Page 46 of Mr. Billionaire's Second Chance

Chapter Twelve

Preston

I sat at my desk watching the interns run from one end of the office to the other from behind the glass walls of my office. I’d called Katherine at least twice, but she hadn’t called me back. I thought it was strange because we’d left things on such a high note, but all of that changed when I caught sight of the woman walking down the hallway. There she stood with her blonde hair pulled back into a French twist, her diamond earrings dangling from her earlobes, and yet another wildly expensive dress she probably didn’t need.

“Leighton, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Well, after our little phone call, I thought it’d be best if we see each other in person so I could remind you that you can’t just walk right on out of this agreement of ours,” she said.

She folded her arms across her chest and I could see the glint of rage building up behind her eyes. She smirked mischievously at me, suggesting that she was already one step ahead of me, taking yet another jab before I even had the chance of reconciliation.

“What the hell did you do?” I asked.

“What? I didn’t do anything. If it so happens that your girlfriend no longer wants to see you, that’s because you couldn’t man up enough to just see things through to the end. I wasn’t done having you on my arm yet, but you decided to end things. So, I did you a favor and ended things with that poor little bitch of yours.”

“You’re fucking crazy.”

I grabbed my jacket, rushing out the door, but she stopped me.

“You do know that if you keep this up, everything you’ve ever worked for is going to crumble. All of the money, fame, luxury, and even me, it’ll all be gone. Before you throw your entire life away for some bitch from Brooklyn, remember that she’s the one that could potentially ruin your life. She’s also the one that’s now angry enough to do it.”

“Get the fuck out of my office, Leighton. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

“Right, well, I’m sure that once this is all over, you’ll certainly change your mind. I’m sure my daddy can loan you some money to get back on your feet when you lose everything. Granted, that’s if you ever get out of jail.”

I didn’t have the time to listen to her bullshit anymore. I ran for the elevator, catching Claire on the way there, and I asked her to have my car brought around front. She nodded, heading back to her desk to make the call. I got into the black town car, taking it to Katherine’s apartment. I buzzed the door, but there was no answer. I pressed the button for the mic, hoping she’d open it once she heard what I had to say.

“Kat, Kat. I need to talk to you. Look, I don’t know what Leighton told you, but she’s a self-serving, narcissistic bitch. Nothing is going on between us. Please, just let me talk to you.”

I buzzed a few more times and I was about to turn around and leave when I heard a voice answer me.

“She’s not home, Preston.”

“Poppy?” I asked.

I only ever met her a handful of times, but I heard all about her from Chris. She was the first woman that made him feel like he could possibly settle down in the future, and for him that was saying a lot.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Can I come up and wait?”

“She’s not going to be home for hours. Are you sure you want to wait that long?” she asked.

“I’m sure. Please.”

There was a moment of silence before I heard the door buzz open and I rushed inside. When I made it to her apartment door, Poppy opened it up, and I caught a waft of her perfume as she was ready to head out the door.

“I’ll text Kat to let her know you’ll be here waiting. If she chooses not to come home, I don’t know what else I can do to help you.”

“I need you to tell her that there’s nothing going on between Leighton and I.”

“I’ll tell her. I really gotta get going, but I hope everything works out. Help yourself to the kitchen while you wait,” she said.

“Thank you, Poppy.”

I took a good look around her place and it was quaint, pretty, just like I expected it to be. I waited around for an hour before I made my way over to the fridge, wondering if there was any food in there I could use to make her something for dinner. Poppy did say to help myself to the kitchen. I thought, pulling out the few fresh vegetables she had and some leftover steak. I can work with this. I searched around in her drawers from some utensils and a pan, getting to work, realizing it had been far too long since I last cooked anything.

By the time I was finished, the sun had started to go down, and I lit the candlesticks I found in her kitchen drawers before setting the table. I cleaned up, making sure I didn’t leave any dirty dishes in her sink, rolling up my sleeves just as I heard the key turn in the lock of the front door.

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