Page 57 of Mr. Billionaire's Second Chance

I pulled out my cell phone, texting him to meet. He instantly texted me back to meet him at his home and I sighed in relief. I needed this to happen in a place where we wouldn’t be seen, because if he chose not to cooperate, I’d have to play right into his hands to get him to confess. My mind was reeling with the possibility of what he might do, but I knew that there was one thing I certainly had to focus on, and that was protecting Preston. All you’ve ever done was make the right choices and everyone around you still questions your authority. Once this is all over, there won’t be a board member or associate that ever questions you again.

I made my way into the shower, trying to come up with the perfect excuse not to have Preston rope me into spending the day with him. There was nothing I wanted more, but the longer I sat on this information, the less valuable it became. I have to do this, and I have to do it now.

I clutched my file folder to my chest, the chiffon tie around the neck of my blouse feeling tighter the closer I got to William’s home. I thought long and hard about what his life must’ve been like after his brother passed away. Unlike Preston, spending his time grieving the loss of his father and simultaneously hoping to carry on his legacy, William had an entirely different plan in mind. Going by the last name Wolfe is only part of it. He probably thought going by his mother’s family name would scrub him clean of being forced into his step-brother’s shadow.

The cab pulled into William’s large compound, with its wrought-iron gate and lavish shrubbery. I felt a little intimidated walking up the stone steps to his front door, but I took a deep breath, knowing I had to keep it together to get this done. I rang the doorbell, standing in front of the massive carved wooden masterpieces before me. It wasn’t long before one of them opened to reveal a rather ecstatic William who was probably expecting that it was near time to stick it to Preston. I suppose I’ll be sticking it to you instead. I thought.

“Katherine, it’s so lovely to see you. Please, come in.”

“Thank you.”

Stepping foot into his foyer was like being transported to an entirely different world. The marble floors felt cold, the perfect furniture looked like it hadn’t been touched in ages, and there was a waft of William’s cologne leaving traces in just about every room we walked through.

“You uh, have a lovely home,” I said, unsure of what to say.

Come on, Katherine. This really isn’t the time for small talk.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“No, I’m-”

“Nonsense. Please, have some tea. I know that it’s early and you probably didn’t have much time to grab yourself some breakfast. I want you to be comfortable before we dive into the next steps of this arrangement,” said William.

I couldn’t say another word or do anything apart from nod. In just a few moments, one of his house staff came out with a silver tray of tea and small cucumber sandwiches. My stomach didn’t so much as rumble, because it was too busy turning at the thought of what I was about to do.

I managed to sip on a little Earl Grey, watching William indulge in his morning espresso, and I knew I couldn’t take it anymore. The anticipation was killing me, and the thought that he was almost going to get away with ruining everything Preston had worked for filled me with rage. I sighed deeply, handing him the file. He opened it, pretending to look shocked at the first page which was the one he probably left me to find at Preston’s gallery.

“See, I knew you were a good choice, Katherine. I knew you’d be able to find what was needed to bring Preston down. After all, he’s done quite a bit of damage to this company already. I can’t imagine what he’d do if he stayed in charge,” he said, brushing his fingertips over his thick, greeting beard.

“When I first took this job I was certain that a billionaire that just assumed his father’s wealth and company must’ve been the guilty one. It seemed like a textbook case, but that was until I met you. The jealous uncle always wanting what his nephew had. That document is a forgery. You should’ve paid closer attention to the way Preston signs his C’s,” I said.

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. That is when he started digging through the remaining documents to find all of his financial records, even the ones he’d hoped to bury.

“Those are all just copies, mind you. I have the real ones stored away safely.”

“Now, this is unexpected. You do realize if you decide to do something with this, you can consider yourself unemployed,” he threatened.

“I’m sure Jamie might be upset, yes, but if he fires me, that’s only going to make matters worse for him. You’re the one that initiated this investigation, and I imagine you chose me because you thought I’d do exactly as you’d say with no questions asked.”

“Turns out I was wrong about you. Look, this can go one of two ways, Katherine. Either you take the missing document back to Jamie and you work out the legal proceedings to shut Preston down or I will find my own way to destroy you. Though, if you decide to do the right thing here, I can make it worth your while.”

I saw the look in his eyes, the one that told me he really believed he was going to be able to buy himself out of this one. It was then I realized that threatening him wasn’t going to be enough because just like he managed to bury all of the terrible things he’s done, he could probably bury the truth too… if he had enough time. Play into his hands. You can figure out a way to expose him, you just have to make it seem like you’re both on the same page here.

“Really. How so?” I asked, crossing my legs, laying my chin in the palm of my hand while I listened to him.

“Ah, see. There really is always a price someone’s willing to pay to get what they want. I can give you just a fifty thousand dollars to do this the right way, but there’s a catch.”

“I am disappointed, William. Did you really think that I won’t figure out your plan to sell the company? And in comparison to the company’s market value, fifty thousand is nothing.”

He smirked.

“I am impressed, Katherine. My offer is five hundred thousand. I won’t be getting the whole amount right away, and it will be hard to conceal money transfer.”

“I’ll think about it. What’s the catch you mentioned?”

“You’re going to have to do it publicly. I don’t want there to be any chance of you changing your mind. I’ll set up a press conference and you can tell the world that Preston Clarke is a dirty businessman. That will do enough damage to remove him as head of the company, and with him being tied up in legal proceedings, by the time he finds out the truth, it’ll be too late. Though, you’ll be half a million dollars richer. You won’t need him anymore,” said William.

“Make it a full million and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

I knew I had no intention of taking the money, but I wanted him to know that I was serious. If he even so much as caught a whiff of fear from me, this little plan of mine would blow up in smoke. William would have everything he wanted and I’d be the one trying to clear my name. I have one shot to make this right, The press conference. That’s the day everyone will know what a colossal piece of shit you really are.

“Deal.”

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