Page 20 of Mr. Billionaire's Second Chance

Chapter Six

Preston

I thought about her tousled brunette hair and her long, glistening legs sitting in the back of my limousine on the way back to her apartment. The conversation was calm, flirtatious like it had been all those months ago, and it made me feel like kicking myself for abandoning her. I fixed my tie, sitting at the head of the conference table, ready for a meeting with the board, but all I could think about was Katherine.

She was driving me crazy, making me wait around longer than I had to just so I could catch a glimpse of her, coming into the office early just so I could run into her on the elevator ride up. It was all messing with my head, much like it was when I decided that we were getting too close too fast, and now I wasn’t sure I’d ever get the chance to cozy up to her again. You just had to be an asshole. Now, she shuts you down every chance she gets.

“Good morning, Preston.”

“William, you’re here early. I thought we discussed that you didn’t need to sit in on this meeting,” I said.

“Well, the board thought it best that I be present for this one, just to make sure that everything is still moving smoothly. It’s been a rocky last few weeks with the press, and they just want to make sure we don’t lose our investors’ interest.”

“You know I could’ve handled it. Besides, it’s my job to do so. If they have a problem with the way I’m dealing with things, they could very well just take it up with me,” I said through my teeth.

“Now, now. No need to get upset, Preston. All of this will eventually blow over once your little girlfriend wraps up her forensic audit and we can get back to fixing our little image problem.”

“It’s going to take a lot more than some good press to fix this, William, especially if she ends up finding something in the Laurier account,” I reminded him.

“Well, you’re just going to have to comb through that information and make sure you remove anything incriminating first, huh? Look, I’m here to help you, Preston. I’ve got my hands full right now. It’s time you get to digging before all of this blows up in our faces,” he warned.

“I’ve got someone on it. Hopefully we’ll know more soon. If I find anything of interest, I’ll call you.”

We both quieted down the moment the board members came funneling in through the conference room door. The meeting concluded an hour later and I was making my way back to my office when I heard the phone ring. I slung my suit jacket over the back of my chair, sitting down to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Clarke, Richard is here to see you. Should I send him up?”

“Yes, thank you, Claire,” I responded.

I was eager to hear what kind of information Richard collected, and I wondered what I’d learn about Katherine that I didn’t already know. I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t trying to fuck me over, because as much as I wanted to get close to her again, I just couldn’t ignore the fact that every woman that I let too close to me ended up betraying my trust. With the way things were going, the last thing I needed was to find out she was deliberately trying to throw the investigation.

Something tells me she’d never do such a thing. She’s here because she cares about her job, but I’m sure trying to mess with me doesn’t hurt.I thought, as my mind still ran wild trying to figure out who her client could be. I knew that if I came right out and asked her, she’d never just tell me. She cared enough to keep things under wraps, but I hoped that I’d soon be able to unravel her for both of our sakes. I reached for the glass carafe of water on my desk, sipping it lightly right as Richard knocked on my office door.

I motioned for him to come in through the glass and I studied his nearly expressionless face closely hoping I’d be able to pick up on where this was going.

“Richard, please, have a seat. I hope that your being here means that you found something of interest.”

“You had me tail Ms. Hollis for the last few weeks, and apart from her mild obsession with purchasing grocery-store wine, there isn’t much else you need to worry about. She’s only been talking to Kingsman Enterprises employees, her boss, and that friend of hers that she lives with. As far as I know, her life is as mundane as ever,” said Richard.

I sighed. Part of me felt relieved that she wasn’t openly working with one of my enemies to take me down, but that still left me wondering who was responsible for this. Someone is feeding her information, enough for her to find the Laurier account because as far as I knew, everything of my father’s has been wiped from the building. I need to find out more about that case, because as far as William and my father were concerned, they considered it handled. I never so much as had to involve myself once. Now I’m starting to think that I should have.

“Did you find out anything else about the Laurier account? How did she get that information, Richard? I’m sure none of the employees she’s been talking to has told her about that. I also need to find out who her client is. I am trying on my own here, but if she’s as clean as she says she is, then how is this even happening?”

I slammed my hands down on my desk loudly, staring up at Richard, hoping he had a plan in place to get me the information I needed.

“I’ll keep looking, sir.”

“You know every asshole out there that has been gunning for me since I first took over this place. One of them had to have paid for this investigation to take place, and I need to find out which one. Think you can do that?”

“Yes, sir. I’ll call when I know more.”

I feel like I’m running out of time here before Katherine pulls the rug out from under me and Kingsman Enterprises comes crashing down. I need answers, and I need them soon. For now, Kat, we need to pick up where we left off.I thought. I knew that wouldn’t be hard because every time I was alone with her, it was like she drew me in. I wanted her. I wanted to feel her skin on mine, the taste of her lips, the sensation of having her near me. It’s time I remind you exactly what that feels like.

The lights started to dim in the building as everyone packed their things, heading home for a lovely weekend where they didn’t have to worry about the office. My life was never so simple. There was always too much to do to take real time off and there was always a problem waiting around the corner to be fixed even during the times where the rest of the world believed everything was moving smoothly.

Now, I didn’t know how to fix the problem at hand because I didn’t have enough answers. I didn’t know how this came to be or why Katherine had to be the one to do it, but it was driving me crazy. I sifted through countless documents at the office, going through the ones in my safe in the penthouse, but not finding a single thing that could tell me how the Laurier account actually went down. It technically didn’t close until I assumed my position at the head of the company, so whatever information was out there, I was ultimately responsible.

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