The Billionaire's Vengeance: My Path To His Heart

Chapter 3: The visitor

The feathery clouds stretched across the sky like strands of cotton candy, creating a colder atmosphere in the city compared to yesterday. Pedestrians on the streets were dressed in thicker clothing than usual due to the previous night's rain, which left the roads wet.

In the middle of the street, a blue Chevrolet Spark idled, waiting for the traffic light to turn green. Odella was on her way to the hotel early in the morning, having had little sleep the previous night due to her preoccupation with Caleb. It felt as though this man was haunting her after all the discussions they had yesterday.

Throughout the night, Odella had been plagued by fears of Caleb rejecting her proposal. Their conversation had lacked sensibility, leading her to leave his villa with little hope of his assistance, even if he had promised to call her. In the end, it was Odella who suffered from her lack of sleep.

She caressed her shoulder, feeling the bite mark left by Caleb. Memories of the previous day flooded back into her consciousness: how Caleb's fingers had traced her skin, how his scent clung to hers, the depth of his gaze, and his rough, crisp voice. Unintentionally, she gasped.

The blaring horns behind Odella snapped her back to reality. Only then did she notice that the traffic lights had turned green.

"Damn it!"

Caleb always managed to distract her, even while she was driving. She continued to navigate through the traffic.

Upon reaching the hotel parking lot, she made a promise to herself that she would put Caleb out of her mind and focus on her job. No more daydreaming! With care, she parked her car in the designated space.

Before entering, Odella looked up at the building with thirty-two floors. She knew she had to protect this structure. She continued walking, dressed in a simple trench coat that reached down to her legs, and she wore a pair of black, lace-free shoes, allowing her to move around the kitchen effortlessly all day.

"Odella!" A woman named Carol Martin waved at her as she entered the building. Odella suspected Carol had arrived just a few minutes ago.

"Carol, you're early!" Odella remarked.

Carol was not just a coworker, but also a friend from their college days. After they graduated, Odella invited Carol to work with her.

"You too! I never expected you to be early today," Carol replied.

"Well, I didn't get much sleep last night. And since I was out for half of the day yesterday, I planned to finish the sauce I was working on. After that, I'll check the kitchen supplies. It's going to be a busy day for me," Odella said with a simple smile as she updated Carol.

Both of them reached the restaurant office. As Carol settled her belongings into a locker, she couldn't resist asking, "So, how did it go? Did you run into your ex?"

Odella's expression darkened. Carol was well aware of her past relationship with Caleb and had encouraged her to use seduction as a tactic if he disagreed with her terms or rejected her proposal. But Odella had no intention of resorting to such tactics. She shook her head, attempting to push aside the memories of how Caleb's gaze had lingered over her body.

"He asked me to leave. I knew he would be upset, considering all the history between the Bale and Ferell families. He hasn't forgotten the past, and he still blames my father for his tragedy, even though the court found my dad not guilty."

A profound sadness welled up within Odella as she recollected the events of a decade ago. Ten years earlier, Caleb had been involved in a car accident with his father. Caleb had survived, but the accident had left him unable to feel his legs, whereas Mr. Ferell had tragically lost his life in the same incident. Odella's father, Mr. Bale, had become the primary suspect because of his ongoing disputes with Caleb's father, leading to numerous companies accusing him of being the mastermind behind a scam.

All the available evidence seemed to point to Odella's father as the main culprit—Caleb included.

During that year, the court had frozen all the Bale family's assets while conducting their investigation. Consequently, the longstanding marriage arrangement between Odella and Caleb, who were still in high school at the time, was annulled. In the weeks following the accident, Caleb had moved to a small town in Europe in an attempt to escape the tragedy.

"It's strange seeing him in a wheelchair because we used to run around Ferell's mansion in the past. He didn't bother hiding his displeasure at seeing me yesterday!"

"You mean nothing romantic happened?" Carol asked with a mischievous smile.

"Romantic? No way! You're dreaming! There was no love between us!" Odella retorted, shaking her head. She knew her friend considered her a hopeless romantic.

Carol grinned knowingly, aware that Odella had a penchant for romantic daydreams.

Deciding to change the subject, Odella said, "I'm going to get ready."

"Alright, I'll check the dining area too," Carol replied.

Odella headed to the ladies' room, where she changed into her work attire: a white double-breasted jacket, a pair of clean pants, and her trusty apron, which she wore every day. She immersed herself in the kitchen's activities for the next couple of hours, and as the afternoon approached, she joined the team in preparing the main dishes.

While Odella was in the midst of cleaning the shrimp for the Creole Seafood Gumbo, a staff member interrupted her.

"Odella, there's someone looking for you outside."

Surprise registered on Odella's face, as she hadn't been expecting any visitors. It was the first time anyone had come looking for her. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, realizing that dinnertime had arrived without her notice.

"Kal, please continue cleaning the shrimp," she instructed.

Kal, a member of her team, responded, "Of course. I've got it."

Odella quickly washed her hands and dried them with a square cloth before leaving the kitchen. She scanned the diners in the dining area and was drawn to one particular table. Her cousin, Livia, sat there with a group of five women her age.

Livia was wearing a blue turtleneck cashmere sweater, and she matched it with a black skirt reaching under her knees—scolding the server as she approached them.  

Odella felt annoyed that her cousin had to disrupt her work. She wouldn't get tired in the kitchen, but she'd get exhausted from whatever her cousin's plan was. Looking at Livia's friends, Odella knew she couldn't trust them; they were obstreperous.

"What is it?"

"Odella..." The server named Abby seemed about to cry, looking at her, asking for help. 

"What happened?" she asked. It was her duty as the owner of that restaurant. 

"That server! She gave us wrong orders!" complained Livia. 

Her friends snickered; some were giggling slightly. 

Odella had a strong suspicion that these women were plotting something. Abby, who stood beside her, seemed anxious, fearing that she would have to cover the cost of the entire table and that the wrong dishes had been served.

Abby tugged on her arm. "Odella, I'm absolutely certain I took down their correct orders. I even repeated them before sending the request to the kitchen."

"What? Are you implying that we're lying?" exclaimed the woman seated across from Livia, whose short, red hair stood out.

Abby cowered behind Odella, clearly intimidated by the woman. Odella regarded her cousin with a stern expression before shifting her gaze to the plates and the sumptuous dishes on the table.

"You've almost finished the food, and now you're claiming that these aren't the dishes you ordered?"

"So what? We assumed you were giving those for free!" retorted Livia.

"This woman! I want to speak to your manager!" Livia's friend snarled.

"I am the manager," Odella replied.

"What kind of restaurant is this place!" the red-haired woman bellowed, hoping to attract the attention of other customers.

Odella knew her cousin would find ways to evade p*****t. She suspected Livia had never intended to pay from the beginning.

"Security cameras monitor this restaurant. Are you certain about your accusations? If I were to share the footage with the police—"

"Police?" the woman seated next to Livia interjected, sounding anxious.

"Don't pay attention to her. She's just bluffing!" Livia countered.

"We need to install cameras inside this restaurant to ensure the safety of all our customers. You've consumed items from our expensive menu. The dishes at your table amount to approximately five hundred dollars. It would be appropriate to involve the police."

"F-five hundred?"

"Yes," Odella replied with a slight smile. "Abby, please call the police."

"Don't! I-it's Livia!" the woman exclaimed. "She confessed to wanting to cause trouble for this restaurant!"

"Yes, that's correct!"

All of Livia's friends voiced their agreement, except for the red-haired woman, who shot a sharp glare at her.

"You damned b*tches! Without me, you wouldn't even be able to dine here!"

"Just settle the bill!"

"Exactly! You claimed this was your treat!" the others chimed in.

Odella concluded the conversation by stating, "We can put all of this behind us as if nothing happened, but please settle the bill. Abby, can you fetch the receipt?"

"Ugh! I should never have brought you all here!" Livia grumbled as she reluctantly selected one of her credit cards, provided by her dad, who lived abroad.

Odella hadn't anticipated this ordeal ending so swiftly. After her cousin and friends left the restaurant, as expected, she felt utterly drained. She had been working since morning and could barely feel her legs. She settled into a chair and took a much-needed rest for at least five minutes.

"That was quite a spectacle," a voice commented from the table next to hers.

Odella stood up to see who had spoken. Her world seemed to pause as she met the intense gaze of those green eyes.

"Didn't I promise to give you my answers today?"