The Beauty and the Playboy Billionaire

PAYBACK TIME

CHLOE

"What the hell did you do?"

Dad approaches me like a madman as soon as the entire production crew of the show Good Morning USA leaves. "You exposed the man; threw his face in the mud in front of the entire world!"

"Nah, don't worry about it." I wave my hand, ignoring his wild reaction. "That man deserves it. After what he did to me, I can't just sit here and tell myself that it is fine. Because until now it isn't. I felt disrespected. He had no respect for my time, my effort, or me as a person. I worked so hard for this career, and he just treated me like a joke. He's a douchebag who doesn't deserve respect from anyone!" I say with finality, bitterness clouding me.

"I understand, but you should have settled it differently. You're putting yourself into trouble. Carlos Leonards is not an ordinary man. He's powerful. He's rich."

"So?" I shrug, my lips twisting, uncaring of what Dad has just said. "I don't care if he has tons of money and thousands of connections. He should know that what he did was wrong. Otherwise, he'll keep on repeating it!" I emphasize.

"You should have kept your opinion to yourself. He's a dangerous man to mess with. He could sue you for slander or moral damage."

I snicker, patting my dad's back. "That's not possible. I only told the truth. We may voice our opinions. It's a free country. Every human being has rights."

He looks heavenward and throws his arms in the air. "Did you hear me? The man is powerful! He could destroy you with just a snap of his fingers."

I shake my head. "That man has no balls to sue me in court."

"What makes you so sure?"

"First"-I touch my little finger-"it will only expose all his dirt and add more humiliation. He'll hate it when the media won't stop digging into his past scandals. Second, he won't jeopardize his family's reputation. That would be bad for the business. Third, people will turn against their family. No one will believe in their latest innovation projects-they'll be doomed. Imagine, it costs billions, and almost all the rich people in the world are invested in it. And there are a thousand more reasons!"

Dad sighs, clasping his arms together. "I hope you're right. I can't help but worry about the outcome!"

"There's nothing to worry about, dad. Just trust me on this." I tap his back again, and he nods.

Liam, who shouts from a distance while walking toward us, interrupts our emotional moment.

"Hey Chloe! You're so cool! You grilled the man. I saw the tweets. You're trending on Twitter with that Leonards guy. You're getting very famous now."

"Really? I haven't checked on it yet."

"Your followers are growing on all your social media accounts. Wow, that's amazing!" He grins widely. "Can you sprinkle a little of your fame? Maybe you can help me grow my followers too."

"Yeah, if you really want your life to be exposed to the public, Liam."

"Hmm...I guess one in the family is enough," he answers.

"Liam, can you transfer those sacks of potatoes from the field to the storage room?" Dad instructs, and he follows without question.

Brianna joins me right away when I'm alone, holding her iPad. She's a very efficient personal assistant, editor and, most importantly, my best friend.

"You did so well! I'm so proud of you, my bestie. You looked so pretty on camera. White suits you better."

I wore a white pantsuit to the interview, the same suit that I wore during what was supposed to be my first meeting with Carlos Leonards.

"Thanks. But Dad got upset that I grilled Carlos on the show. Do you think I overdid it?"

"Never. You did just fine. In fact, you were so discreet. If I were in your shoes, I would have lashed out and said things that would make that man wish he was not born. That asshole deserves it," she mutters bitingly, her eyes growing in maddening anger.

Her assurance makes me confident that I did the right thing and I have nothing to be concerned about.

"That was an unpleasant experience "It was. Good thing you did not agree to meet him when he asked. He would have done the same thing and left you hanging."

"Absolutely. I don't want to experience that again."

She takes my phone and makes me stand in front of our small garden. "Come on, I'll take some photos of you for social media."

Yeah, Carlos Leonards is mega rich, influential, powerful, and all. Too bad he messed with the wrong girl. I can't just sit and watch him make a fool of everyone. I had to stand up and say something about it.

What he did was wrong, and he needed to learn how to act less like a spoiled brat and more like a civilized human being.

The following day, I receive an email from my publisher. After seeing my daring interview exposing Carlos, they want to bring me back to the negotiating table for my book deal.

They think my rising popularity can be of help, even if they still aren't making any promises about publishing.

No doubt, they still want the Carlos Leonards exclusive interview.

My blog following increases as well as my brand partnerships and collaborations. My advertising earnings also skyrocket.

On the flip side, Carlos Leonards' name is trending all over social media for the wrong reasons. Tweets, posts, comments, articles, photos, and videos of him flood my feed. There are even memes of him as the certified playboy with the doctor's degree.

The world learn too much information about him. As a kid, he locked his nanny in their basement. He broke their CCTV cameras and climbed out of their mansion gates. He put a live frog on a silver platter, ruining his family's Christmas dinner. He threw detergent soap in their fountain, burned their house down, and many others.

As he grew up, he was into different sports-car racing, mountain climbing, and skydiving. They'd linked him to different women all over the world. Celebrities, models, daughters of business tycoons and politicians, and even princesses.

Now, the paparazzi follow him everywhere. They pester him, camping outside his penthouse and office just to take photos and get more information.

Well, he asked for it. That would surely teach him a lesson.

Many people ride the publicity, especially the women whom he has dated and slept with. They say the same things.

He dumped me after our first date.

He never returned my calls.

He doesn't do relationships and girlfriends.

The man is afraid of commitment.

The name Carlos Leonards is everywhere. He has become super famous as the notorious playboy.

So yeah, I ruined his reputation, but I don't feel sorry for it. I know I did the right thing, and he deserves it.

I guess he has realized his mistakes. Though he has never said a word or commented about the issue to the media. He doesn't set up any interview either to defend himself. He's silent, and so is everyone in his camp.

It had been two weeks since my interview with Good Morning USA, and yet he hasn't contacted me. Nothing. Not even a word from his executive assistant, Calvin.

It's like nothing happened.

Sometimes I wonder if he's so callous that he doesn't give a damn about what people say about him. Maybe he's used to it. He prefers to stay silent. That way, the issue will die down easily.

While I get the sympathy of the people.

Don't worry. We're here for you.

I hate these rich, selfish, spoiled men, who think the world revolves around them - that everyone would come running to attend to their needs.

Fucking rich man. So immature.

You did the right thing. Someone should tell him that what he did was wrong.

He's rebellious. Just like his mom.

It did concern me that some people dragged his mom into it when it was a battle between me and Carlos Leonards only.

Camilla Leonards is a smart, classy, powerful, and rich woman. I read her biography and learned about her struggles in life. From growing up so poorly, taking care of her mother with cancer, dealing with her ruthless grandfather and getting into an arranged marriage that changed her life. She's very admirable and a strong woman indeed.

Unfortunately, her son sucks!

The weirdest things are the fandoms that spring up of Carlos and myself. Some have a crazy notion of us being together. They make some video clips online, making up stories of us meeting for the first time and falling in love.

There are plenty of fan art posted on different social media. Some claim that we are secret lovers or had a thing in the past.

I can't understand why some people see everything as a joke.

Everything is good until one night when I get home late after attending an event I was invited to as a guest speaker. Dad is in the kitchen drinking beer.

"Mr. Edward Phillips backed out in our partnership deal. He also won't buy our potatoes anymore," he tells me abruptly.

"What?!" My heart stops for a moment, hearing the news and seeing Dad's weary face. "Why?"

"He rejected our potatoes. and turned to another supplier." He sinks into the wooden chair.

I'm completely bewildered.

"He can't just reject us. We've been supplying to them for years. We have excellent quality of potatoes, and now we produce more than ever. Isn't that what he wants?"

He nods, sighing heavily and rubbing his eyes briefly. "He had to do it. He was sorry because he had no choice."

"What do you mean?"

"Leonards is the chief investor of the Phillips Food Manufacturing Company."

My heart sinks. "Oh my God."

He leans forward, clasping his hands together. "Carlos Leonards threatened to pull out their investment if Phillips continued to get potatoes from us."

"That bastard!" I exclaim, my hands balled into fists. "First, my book deal, and now, our potato buyer?"

So that's why that asshole Carlos Leonards is silent. He has been planning on something to get back at me!

"Mr. Phillips can't take the risk of losing the Leonards investments. It would put all his hard work into the drain." Dad looks so tired and old suddenly. "Besides, they started with the Leonards on their back. All their machinery, they got it from them..."

As Dad continues talking, I get blinded with fury.

"Don't worry dad, we still have other buyers."

"It won't be the same without the Phillips. These small-time buyers will only buy one fourth of the stock." He groans. "What are we going to do with the rest? We are scheduled to harvest next week, and it will all just rot in the storage area."

"I'll find a way, I promise. I'll look for other buyers tomorrow," I assure him. "We'll surpass this trial."

*****

The following day, I arrive home feeling exhausted.

Looking for a buyer is difficult. They all ask for recommendations from other buyers. They also ask why Phillips Food Processing pulled out, and I can't give them an honest answer. Other buyers are loyal to their suppliers and there's no way they would change suppliers.

"I failed," I tell Amanda. I'm in her room, lying on her bed. She's the only person left in the house when I arrived home since everyone is at the farm.

Amanda sits on the bed beside me. "At least you tried. Don't feel so bad, Chloe. You're doing a lot for our family already."

"I love you guys. You're my life. All I want is for us to be happy and live comfortably."

"Thanks, Chloe. You're always thinking of us."

"Of course." I sit up and turn to her. "It's my fault. I should have kept my mouth shut and not provoked that bastard."

"It has happened already. We can't do anything about it anymore." She shrugs. "I hear dad said that he's going to return the machinery. He doesn't mind selling even at lower market value. It won't be of use if we plant less."

The thought breaks my heart. Seeing my dad looking happy lately with our potato business growing gave me joy. Now, he looks like part of his world has collapsed!

"No. I won't let him return all those machines. There's still a way."

She adjusts her glasses and asks, "How?"

I set my lips in a hard line. "I'm going to see Carlos Leonards."