Stealing The Billionaires Cold Heart

POV : Amber I adjusted my waiter's uniform, the crisp white shirt and black pants feeling foreign on my skin after years of hiding in the shadows. My hands trembled slightly as I tied my bow tie, a nervous habit I'd thought I'd lost. Hotel Fabulousa was buzzing with preparations for the Daredevil cruise, one of the most exclusive events in the city, bringing together the wealthiest and most influential people. And the Wellington family owned the famous Daredevil cruise ship. I have come a long way from the girl who once walked the halls of Evergreen High, where I’d first caught sight of Leonardo Wellington. I took a deep breath, my disguise as a waiter giving me the perfect cover to blend in, observe, and even investigate the past without drawing attention to myself. Hotel Fabulousa is one of my assets that I inherited, and I'd worked hard to rebuild its reputation after...after everything. I stood in the elevator as memories flooded back as I thought about high school. Leonardo Wellington, My Leo. I'd fallen in love with him at first sight. He was kind, smart, and charismatic, but he'd seen me only as a friend. His focus had been on Marianne Walker, his betrothed and prom date, a cheerleader who'd gotten everything she'd wanted. I'd watched them, Leo showering Marianne with love, treating her like a queen Yeah, I felt Jealous... Jealousy had eaten at me, leading me to the arms of the one person I’d turned down severally. Alexander Jackson, a charming singer and basketball player. Alex had seemed perfect, and I decided to give him a chance because I'd thought we'd been in love. He has been chasing after me for almost two years. When I finally agreed to be his girlfriend, I thought he would be happy to have me. But for some weird reason, he wanted to keep our relationship a secret. He never meets me in public or talks to me openly. It bothered me that he refused to go public with our relationship, and I spoke to him about it, telling him how I wish to walk down the hallway with him. He agreed to think about it, and after a few day’s , he agreed to make our relationship public on our graduation. Then came our graduation day that had shattered everything. Alex's band had performed, and he'd brought me on stage for the very first time since we started dating. I felt so happy as I thought he was finally ready to announce our engagement to everyone. He called me on stage only to humiliate me in front of the whole school. I had no idea that he recorded us in bed together, I had no idea that he was taking pictures of my nudes when I’m not looking. As I stood on the stage, my nudes were displayed on the huge screen behind him as laughter and boos rained down. "w***e," had been the word on everyone's lips. He played a short clip of me on my knees while he screwed me from behind. The voice over for the clip was a recording of me moan, and a short recording of me when I begged him to come public with our relationship His face was cut out of the clip, but I’m sure it was him, he’s the only man I’ve even been with. He had no care in the world as he played the videos and made me the hottest news in town. I'd cried for many days, my shame spreading like wildfire on the internet. The shame hit harder at home. My father had had a heart attack, dying soon after. I'd lost my mom years before, and now I have brought shame to the family and killed my father. I was all alone with the family business that I know nothing about, and my crushing shame. I couldn’t bear the shame, I couldn’t face the press either. I left the city for a while, staying awake from public eyes and keeping away from the media. Years in hiding, working so hard to rebuild my image, to make Hotel Fabulousa a top-tier hotel again and rebuilding our other businesses, rebranding our companies too. Ten years , I’d worked so hard to not just rebrand our company but also change my looks with a few cosmetic surgeries that not only altered my look but made it difficult for anyone from the past to recognize me. For ten years, I’d worked hard to change my past and secure my future. But in all these years, I had one thing in mind. Revenge... Alexander has to pay for everything he did to me. Alex did not just break my heart, he destroyed my reputation, killed my father and while I was struggling to understand what our company is all about, all our contracts and investors were stolen by a company bearing his family name. He destroyed my life and still stole from me . It’s like stepping on me while I’m already down. He was merciless when he ruined my life and stole from me. And now, with the Daredevil cruise coming to my hotel, I couldn't help but think of the many ways I could deal with him and pay him back for everything he did to me. I will make him suffer and take everything away from him, including his fame and wealth. I will leak out his nudes to the general public and I’ll make sure his s*x videos are out there as well. Good thing my hotel is being used this time. It would be so easy to plant camera’s in his room and get videos that would destroy his music career and crash his company shares like he did to me. I would strip him of everything he loves, one by f*****g one. By the time I’m done with him, he would have no one and nothing to hold on to. I stepped out into the bustling hotel lobby, guests checking in for the cruise party mingling with the staff. I smiles to myself as I saw a few familiar faces walking past me and yet no one recognized me. It would be so nice to see Leo again. Ten years had passed since I'd last seen him, since he'd looked at me with disappointment when my nudes had been released. How would I face him? Would he recognize me behind this waiter's disguise? If there is one person who could recognize me, it should be Ok Leo. We shared a special bond that goes beyond friendship. My eyes scanned the crowd, half-expecting to see his familiar face among the Wellingtons. But there was no sign of him yet. I became a bit worried when I spotted the rest of the Wellington’s walk in through the door, and still no sign of Leonardo. "Waiter, can you help with those bags?" a guest asked, snapping me back to reality. I nodded, smiling professionally as I moved to assist. In this disguise, I was just another face among many. But with all the faces that walked past me, I know for a fact that the shadows of my past were closing in. I helped the guest take their bags upstairs, then I got back to the elevator and back to the lobby. As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, the glass at the front door swung open with a flourish, and I glanced over her shoulder just in time to catch a glimpse of a tall figure striding confidently through the entrance. My breath hitched as I recognized him at first glance. Leo, with his tousled brown hair, vibrant blue eyes, and an effortless charm that made everyone around him feel special. The second he turned in my direction and locked eyes with me, my heart had skipped a beat, leaving everything else in a soft blur. He has not changed one bit, or should I say he looks even better than I remember. The strong shoulders, the jet black suit, was an image straight from my memory, yet refined, sharpened by the passage of time. I took a deep breath, my heart racing at the thought of being under the same roof as Leo after all these years. He moved with purpose, his head slightly bowed as he scanned the lobby. He must be looking around for his private servants, or guards. But none are close by and I decided to take this opportunity and approach him to hear his voice again.