Page 30 of Mr. Billionaire's Second Chance

William paced back and forth before settling into the lounge chair in my home office. We bounced ideas off of each other, hoping there’d be another quick fix to this one, but then his cell phone began to ring. My stomach turned when I saw him press his lips together angrily.

“That was one of the board members. They were probably calling with their concerns. What exactly am I supposed to tell them?” asked William.

He was usually the one with all of the answers, and for the first time in a while, I didn’t know how we were going to shut this down.

“Do you think we could get in touch with this tabloid and the others? I’m sure they won’t turn down a large sum to let this go,” I suggested.

“Yes, and when someone finds out what we did, we’re going to be front-page news, Preston. It’ll only make it look like we have something to hide when we absolutely don’t. See, the more information the public gets, the easier it’ll be for them to spin it before we even have a chance to stop it. If that happens, the truth won’t even matter anymore,” he said.

He ran his fingers over his thick beard, adjusting the expensive tie around his neck, before grabbing his phone, typing away at his screen. I stared at him confused, waiting for him to finish, just as he got up to pat me on the shoulder.

“Clear your schedule tonight, Preston. You and I are having dinner with the board, and once that’s over, at least they’ll be able to see that they have nothing to worry about. It’ll be in your best interest to bring a date, and your forensic auditor doesn’t count. Think you can do that?”

I shrugged, shaking my head at him, because the last thing that I wanted right about now was to take anyone else out to dinner with the board. If I had it my way I’d be jetting off somewhere with Katherine now that we were finally getting to know each other again, but I couldn’t abandon the company. I couldn’t abandon all of the years of hard work I put into my father’s legacy.

“Who exactly should I bring then?”

“I heard Leighton was back in town. I heard from my assistant that she’d stopped by to see you yesterday. I know how you feel about her, but this time she might actually be able to help.”

“No. No way. Absolutely not. That woman is a psychopath,” I said through my gritted teeth.

“Well, if anyone spots you out, it would be better to be with someone they recognize than a total stranger, who would only raise more questions. Wouldn’t it?”

I pressed my lips together, blinking slowly, feeling the frustration wash over me, realizing that Leighton had once again backed me into a corner.

“Fine. I’ll do it. She already told some of the press that we were getting back together. I would like you to set up this dinner somewhere we won’t have to run into too many people. I don’t want Katherine to find out about this. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” William said, with a bright smile.

I sat at my desk, reluctantly pulling out my cell phone to dial Leighton’s number. I listened to it ring, glancing out through the window of my house hoping that Katherine wouldn’t be just outside, somehow hearing the conversation. The thought of her finding out what was going on made my stomach turn, and I knew that I’d have to come up with one hell of an excuse if word ever did get out. Leighton’s already feeding the press information about getting back together. It’s only a matter of time before Katherine finds out. I can’t let this be the reason I lose her all over again.

I took a deep breath, getting myself together, knowing that like all the other shit I had to deal with, I’d somehow find a way out of this mess.

“Hello?”

“Leighton, it’s me. Preston.”

“I know. I’m just surprised that you called. I didn’t think I’d be hearing from you so soon. Can’t stay away from me, can you?” she asked, in that sultry voice of hers.

I rolled my eyes, sighing deeply.

“I need a favor.”

“Of course you do, darling. Whatever you need, I’m your girl.”

I told her all about the little proposition, and I could practically feel how much she was eating all of it up. The thought of having to take her out, make it seem like we even remotely liked each other made me want to throw in the towel right then. If this dinner goes well, the board will get off my back, and I don’t have to see Leighton again. The paparazzi can speculate all they want, but if there’s no photographic evidence, there’s not much they can do.

I went to the office later in the afternoon and was getting ready to head down to the car to go back home when I heard a knock on the door. I looked up to see Katherine standing there with a soft smile on her face, and even though my life was practically going to shit right now, it felt good to see her. I waved for her to join me inside, taking a good look at the way her black pencil skirt hugged her hips and how her slightly unbuttoned blouse exposed a familiar diamond necklace.

It made me smile to know that she’d kept it and hadn’t pawned it off somewhere. It made me feel good to know that we were finally getting back to where we left off right before I fucked everything up.

“Kat.”

“I was just stopping in to see how you were doing. Everyone looks like they’re walking on eggshells around you, and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” she said, and I smiled.

“I’m sure they’re walking around on eggshells around you too.”

She nodded. I watched as her lips parted like she wanted to tell me something, but she stopped herself. I wished I could’ve taken her back to my apartment so we could grab a bite to eat, open a bottle of wine, and forget this entire thing, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I glanced down at my Rolex, realizing I had to leave now if I wanted to get home in time to freshen up before the board dinner.

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