Page 53 of Mr. Billionaire's Second Chance

Chapter Fifteen

Katherine

I clutched the warm teacup to my lips as the segment wrapped up, but I couldn’t peel myself away from the television. I stayed in the same spot for what felt like hours, remembering how quickly I shut Preston out of my life without so much as asking him for the truth. Did he do that for me? I asked myself. He was always a private man, never the kind to bare everything he had on national television, but knowing that he wanted to get through to me that warmed my heart.

A little while later I heard the phone ring and I picked it up, my heart pounding in my ears.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

His voice was soft, low, and it sent a chill down the back of my spine.

“Yes, of course we can.”

“I will be at your place in five minutes.”

I glanced behind me at the mess of documents on the table and all of the evidence that I’ve been gathering for Mr. Wolfe, rushing back to pack it all up before Preston arrived. I didn’t want him to know that his own uncle could’ve been the one responsible for his expected downfall, but I couldn’t exactly say anything until I was sure. Jamie is sure as hell not going to like this one. Not only will I be going against my client, but I’ll also be ruining his relationship with his friend. Though I’m not going to let Preston go down for something he didn’t do. That’s not the kind of person I am.

I wondered for a moment if that was why Jamie picked me. A young auditor that was still learning the ropes certainly wouldn’t have been my first choice for a job of this caliber, but now I was starting to understand why it worked out the way it did. He didn’t believe in me, did he? He just wanted to make sure his friend was well taken care of. No questions asked.

I shook it off, hearing a knock on my front door, and I opened it up to find Preston standing there with a bouquet of peonies in his hand. They were my favorite, and I smiled, reaching up to take them from him when he pulled me close.

“Now, Katherine Hollis, did I not tell you that you’re the only woman for me?”

He pressed his lips to mine and I kissed him back hard. I felt my entire body melt right there in the doorway of my apartment. And then he led me inside and made my mind and body explode with the force of a thousand suns…

Poppy came home that evening to find me mulling over documents all spread out on the coffee table. I started looking into Mr. Wolfe’s accounts, but everything looked pretty clear. And then I remembered that Wolfe was his mother’s name, and his birth name should also be Clarke because he and Preston’s dad had the same father, but different mothers. I went through everything again, and when I finally found reports from his personal account, I knew I had him right where I wanted him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What?” asked Poppy, grabbing some water from the fridge.

“That two-timing son of a bitch has been sending me on a wild goose chase to sink the only other person who has control of their company. How could I have missed this?”

Poppy furrowed her brow at me, joining me on the couch, while she listened to every detail about what I’d learned.

“We need to know more and we need to act fast.” said Poppy.

“He told me that if I find anything today and need to contact him, he will be at some place called Nobu. You up for a little outing?”

She smiled at me, nodding.

“Let’s get the son of a bitch.”

Poppy and I grabbed our purses, heading straight out the door. We took a cab down to Nobu, and Poppy managed to get us a table. The hostess led us towards the back of the restaurant before Poppy interrupted.

“Would it be possible to seat us up front? Maybe here?”

“Those are reserved for a party of four tonight. I’m sorry.”

“No problem,” I chimed in.

Poppy and I smiled at each other while we finally took our seats, going over our game plan for the night. We just need to figure out what he’s up to. Once I find out the truth, I can fix this. I smiled to myself, realizing that after all this time, Preston wasn’t the bad guy. He was the one trying to hold everyone together, and I should’ve trusted him. Now, I certainly do.

We both ordered drinks, glancing at the door at the other end of the room, and that’s when I saw him come in. He wore his expensive, crisp suit and red tie, leading his dinner guests to the reserved table. His phone rang, and I watched as he sauntered off to the bathroom to take it. I rushed after him, keeping my head down to make sure he didn’t see me.

He tried to muffle the sound of his voice as he cupped the phone in his hand, but I was close enough to catch a bit of the conversation.

“It’s almost done. She’ll find what she needs to get rid of him. He should’ve never been in charge in the first place, and now he’s going to be rotting in jail while I finally have the chance to sell the damn company. I don’t like having to hold onto my brother’s hand-me-downs. If your offer is still the highest, Kingsman Enterprises will be yours. We’ll talk.”

My heart sank into my stomach hearing his words, and I watched as he hung up, rushing back to his table. He’s going to sell Kingsman Enterprises to the highest bidder and he’s going to use me to do it? No way. Not on my watch. You’re right about one thing, William. I’ll find what I need to get rid of someone, but it sure as hell won’t be Preston.

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