Her heartless billionaire

a mysterious man.

6th December 2022,

10:20am

PRIME VIEW media company HQ

New York city, USA

As Sarah Winston, the only child of my father and the most important person to him, no one who knew my family would have ever imagined me working as an ordinary reporter in a small news agency here in New York. For me it was an easy decision, leaving my father in Los Angeles and moving to this wonderful city to pursue my journalism dream had always been my plan and immediately I was done with college, I pursued it whole heartedly and finally got my first job. I got a good paying job working with the Media Company ‘PRIME VIEW’ even though I was a total amateur back then because I had done so well during the interviews and so far I was really enjoying the experience.

I had written numerous reports already and even been a co-host for early morning shows, but I had never been given an assignment that involved interviewing a public figure or a famous celebrity. There was one on the cards today and I was going to try to get it. All I had to do was get the Director to give me the assignment and although she was mean and strict with everyone else, we were good friends from day one. Standing at the door of her office and taking deep breaths to steady myself I knew I could do it, that was one thing about me that was never going to change, I was stubborn in chasing the things I really wanted and at that moment I wanted to interview a famous person.

Knocking lightly on the door and peering in when I heard the Director’s voice say “come in” was the easy part. As I sat down in front of her desk while she typed away on her laptop I wondered how exactly to phrase my request and decided to just be direct and say what was on my mind.

“Good morning Director Emma, I would like to make a request concerning an assignment that was recently brought to the agency.” I said noticing the expression on her face to try and read what her reaction would be. As expected from her, there was no reaction. So I kept going. “I would like to be the one who attends the party later this evening and conducts the interview for whoever the main guest is going to be.” I said making sure I sounded as confident as I felt. At that moment the Director stopped typing and looked me in the eyes, I was sure I saw relief on her face but I had to be mistaken. Why would the Director possible be relieved about me taking an interview off her hands when they were so many other reporters in the agency who would want the exact same opportunity? The Director proceeded to slowly close her laptop and just sat there looking at me before speaking.

“Sarah do you want to take the interview job for the main guest expected at party tonight? Are you sure about this? I need you to be really sure because once I give it to you, then I can’t let you walk away from it.” The Director asked looking and sounding very serious. I was sure I wanted to finally get an interview and from what I heard the person of interest at the party was supposed to be some really famous billionaire who recently topped the list of billionaires under 30 years of age, it was definitely a hot topic at the moment and one that could catapult my career as a journalist if I did it right. So I gave her the most logical reply in that situation, based on the little information I had.

“Yes I want this assignment and I can assure you that I won’t be backing down from it.” I said with my chin raised in defiance as it always was reflexively whenever I made up my mind about doing something.

“Good, then the assignment is yours. I trust you have decent clothes to wear to the party. The company’s limo will be picking you from your apartment by 9pm and taking you to the venue of the party which will be the ‘GRANDEUR club’ located at the heart of this city. I trust you to do a wonderful job.” The Director said shaking my hand from across the table with a smile on her face. She could definitely tell how happy I was about this because I was also smiling and I was really excited.

“Thank you so much, I will do my very best.” I said making a move to leave the lush leather chair when the Director motioned for me to remain seated.

“You need to get the briefing of the man that you are to interview at the party before you go and I will be doing that briefing myself. I will do it right here and right now because there isn’t much to say about this man.” The Director said almost in a whisper, she sounded like she didn’t want anyone else to hear what she was about to say and that only got me more excited about this mystery billionaire I was to meet and interview. “His name is ‘Max’, ‘Max Malevolo’. Do you know of him?” she asked looking at me intently.

“No ma, I have heard of him but not much more than his name and how wealthy he is, but I do know that his source of wealth is not common knowledge.” I replied sincerely and waited for what the Director was to say next.

“Max Malevolo is an Italian-American business man believed to be in his mid-twenties, CEO of one of the world’s largest conglomerates and one of the most secretive billionaires on this planet if I may be so direct. That was why no one else requested this job my dear, because they knew it would be almost impossible to get anything from it. The man has not uploaded a new picture on any social media account since he was about 20 and dating the Princess of Spain, the man’s conglomerate is legal and every corporation in it makes billions of dollars annually but the press has no idea whatsoever how he built it up or what the individual corporations do. We have heard rumors of him expanding his business empire from Europe and Asia into America, but we have absolutely no idea when or how he plans on doing that. We have no current information about his love life, nothing concrete about his past and nothing verified about his family background. No reporter has interviewed the man in 5 years. Do you now understand how difficult this is going to be for you to handle. It could either be the hardest interview for you to ever get or an interview that you never end up getting. Do you still want to attend the party as the company’s media rep tonight?” she asked looking me in the eye again and watching me closely for any signs of hesitation. I wasn’t someone who ever hesitated; I got that from my father.

“Director Emma if I get the interview it will shake the global media coverage for at least a few months and boost the image of the entire company globally. If I don’t get one then I enjoy a party in one of the biggest clubs in New York, I see this opportunity as a win or win situation for me.” I said smiling at her as I spoke and willing her to give me the assignment in my mind.

“There is something else about Mr. Max Malevolo I think you should know, they are all just rumors within media circles but I think you should know them just in case. He is good with women, and I mean really good with women. He is rumored to have been with French supermodel Monica Lejeune, Famous Swiss Actress Sophia Dell and even America’s own TV sweetheart Michelle Kay. All within three weeks during the last time he was in New York. Some would even refer to him as a playboy and some as a serial womanizer.” The Director said still sounding totally serious. At that point I was more intrigued by this mystery man and excited at the prospect of meeting him even if it was beginning to feel impossible.

I had no fear of meeting him or dread at all, and then the Director added one more rumor about the billionaire playboy that brought some semblance of fear to the already dark and mysteriously portrayed man I could possibly be interviewing later that day.

“There is one more thing about Mr. Malevolo that you should know; he is rumored to have gotten rid of his competition through some illegal ways in the last couple of years. He bought some of the company’s competing against his and even bought the last media company that made publications about him that he didn’t like. Some say the last journalist he met with disappeared a month after their interview and has not been seen since then. You see, he has connections to the Italian Mafia so all these rumors are not unbelievable but still can’t be proven by anyone. I am sure is nicknamed ‘the heartless billionaire’ by his close friends for a reason. His closest and wealthiest friends refuse to give any detailed information about him for a reason as well.” She said to me pausing now and taking in a deep breath. “We have to take the risk of interviewing him because of how great an opportunity this is, but I want you to be really careful the entire time Sarah, if by some luck you meet him then ask only nice questions and keep the rumors to yourself, do not do anything to upset him. If you don’t meet him, then enjoy the party and report about the party instead of the billionaire by tomorrow morning.” She said to me pausing and waiting for me to give an affirmative nod before she said anything else. ”You can leave now; any further information about him will be given to you by my secretary. Good luck my dear.” She said getting up from her seat and shaking my hand before taking her seat again and turning her attention back to the laptop.

As I left the office my mind kept going back to his moniker, ‘the heartless billionaire’ and in no time my mind began imagining how the man was and just how wild he could possibly be, but I was not afraid of him. I was merely intrigued by the thought of meeting such a mysterious, clearly daring and perhaps dangerous man.

In no time my mind had gone to other thoughts, most importantly I needed to get my credit card quickly and get myself something nice to wear to the party. I still had a few hours to do that and then do my hair. The possibility of meeting the infamously famous Mr. Max Malevolo was clearly low and next to none, but if I was to meet him and perhaps interview the mysterious man then I needed to look my best.

I thought the thoughts of him were gone till I was on my phone in no time checking for pictures of the strange man and just as the Director had said to me earlier; the last picture of him I could find online was from many years ago. It was a picture of the handsome man hand in hand with the Princess of Spain which meant that part of the rumors about him was true. I found myself wondering just what other rumors could be true about him and in immediately I was smiling to myself while staring at the picture on my phone.

Now I knew I actually wanted to meet the man. A part of me was terrified as to how a meeting with such a man would be but another part of me looked forward to it and even hoped for it to happen. It was going to be a long day for me and an even longer night, but I was sure of one thing. I was finally getting my first official interview assignment as a journalist, no matter what happened to me tonight, by tomorrow morning I would be a far better journalist and ready to achieve so much more. I kept telling myself that was what matters the most, but already the man’s face was in my head and tormenting my every thought. The face of Mr. Max Malevolo, the handsome billionaire playboy who somehow had connections to the mafia and now had connections to my thoughts as well.