Chapter 8 Secret Billionaire

• Fred strode into Leo’s sprawling penthouse office, with a mischievous grin playing on his lips, two steaming mugs of coffee in his hands. “Morning, brooding billionaire,” he chirped, placing one mug squarely on Leo’s carefully organized desk.
• “Still staring at your war room like a general planning his next invasion?”
• Leo looked up from the multiple monitors displaying social media analytics, trending topics, and Zara’s profile just as Leo slid into the seat across from him.
• His expression was focused, intense, but there was a subtle softening around his eyes that Fred, his closest friend, immediately noticed.
• “It’s not an invasion, Fred,” Leo corrected, though a faint smirk touched his lips. “It’s a reclamation. Zara’s reclamation.”
• Fred leaned against the edge of the desk, taking a sip of his coffee. “Right, right. ‘Reclamation.’ Sounds noble when you put it like that.”
• Leo’s gaze sharpened, a faint blush, barely perceptible, touched his cheeks. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
• “No, I’m observant,” Fred replied, closing the laptop. “You’ve been walking around here like a man on a mission. What’s up, Mr. Secret Billionaire?”
• Leo smirked. “You’re exaggerating.”
• Fred laughed, a warm, genuine sound that always managed to cut through Leo’s usual intensity. “Come on, Leo. I’ve known you since we were kids. You don’t just ‘help’ someone with this level of detail unless they’re… well, unless they’re her. The one in the lilac dress.”
• The mention of the lilac dress made Leo’s jaw clench almost imperceptibly. It was a detail he rarely spoke about, a memory he guarded fiercely. He had told Fred about this and since then Fred had been a witness to his secret adoration.
• “She was hurt, Fred. Publicly humiliated. They spun a vicious narrative,” Leo defended, his voice dropping slightly. “Someone had to help her fight back.”
• Fred leaned forward, eyebrows lifted. “You serious?”
• Leo nodded slowly. “It’s not just the feelings, Fred. It’s the fact that she doesn’t even know half of what Jayden’s done. And I’ve been quiet too long.”
• Fred shook his head, chuckling. “So that’s what this is. A thirty-step plan for revenge?”
• “Not just revenge,” Leo said, firmly. “It's restoration.”
• Fred burst out laughing. “Bro, you sound like a preacher.”
• Leo shrugged, unfazed. “Call it what you want. I’ve got plans.”
• Fred raised a brow. “Like?”
• “She was torn apart, Fred. Online. In the press. They made her look like a fame hungry, desperate mess. And all because she loved the wrong man.”
• Fred’s eyes dropped. “Your stepbrother.”
• Leo’s jaw clenched. Hard.
• Fred went quiet. He watched his friend quietly, the same Leo who’d ghosted every girl that tried to get close, who hadn’t been serious about anyone in years. It all made sense now.
• “You’re still that kid who watched her fall for your stepbrother, huh?” Fred said, softer now. “Still hoping she’ll look your way.”
• Leo met his eyes. “I’m not hoping anymore. I’m doing something.”
• Fred whistled low. “Goddamn.”
• Leo grinned slightly, but there was a fire behind his calm.
• Fred clapped his hands once. “Alright, Iron Man. Just don’t lose yourself in this whole savior complex. Fixing her is cool and all, but what about you?”
• Leo’s gaze didn’t waver. “I’m already fixed. I just never got the chance to show her the real me.”
• Fred raised his drink. “Then show her. But don’t just plan, bro. Be there. That’s how you win.”
• Leo looked back at the screens, her photo lighting up the center.
• “I will.”