Too Late For Regret, Mr. Billionaire

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On my ninety-ninth night with Leo Vance, he was as wild as ever, holding me so tight it felt like he never wanted to let go.

He once told me that physical attraction is far more stable than emotional love.

And I had always believed we had an unspoken understanding.

Until I overheard him talking to his friends.

"Maya is just my executive assistant," Leo said, his voice casually amused. "But I have to admit, she's incredible in bed."

"Double the service for one paycheck. Pretty good deal, right?"

Then, one of his friends mentioned a name: Chloe. The moment he heard that name, Leo's voice softened instantly.

"Chloe is different. I couldn't bear to ruin her."

At that moment, the illusion I had built for myself shattered.

My hand froze on the doorknob. Instead of entering, I pulled out my phone and called the overseas headhunter who had been trying to recruit me for months.

"Are you still looking to hire me?"

The voice on the other end responded almost instantly.

"Perfect. My flight leaves tomorrow night. Come with me."

"I'll send a car to pick you up tomorrow evening."

After hanging up, I looked through the glass door at Leo inside the VIP lounge.

He was sitting in the center of the leather sofa, a tender look in his eyes that only appeared when he heard that name.

The rowdy laughter of the men around him continued.

"Our Mr. Vance sure has charm. Maya is the most famous PR strategist in the industry, yet she willingly stays by his side just playing assistant."

"She looks like such an untouchable ice queen. I bet she's amazing in private, huh?"

The men laughed and winked. Leo didn't even try to stop them. In fact, a smug smirk played on his lips.

I took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and walked in.

After all, on paper, I was still his assistant. I had a job to finish.

The moment I stepped inside, the suggestive tension in the air didn't fade. The men's teasing eyes locked onto me.

"Oh, Maya's here! Perfect. Mr. Vance can't drink anymore. Maya is always his savior at these dinners, isn't she?"

"Exactly. Hey, Maya, do you have any friends like you? Introduce them to us."

"Someone who can handle the business, take the drinks, and... satisfy other needs."

They traded dirty looks, their faces full of disrespect and amusement.

Leo jokingly punched the guy closest to him.

"Alright, that's enough. Can't the expensive wine shut your mouths?"

After saying that, Leo waved me over, gesturing for me to sit next to him.

As soon as I sat down, Leo handed me a glass with a smile.

"These guys are just playing around. They don't mean any harm. Don't take it personally."

I didn't say a word. I tilted my head back and drank the alcohol in one gulp.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open. A girl wearing a white woolen coat and a pink beanie stumbled in, her innocent eyes filled with panic.

The second she walked in, Leo bolted upright and rushed to her.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?"

"This place is too chaotic. Didn't I tell you to wait for me at home?"

Chloe?

So this was the Chloe they were talking about.

Chloe looked up, her eyes watery and incredibly helpless.

"I waited for so long and you didn't show up. I was worried."

"Your stomach is bad. I didn't want you to drink too much."

Leo seemed deeply touched by her words. His dark, cold eyes softened completely.

The men in the lounge started whistling.

"Oh, so this is the 'Chloe' our Mr. Vance always talks about? Hey, beautiful, want to join us for a drink?"

Before the man could finish his sentence, Leo turned around and smashed his glass on the floor.

"Shut your damn mouth. Chloe is not the kind of woman you joke about."

Not the kind of woman?

Just moments ago, his friends had said things to me that were ten times worse, and Leo had laughed it off.

But now, Leo flew into a rage over a harmless joke because Chloe wasn't "that kind of woman."

If their conversation earlier had torn my heart open, Leo's reaction now was like digging a giant hole in my chest, letting the freezing wind howl through. My hands and feet went numb.

I closed my eyes, forcing down the bitterness in my throat.

A little over a year ago, Leo's company was facing a massive financial crisis.

As a top-tier crisis strategist from Wall Street, Leo hired me with a massive contract for six months.

In just three months, I brought his group back from the dead.

But our rapid rise pissed off the wrong people.

A disgruntled rival hired professional hitmen to ambush us in an underground parking lot.

During the chaos, I threw myself in front of Leo, taking a bullet that was meant to end his life.

Fortunately, the bullet missed my heart by an inch. I survived.

When I woke up, Leo was sitting by my hospital bed, his eyes bloodshot, his voice cracking with emotion.

"You didn't even hesitate to jump in front of me. Did you face stuff like this back in New York?"

"Maya, it breaks my heart. Stay with me, okay?"

Maybe it was the way he whispered my name, or maybe the tenderness in his eyes was too intoxicating.

At that moment, I fell for him.

Like an idiot, I nodded.

From that day on, everything changed.

On the surface, I was still his executive assistant.

But he spent almost every night in my bed. We were wild, passionate, doing everything real couples do.

I thought it was love.

When I opened my eyes, Leo had already left with Chloe. The people left in the room looked at me with either pity or ridicule.

I ignored them, stood up, and walked out.

I was leaving tomorrow. Once I got back to the apartment, I started packing my few belongings.

This apartment was provided by Leo, and most of the things in it were bought by him. I didn't have much of my own to take.

As I was packing, the front door opened. I didn't turn around.

A moment later, a warm chest pressed against my back. A pair of rough hands slid under the hem of my shirt.

Leo's voice was raspy from the alcohol.

"Why are you packing? Going somewhere? Is Hazel dragging you out on another trip?"

Hazel was my only friend in the country. We occasionally went on weekend getaways.

I stopped his hand from moving higher and turned around to look him straight in the eyes.

Instead of answering, I asked the one question on my mind.

"Leo, what are we?"

Leo froze. His drunk eyes cleared up a bit.

"Maya, is this about Chloe tonight? Are you upset?"

I didn't say a word. I let the silence speak for me.

Leo let out a soft sigh and sat down on the sofa. When he looked up again, there was a hint of impatience in his eyes.

"Maya, I thought we had an unspoken understanding about this."

"Chloe won't affect us. Everything stays the same. Be a good girl, okay?"

At that moment, I realized I had never truly known this man.

I forced back the tears prickling my eyes.

"I see."

Hearing my response, Leo visibly relaxed. He stood up, wanting to hug me.

But sensing my coldness, he stepped back.

"Whatever. Get some rest and clear your head. I'm leaving."

"I have a dinner with Mr. Sterling tomorrow afternoon. I'll send a driver to pick you up. Just relax during the day."

After Leo left, all my strength drained away. My knees gave out, and I sank to the floor, the tears finally pouring down my face.

A while later, my phone buzzed. It was a Snap from Hazel.

"What is wrong with Leo? Why did he post this on his Ins story?"

I opened the screenshot Hazel sent. It was a photo Leo had just posted.

It was a screenshot of a chat. The caption read:

"Turns out, being cared for after drinking feels this good."

My tears fell onto the screen. With trembling fingers, I zoomed in on the chat.

Most of the message was blurred out, except for one line from the sender.

"Your stomach is bad. I get so worried when you drink. If you do it again, I'm going to ignore you!"

Looking at those childish words, Chloe's innocent face flashed in my mind.

I clicked on Leo's profile. His Ins page was blank for me. Just a gray line.

He had blocked me from seeing it. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Hazel's messages kept spamming my phone.

"Who is that in the screenshot? That's not your profile picture!"

"You've been with him for a year. What the hell is he doing?"

"Has Leo lost his mind? Some basic, whiny text gets him so excited he has to show the whole world? Did he forget everything you've done for him?"

"You're his girlfriend!"

Looking at the last message, I stared blankly for a second before typing back.

"I'm just his assistant. We both got it wrong."

After that, Hazel didn't send another text.

The next morning, Hazel sent a driver to my place, insisting on taking me out for lunch.

I checked the time. Leo's dinner with Mr. Sterling was in the afternoon, and the driver wasn't picking me up until evening. I had time.

Hazel was my only friend. Since I was leaving, I needed to say a proper goodbye.

After a night of crying, I had mostly made peace with my decision. But Hazel spent the entire drive to the restaurant cursing Leo out.

Looking at her flushed, angry face, my heart felt a little warmer.

We hung out at the mall after lunch until the evening, when Leo's driver picked me up and took me to the private dining club.

The moment I entered the VIP room, Leo smiled and waved at me.

"Maya, you're here. Come, sit."

From the second I walked in, Mr. Sterling's slimy, greasy eyes crawled over my body like a snake.

I pretended not to notice and sat down next to Leo.

As soon as I sat down, Mr. Sterling spoke up.

"Is this... Mr. Vance's date?"

"Mr. Vance, you really are young and successful. Every woman around you is more stunning than the last."

Mr. Sterling stood up, walked behind me, and casually rested his hand on my shoulder.

Leo smiled, raising his glass to Mr. Sterling.

"You flatter me, Mr. Sterling. When doing business, the women we bring must match our status."

"Since you like her, and she doesn't have any pressing work tonight... once we sign the contract, she can stay and thoroughly discuss the resort development with you."

Hearing this, Mr. Sterling's eyes lit up. The hand on my shoulder squeezed tighter.

I had been to many of these dinners with Leo.

But now I realized that in his eyes, I was just a highly capable assistant, a tool to charm clients, or maybe even a chip to be traded in business.

But never his partner.

Just then, a commotion broke out in the hallway outside.

"Are you blind? Can't you see me walking here?"

Then came a girl's frantic apology, her voice trembling and full of tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking..."

Beside me, Leo's face fell instantly. He bolted upright and rushed out of the room.

The girl outside was Chloe.

Her eyes were red, filled with tears that looked ready to spill over.

The bloated, drunk businessman who had run into her realized she was a pretty, innocent young girl. He stepped closer, reeking of alcohol.

"Oh, what a cute little thing."

"Don't cry. I'm a reasonable guy. But you bumped into me, and it hurt. A simple apology won't cut it. My private room is right next door..."

Before the man could finish, Leo's fist smashed into his face. He pulled the sobbing Chloe behind his back.

The drunk man was caught off guard and took the blow head-on.

Once he steadied himself, furious, he grabbed a glass bottle from a nearby cart and hurled it straight at Leo.

Out of professional instinct, I rushed forward, throwing myself in front of Leo and Chloe.

Smash!

The bottle shattered heavily against my forearm, which I had raised to shield them.

The glass exploded. Red wine and blood splattered all over my clothes, and blood began to drip rapidly onto the floor.

People from the neighboring rooms came out to see the commotion. When they recognized Leo, their faces turned pale.

"Mr. Vance... Mr. Vance... What are you doing here?"

The drunk man was still shouting.

"Who the hell do you think you are, hitting me! Do you know who I am? I'm with Miller Corp..."

Before he could finish, his associate grabbed him, bowing frantically to Leo.

"Mr. Vance, Mr. Vance, he's drunk. Please don't mind him. Please show mercy..."

I looked at Leo. He was staring at the terrified Chloe with pure heartbreak. He didn't look at me for a single second.

Hearing the associate's apology, Leo's eyes turned icy.

"Miller Corp? Got it."

Chloe clutched Leo's sleeve, looking pitiful.

"Leo, I'm scared. Let's go."

Without hesitation, Leo scooped Chloe up in his arms and carried her toward the private lounge.

Before leaving, he seemed to suddenly remember I existed.

"Clean yourself up in the restroom. Once you're done, go back and take care of Mr. Sterling."

"Don't keep him waiting. This contract is highly important."

I looked down at my dripping, bloody arm. A cold, bitter feeling washed over me.

When Mr. Sterling put his slimy hands on me, Leo looked away and even offered me up as a bargaining chip.

But when Chloe was merely teased, the always-rational Leo lost his mind and started a fistfight.

The difference between love and convenience was loud and clear.

When I walked out of the restroom and passed the private lounge, the door was slightly ajar. A suggestive, breathless sound drifted out.

The woman was panting, her voice sweet and whiny.

"You say you love me, but why won't you take me to these dinners? Am I too embarrassing to be seen with?"

The man's voice was deep, thick with desire.

"The men at these dinners are beasts. You're too pure. I couldn't bear to let you near a place like this."

"I want to protect you from the world. I'd never let you get hurt."

The girl giggled, teasing him.

"Don't be so eager. Your assistant is still cleaning up in the restroom. She might be right next door."

The man didn't slow down, clearly pleased by her reaction.

"I love you so much. You always surprise me."

"Don't worry. The walls in these VIP rooms are soundproof. I closed the door. She won't hear a thing."

As Leo spoke, Chloe, who was beneath him, shifted her gaze. Her eyes met mine through the crack in the door.

At that moment, everything clicked.

Leo thought he had closed the door, but it was wide open.

Her showing up here, and this entire performance, was all Chloe's doing.

I smiled, withdrew my gaze, and quietly pushed the door shut for them.

As the lock clicked, my phone rang. It was my contact.

"Maya, change of plans. The private jet has landed."

"We need to leave immediately. I'm coming to pick you up now."

I sent him my location and quickly walked out of the club, never returning to Mr. Sterling's room.

If the plans had changed, it was fate.

Leo, goodbye forever.