Page 24 of Mr. Billionaire's Second Chance

Chapter Seven

Katherine

I folded my hands in my lap, breathing deeply as the town car pulled up in front of the small coffee shop with its beautiful bay window and charming little yellow door. Preston got out first, outstretching his hand to help me, and I took it. The mere touch of his skin on mine sent a chill down my spine that I hadn’t felt in a while, and I tried my best to ignore it. I watched as he rolled up the sleeves of his button-up shirt, greeting the barista behind the coffee bar as she smiled warmly at him.

“It’s nice to see you again, Preston. What will it be?”

“I’ll have whatever the lady is having,” he said, turning to me, smiling.

I glanced up at the menu behind her, looking at all the wonderful options, before I decided on a plain cappuccino. She went to work behind the bar while Preston led me to a table right near the window. The sun was pouring in, so much so I could practically feel it on my skin, and it was nice. I felt so calm yet so on edge all at the same time when I was around him, like I didn’t know what to expect. It was hard to look him in the eye, catching yet another glimpse of that perfect, pearly white smile as he brought our drinks over.

My fingers were practically shaking as I tried to grab ahold of the ceramic cup, and I had to take a deep breath before I said anything because I was sure I’d be fumbling for the right words.

“I can’t remember the last time I was in a coffee shop in the middle of the day like this,” I said, taking in the atmosphere.

There were a few people over by the bar seating with their earphones in, typing away at their laptops, and enjoying their hot cups of coffee like there was no place else they’d rather be. It’d been ages since I’d felt like that, and now that I thought about it, it was quite strange to see Preston be so comfortable in a place like this.

“I have to ask, is this somewhere you come often? Another Brooklyn spot you just so happen to frequent?” I asked, sipping on my smooth, silky coffee.

“Another place I like to visit when I need to get away from the city. I brought you here so you can learn a bit more about me. That’s why you’re here after all, right?”

“Yes, so tell me, Preston, what makes this place so special?”

“This is where I’d come when I’d had another ridiculous fight with my father. After listening to him go on for hours about how much of a disappointment I was, I’d escape to Brooklyn. I knew he’d never make it out here unless he was visiting a property he wanted to buy. The man was a piece of work.”

“I knew your relationship was rocky, but I didn’t realize it was that bad,” I said sympathetically.

I listened to him tell me about the ups and downs he experienced ever since his father started training him to be next in line. I had my doubts about Preston from the moment we first met, thinking that he had everything handed to him, that he never had to work a day in his life, but it wasn’t that simple. He spent so many years trying to impress the one person that mattered to him, only to be shot down, time and time again. I thought about what I’d been reading about the Laurier account, the money that had shifted from one place to another, and the building that was now the headquarters of Kingsman Enterprises. On paper, it looked like the perfect deal, but there was still money that was unaccounted for, so much that it made me worried I won’t be able to find the trail. It felt like this had all fallen into my lap at the completely wrong time, and now I found myself not wanting to hurt the man that had broken my heart.

I was looking for every excuse to deny the facts, but there was a part of me that held out hope I’d find the perfect explanation for what was going on. The rest of the money had to go somewhere, Preston. Your father had to stash it someplace safe, and I just hope you had nothing to do with it.

“You’ve told me about your father, but what about your mother? I’ve heard that she’s quite the popular one,” I said, recalling what I’d seen while flipping through the style section.

“She keeps herself busy, and she can’t seem to stop spending money ever since my father passed away. We never really had a relationship, but I never did mind. It was my father I wanted to care, to value everything that I was doing, but he never did. Now, he’s potentially left me with quite a bit of trouble, now hasn’t he?”

“What do you mean?” I asked. I knew what was coming, and I had been beating around the bush the entire time we were here, but I was so worried about what he was going to say.

“You’re looking into the Laurier account. Edward Laurier was a friend of my father’s and the one that sold him the building you’ve been spending a lot of time in. My father kept me completely off the deal, but from the paperwork I signed off on, everything was clean. Look, Kat. I want you to know that I’m not the kind of guy that wants to cheat my way to the top. If I was that guy, I’d be making more millions and not even bothering to show up to do the work. If there’s something I need to know, you have to tell me,” he begged.

I saw that genuineness in his eyes, making my heart sink into my stomach because the thought of having to break it to him that there were misplaced millions was too much to handle. I couldn’t blame him, not until I got proof that money went through his hands first.

“I haven’t found anything incriminating yet, Preston, but you have to know I’m not done looking. This is my job after all. Trust me, if I had a say in the matter I wouldn’t be the one taking on this case, but my boss requested that I’d be the one to handle it. It would be a big step for me,” I confessed.

“It would be a big step if you found something, right?”

“And yet, I’m still hoping I don’t,” I said, reaching across the table, placing my hand in his.

I didn’t even know what I was doing until it was too late, but he brushed his fingers along my knuckles, and I allowed it to lull me before I eventually pulled away. I awkwardly tucked my hair behind my ears, clearing my throat, before finishing the rest of my cappuccino.

“We should be getting back, no? I’m sure you have an entire schedule planned, and you already missed that one meeting,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, but what’s missing one more? There’s still more to this story that you have to know. We haven’t spoken much about William, but I’m sure you two have gotten acquainted by now,” he said.

My eyes widened, realizing that I had to keep quiet about Mr. William Wolfe, because the last thing I needed was to give up my client before the job was done. That would be the one thing to sink this investigation and I couldn’t have that. Preston piqued my interest, and I decided to give in, because learning more about Mr. Wolfe would definitely come in handy. I still had no idea what I was dealing with. I felt alone, trying to stay afloat in shark-infested waters.

If Preston’s father is as bad as Preston says he is, then I’m sure his brother William certainly has some secrets of his own. It wouldn’t hurt to find out more. Maybe then I can finally get ahead of this thing.

We pulled up outside this small art gallery that seemed to be closed, and I turned to look at him, right as he was fishing for something in his pocket. He pulled out a pair of keys, helping me out of the car and we both made our way to the front door.

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