Chapter Three
1195 Words
LEONARDO'S POV
Meeting Andrea at the restaurant was one hell of a plot twist I never saw coming. It was exactly two years since I had no choice other than to tread through a different lane. A very dirty, ruthless, and messy lane. It's true that New York knows the billionaire in me; however, Andrea and her sister managed to see a dark and ugly side of me that they shouldn't have seen. Her claims were not so true, but she was so naive that she never listened. My actions weren't so intentional then, and s**t knows I did all I could to save all the ladies there, including her ungrateful sister.
My resentment towards Andrea now would never be enough to keep her mouth shut, and making her mine was the one way I could make sure that all her attempts to drag me to the mud, would be futile, both now and in the future. She'd be so traumatised that even after I'm done with her, she wouldn't remember her last name, let alone what to tell the world about me.
“The meeting is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.” Sebastian, my personal assistant at work, informed me carefully.
I ended the call in order to contact my lawyer, Christopher. I understood what was at stake with Mr Miller and the others, which was why I needed to make up for the last time, or else, things might take a wrong turn.
“Hopefully, we'll be finalising the business deal today. Get all the legal papers ready and make sure to be on the seat by 12:30, at the latest.” I instructed him over the phone.
“And the girl? Were you able to take care of her?” He asked in a worried tone.
“Yes, now get to work,” I kept my reply short before hanging up.
“Boss, Andrea has not had anything since last night. What exactly do you intend to do with her?” David, the closet of my bodyguards inquired while I strolled down my spiral staircase.
“I intend to make her suffer. Order Cordelia to get something for her to eat and some clothes to cover her shame.”
“Yes, boss. Will she still be locked up in the room?”
“Yes, until I say otherwise.”
He reached the door before me and opened it. The car and a few of my bodyguards were already outside, waiting for me.
“Good morning, boss,” one of them greeted me before opening the door of one of my newest purchases - a Rolls Royce Cullinan.
The drive to my hotel was a quick one but I didn't mind. I had an impromptu meeting with all the head staff before Christopher finally showed up.
“Good morning, Mr Leonardo,” he greeted while walking behind me into my office, “Everything is ready just as you ordered, but I must remind you one thing. You are a public figure, and your affairs will always find its way to the public. Are you sure that girl has nothing to use against you in the future?” His face grew from mere curiosity to worry.
“Listen, Christopher. I really appreciate what you're trying to do here. Everything is under control, and the most important thing right now is the deal I'm about to seal. The vision of having an extension of this hotel in Italy needs to start becoming a reality.” I dismissed the topic of Andrea.
He gave me a weak smile before putting down the documents on the dark brown table between us.
“If you say so, we'll only be worried about the vision you have for Italy,”
“Excuse me, sir,” my secretary opened the door slightly, claiming my attention, “Your guests just arrived.”
“Inform Sebastian and tell him that I'll join them shortly.”
“Good luck, Mr Leonardo. I'll leave you to put a few things together. See you in the conference hall,” he gave me a small smile before exiting my office.
I used the opportunity to go through each and every file Christopher handed over to me before leaving. This deal had been postponed long enough, and the awaited positive result was going to be today.
“Good morning, everyone. It is really a great pleasure to have you all back,” I greeted my guest warmly as I watched as a cup of coffee was placed before them.
“We can surely say the same,” one of them, precisely, Mr Miller replied while the rest nodded in affirmation.
“We can proceed if you don't mind.”
“Sure,”
I waited for everyone to be comfortable on their seats before I began.
“Firstly, I'd like to apologise again for the scene at the restaurant. It was misconduct of the highest order, and I assure you all that the issue has been taken care of.”
“Look, Mr Leonardo. We are not just reputable men in the entire business world. We are also men of high moral standards and integrity. We can not partner with a man who has things as disgusting as the lady's claims going around in his name. It is a dent to your reputation and equally a dent to ours for partnering with you. We want to be assured that a thing of that nature won't repeat itself in the future.”
“I understand your point of view in this, Mr Miller. I would definitely do the same thing if the roles were reversed, but you can trust every word that I'm telling you. She is my personal life, and I've taken care of her.”
There was a momentary silence before Mr. Miller spoke up again.
“This is not to encroach further into your personal space, but we want to be sure that none of these will lead us into deep regret for sealing this deal with us...”
“I'm sorry, Mr Miller, but don't you think you're crossing the line?”
“It's okay, Christopher,” I nodded in his direction for him to relax before I turned to my guests, “What do you want?”
“We'll be hosting the event of our anniversary soon, and we look forward to seeing not just you but her. She has to take back everything she said at the restaurant before the deal can be sealed. We apologise if this will cause any form of inconvenience.”
As much as I wanted to question their offer, being calm was my best option in this. If this was going to be the last and final step to earn me this deal, then so be it.
“If that is all you demand, then you'll have it. We'll be looking forward to seeing you too, as well as finally sealing the deal.”
“Sure, Mr Leonardo,” Mr Miller smiled while others drank from their cup before standing to leave. We exchanged pleasantries again after I saw them off at the door and watched them drive off.
- Writer
