited a million rand as your yearly allowance. Six months later, you used that money to buy 20% shares of that bank. A year later, you received dividends from that bank and used the money to buy 15% shares in a cellular network company. Now that company is the leading cellular network in the country."

She continued, her eyes filled with admiration. "You didn't stop there. You even bought shares in your father's company. That million rand you got at twelve made you the youngest billionaire in the country and on the continent. All your investments turned out great. Whether it's luck or skill, the results are impressive."

"So why have you researched me?" Tristin stopped the act and asked coldly.

"After learning that your parents have died, the Ntuli Group is interested in buying the Prime Group from you," Buhle said, looking him in the eyes.

Tristin stepped closer, closing the gap between them, almost touching Buhle. With his hands in his pockets, he asked coldly, "What makes you think I would be willing to sell my father's company?"

Buhle was momentarily stunned, overwhelmed by his proximity and the faint but pleasant scent of his cologne. She knew stepping back would show weakness, yet she had developed an obsessive fascination with him.

Seeing her turmoil, Tristin smiled and continued, "It's not like I'm incapable of running the Prime Group. I'm sure you know I can take it to the next level with ease. If you think money would please me, you just said I made myself a billionaire from a million. So, I'll ask again, what makes you think I'll be willing to sell?"

Buhle's mind went blank. She couldn't find an explanation that would satisfy Tristin. She knew she was beaten.

Tristin looked at her beautiful face, saw her lack of an answer, and smiled. "Maybe you should call your father. After all, the Prime Group is worth trillions of rand, and a mere beautiful 19-year-old woman who needed a tutor to pass her matric can't handle it." He turned and walked back to Ella, who was enjoying her iconic iced tea.

A few steps away from Buhle, Tristin turned back and looked at her. "By the way, I didn't know you researched me before, but now I do. Thanks," he said with a smug smile, then continued to Ella.

At this point, Buhle was almost broken. She didn't understand anything now and questioned herself. Was Tristin really clueless about the research, or was he playing mind games? One thing was certain: she was no match for Tristin, who was two years younger than her.