Page 10 of Mr. Billionaire's Second Chance

Chapter Three

Katherine

I sat at the breakfast bar in my kitchen with a piping hot cup of coffee in my hand rereading the story in the Tribune. I was flustered by how quickly everything began spiraling out of control, and it made me feel like there was much more at play here than I realized. I was already pushing the limits by conducting this audit underhandedly, but now that every bit of this story was being aired to the public, I wondered how long it would take for my name to join the lineup. In a matter of days Preston’s name was leaked and tarnished in the press, but I had yet to find anything truly incriminating that would make those statements even the slightest bit true.

I tried to hold onto my anger, but the more time I spent at the Kingsman Enterprises head office, and the more I saw Preston, it all began to melt away. I sighed, folding up the paper just as Poppy came rushing out to grab a bite to eat before work.

“How’re things been going? There’s a lot of talk going around about the investigation. Are you calling in the big guns yet?”

“This isn’t happening the way it should, Poppy. Trust me, I wish I could call in an entire team to handle this, but Jamie made it clear he wanted me on this alone. Besides, the press is already ripping Preston to shreds. If I do end up finding something, then that will be well worth it, but if I don’t then -”

“Then you’ll finally start to see the life of a Clarke isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, huh?”

“He brought dinner to my office a few nights ago. He apologized for what happened, and it seemed sincere,” I said, trying not to make eye contact with her.

She slammed her coffee cup down on the table and I looked up to see her furrowing her eyebrow at me.

“You are not falling right back into his trap. There’s no way I’m letting you do that. You see what he’s doing, right? His entire world is blowing up and you’re the only one who can save it. He’s going to cozy right up to you until you forget what you went there to do in the first place. Don’t let this little act of his cloud your judgment. You’ve been down this road once before. Men like that don’t change, Kat. No matter how much we want them to,” said Poppy.

“I know, I know. You’re right. He’s playing me. I need to focus on getting the job done and getting out of there as fast as possible. I’m a one-woman show, so it’s going to take longer than I’d like it to, but I need to stay away from him. At least for right now,” I said, and Poppy nodded.

“I’m going to go get ready for work.”

I took a hot shower, stepping out and wrapping a clean towel around my body before venturing off into my closet looking for something to wear. I pulled out a fresh blouse and a pair of palazzo pants, getting dressed before I painted my lips a light wash of pink. I took one look at myself in the mirror knowing I wanted to walk into Kingsman Enterprises looking good. I wanted Preston to remember what we had together, how incredible it felt, and that I wasn’t going to let it happen again. Poppy was right. The minute I let him back in I compromise my job and my integrity. I need to keep things professional, but there’s no harm showing up there and letting him see what he missed out on.

It was the first time in a while I was getting my confidence back, and I wasn’t about to let that go. I slipped my heels on and right before I made it out the front door I heard a text message come in.

Can we meet? - Wolfe.

The next text he sent was his location details and I decided to head there first. The entire ride over I couldn’t calm myself down. A million thoughts were running through my mind, but I kept it together. Does he know about Preston and I? Does he want me off the investigation? I guess there’s only one way to find out.

“Ms. Hollis, please have a seat. Would you like a coffee?” asked Mr. Wolfe.

“No, thank you. One’s my limit for the day.”

It felt weird to see William in the office every day and pretend that I don’t know that he is the one behind the investigation. And it probably felt the same way for him when he discussed this audit with his nephew in the office and then with me behind Preston’s back.

“I asked you to meet me here because as you probably know, things are starting to heat up around here. Everyone’s talking about the investigation and it’s making the board nervous. We’re trying to figure out the best course of action, but I need to know if you’ve been talking to anyone about this.”

“I haven’t said a word. Jamie made it pretty clear that this needed to remain off the record and I’ve made sure to do just that,” I said.

“Good, because we don’t need any more bad press right about now. I have to ask, have you found anything yet?”

“Everything seems to be checking out so far but I have a lot more paperwork to get through. I don’t mean to pry, Mr. Wolfe, but are you sure that this is something Preston would be capable of doing? He has enough money as it is, and he seems rather preoccupied with other areas of his life. I just don’t see him being the kind of man to resort to fraud,” I said, biting my tongue right after the words left my lips.

“I had a feeling you’d say something like that. After all that man has done to you and you still think there’s a possibility he could be innocent. Let’s not forget how many rich, elitist assholes there are in New York playing the field and stealing from their own companies to line their pockets. A lot of them know how to charm a beautiful woman like yourself. I’d be careful if I were you, Ms. Hollis,” said Mr. Wolfe.

“He told you about what happened between us?” I asked, feeling rather embarrassed.

“Yes, I’m afraid. Much like all the other women in his life all you were to him was another conquest. He’s just like his father, that boy. It’s a real shame.”

I kept going over Mr. Wolfe’s words in my head as I made my way up to the office, but every bone in my body was begging me to turn around and head home. It was like everyone else around me could see what I couldn’t; a version of Preston that I still refused to accept even after what he did to me. There was something about it all that I didn’t feel right, but I knew that if I didn’t find the truth soon, I’d drive myself insane.

I sat down in my chair, pulling out countless reports to go over when I heard a knock on my glass door. My heartbeat quickened as I worried it was going to be Preston standing there, but it was just Claire. I waved for her to come in, and judging from the look on her face, she was begging for a distraction.

“Claire? What can I do for you?” I asked, curiously.

“Mr. Clarke just wanted me to check on you to make sure you were doing okay. Do you need coffee, tea, water, maybe?”

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