Page 3 of Mr. Billionaire's Second Chance

Chapter One

Katherine

Today

I heard Poppy knocking on my bedroom door. I rubbed my eyes sleepily as I caught sight of the time and the dozen missed calls on my phone from work. Shit.

“Are you up? Kat, I have to leave now. You can’t be walking into work late again!”

“I’m up! I’m up,” I said, opening up my bedroom door.

“Couldn’t sleep again, huh?” she asked. I could tell that she was studying the bags under my eyes and how worn out I looked, but I had to assure her I was doing a little better.

“I slept okay. I’m just so tired. Work’s been crazy. That’s all.”

“Kat, you and I both know this has nothing to do with your job. I’m a damn lawyer but you’re somehow the one that’s always got their shit together. I can tell when something’s up. This has to do with Preston, doesn’t it?”

I didn’t know what to say. It had been four months since that night and I hadn’t heard anything from him since. Part of me had been expecting some terrible apology a few weeks later, but he never reached out. I wondered if I’d been reading too much into things when we were together, like I got swept up in the high of it all, but he was just enjoying my company for the time being. You damn well fooled me, Preston. There’s no way in hell I’m letting that happen again.

Poppy didn’t wait for a response. She glanced down at her phone as it started blowing up with countless text messages.

“Listen, we’ll talk about this tonight. We’ll go out, get a drink. It’s time you remember that there’s more to New York than Preston Clarke,” said Poppy.

I smiled, taking a deep breath, watching her rush right out of the front door. I ran the shower, the hot steam filling the entire bathroom and I let the water wash away yet another sleepless night. I was tired of thinking about Preston, about all of the other women he probably had lined up the minute he was finished with me. Every time I thought about it, I grew angrier. I’m done feeling this way about that asshole. It’s time I get back to focusing on me, my career, and my life.

I fastened the buttons on my blouse, taking one look at my mess of brown hair in the mirror before tying it back into a low bun. I grabbed my things, making my way out the front door to hail a cab, and once I was safely in the backseat I felt like I could finally breathe again. I scrolled through my messages, feeling my heart sink into my stomach at the thought of what I was just about to walk into.

You better be here, Kat. This may just be the most important meeting of your career. - Jamie.

“How much longer?” I asked the cab driver, trying to hide the desperation in my voice.

“We’ll be there in five.”

Ten minutes later I held the door handle, ready to make a run for it the minute I saw that familiar skyscraper appear with its perfectly embossed sign near the entrance. I almost forgot to pay the cab, shoving a few dollar bills at the driver before bolting inside. Once the elevator doors to the firm opened up, there Jamie was with his arms folded across his chest.

“You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago. In my office. Now.”

I followed Jamie in, passing the receptionist’s desk where the phone was ringing off the hook. I caught sight of a stack of files waiting to be delivered to the right office, and when I glanced down at the label, I knew we were dealing with the big sharks now. Kingsman Enterprises? I heard the name, I know they’re big, but not much more than that. My heart started thumping loudly as Jamie held the glass door open for me, and I took a seat right across from his desk.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, Jamie. What is this about?” I asked.

“Well, thankfully you don’t have to move on this until this afternoon, but that means you’re just going to have less time to prepare.”

“Prepare for what?”

“We have a new client that’s an old acquaintance of mine, and he wants a forensic audit conducted on a company he runs with his business partner. He has reason to believe that his partner has been engaging in fraudulent activity, and after hearing his story, I have to agree that there may be something there,” said Jamie.

“You want me to conduct a forensic audit?” I asked. My eyes widened at him, and I tried to hide the surprise in my voice.

“I thought you’d be a great fit to do something like this. You’re sharp, you’ve got a great track record here, and I know you’ll get the job done. Unless you think that you’re not up to it?”

“No, no. I can do this, Jamie. You can count on me,” I told him.

I was so eager to get back into work that I didn’t even question where this was going. From the moment I accepted the job I knew that this wasn’t going to be handled traditionally. There was something strange about the way Jamie was talking about it, like he desperately needed me to find something. I took a deep breath, knowing that if I could pull this off, it would secure my place here for a very long time. It will also take my mind off of other things and I definitely need that right now.

“That’s what I like to hear. Now, Kat. I need you to know that we’re going to be handling this one differently. It’s going to be somewhat off the books and you can’t discuss anything you find with anyone other than the client and me. Is that clear?”

“Y-yes. Uh, is there anything else I should know?”

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