Can't Forgive You (Second Chance Diaries Book 2)

by Emma Vikes

  Sighing, I moved a strand of hair from over her eyes, the stress I felt at work creeping up on me again. I honestly didn’t want to work on the case because it involved Logan. It wasn’t the kind of stress I wanted to put myself in purposely. But the thing was, it would undeniably be worth it, no matter how much I hated the whole thing.

  The case would be a good boost for my career and it didn’t really matter whether or not it gave me a bigger edge than the rest of my colleagues to be a partner at the firm. The things I wanted to achieve weren’t meant for me alone, they were always meant for Amy. I wanted to make sure she knew that women could achieve anything, maybe even more.

  And I wanted to prove this point to her even if it meant I had to work on Logan’s case.

  I stared at my daughter and wondered if the universe was telling me this was the time when she should know more about who she really was. But just as the thought occurred to me, I remembered how Logan acted earlier. He was still the same arrogant douche that broke my heart in college without any particular reason other than he was just done with it. As if the relationship merely bored him.

  Embezzlement issue. Business scandal.

  If only Logan realized the real scandal was that he was a douche bag and a lousy person, no matter how confident and cool he presented himself to the world as. Amy didn’t need to know about him. As long as she didn’t ask, she didn’t need to know. Besides, her father was a jerk who only thought about himself.

  If he wasn’t so arrogant and conceited and had bothered to check on how I was, rather than waiting for me to beg him to come back, he would’ve known about Amy. But he didn’t.

  4

  Logan

  I slammed my fist against the punching bag harsher in annoyance. Clara basically put me under house arrest. The worst part of it all? She made it clear I was not allowed to invite a woman over. I didn’t even understand the connection between having a woman over and the issue I was facing.

  With another huff of annoyance, I punched the bag harder and then let out a frustrated groan. I took off my boxing gloves and chucked then somewhere in the room. Sitting down on one of the benches, I ran a hand through my hair.

  “Oh honey, you look worse for wear.”

  I turned to the door and saw Clara leaning against it. I narrowed my eyes at her, wishing that I’d chucked the gloves in her direction instead. I was in this misery because of her. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to invite yourself to my house, Clara.”

  Clara rolled her eyes and moved further in the room. Her gaze remained fixed on me, assessing me. “You do know that you’re too predictable for your own good, right?”

  My eyebrows furrowed as I crossed my arms, glaring at her. “What does that mean?”

  “It means I won the bet against Donny,” Clara replied casually, leaning against the pull-up bar. She tilted her head to the side. “But to be honest, I thought you would be doing a lot better than this.”

  She made it seem like I turned into some kind of hermit in five days. Ever since I came to Olivia’s firm five days ago, Clara had basically put me on lockdown. She said I needed to be less exposed to the public for the time being so the buzz would die down. The thing was, I didn’t think that laying low would help.

  I huffed. “Now what’s that supposed to mean?”

  Clara motioned at me. “You’re sullen and irritable. I talked to the housekeeper before I went in here and she told me that you’ve been moping around for the past five days.”

  “Well, did you expect me to throw a party when you’ve specifically said that I couldn’t bring anyone over? Not even my friends?”

  Clara let out a short laugh. “It’s not like you have friends, Logan. Mitch is probably the closest thing you have to a friend and that ship is on dangerous waters at the moment.”

  “God, Clara, what do you expect from me?” I could even hear the exasperation in my voice.

  She let out a short exhale and then looked at me seriously. “I expect you to pull yourself together and perform your tasks as CEO of various companies, Logan. I also expect that you’re looking up evidence that would prove your innocence.”

  “Isn’t that a lawyer’s job?” I said dubiously.

  Clara gave me a flat look. “Well, just because you pay your employees to work for your company doesn’t mean they’ll run the business, does it?”

  I sighed and then ducked out of the room, Clara hot on my heels. I made my way to the kitchen and started the coffee machine, taking two capsules from the drawer to make Clara a cup.

  She made herself comfortable on a chair on the kitchen counter as she waited for her coffee. “I know you told me not to look her up but I didn’t do so to make sure she’s capable,” Clara began and then looked at me sheepishly.

  I eyed her as one cup was fully filled with the coffee and I slid it to her.

  “But I was a little curious about her. Not on her track record as a lawyer but I was curious how you knew her.”

  I could honestly feel myself begin to sweat even more. I wasn’t sure if she found out that I used to date her.

  “I looked her up on Facebook. She barely posts but she does have a lot of adorable pictures of her baby!”

  Clara loved babies—

  What?

  “Baby?” I asked.

  She nodded and then made a face. “Well, a little girl. But I loved looking at her baby pictures. She’s an adorable little kid.” Clara swiped at her phone and then shoved it to my face for me to see.

  It was Olivia’s Facebook account and her profile picture was of her and a little girl. She had her mother’s eyes and smile. They were both beaming at the camera. It was a really good picture but why did it make my heart drop to my stomach? “Oh,” I said quietly, trying to make sure I didn’t sound affected. Hell, I wasn’t affected. I just didn’t know she had a daughter and it surprised me, that’s all. I didn’t think she would get married so soon. She always made it clear that she wanted to make sure she had a stable career before she dove into having a family. But to each her own.

  “Oh?” Clara said, eyeing me. “You didn’t know she has a kid?”

  I shook my head and shrugged. “We lost contact when I graduated. I changed my Facebook when I began transacting businesses.” The truth was, I never changed my Facebook. Olivia blocked me but Clara didn’t need to know that, just like she didn’t need to know Olivia and I used to date. No matter how pissed I was with what Olivia said to me the other day, it didn’t change the fact that I wanted her to represent me. It was her words I resented, not her.

  Never her.

  Clara seemed to buy my reason and set her phone aside. She sipped her coffee and then laced her hands together as she regarded me carefully. “I know you’re frustrated with the fact that we’re keeping you on lockdown, Logan.”

  I scoffed. “Frustrated is an understatement, Clara, trust me.”

  She ignored my statement. “If we can meet again with your lawyer and move things forward quicker, this will all end sooner.”

  Hadfield told me to give them a week. Olivia needed to study the whole case and see if we could plead ‘not guilty’ which was true because I would never steal money. Why the hell would I steal money from myself? Granted, I was technically a business partner but that didn’t mean I would steal. I didn’t get myself to this point only to plot my own downfall.

  “We gave them a lot of documents to go over, Clara. I don’t think one person can go over the entire thing within a week.”

  It wasn’t like I was making an excuse for Olivia. More like I was making an excuse for myself before I would have to face her again. She had told me she was merely being professional during our exchange but I felt the personal attack. Her words continued to haunt me since then and every time they crossed my mind, I felt angry and hurt.

  It was as if we didn’t have any history for her to act like that.

  Clara sighed.

  I looked at her carefully and I could see how the whole thing was taking
a toll on her. “Olivia’s a good lawyer, Clara. I’m sure she’ll handle it which is why I don’t think I need to be on any sort of lockdown. It’s not like I’ve ever done anything wrong, Clara.”

  She stared at me, completely unamused. “You’re not your publicist, so you don’t know the implications of your misadventures, Logan. More often than not, you’re part of a fight debacle in clubs. Several women are running after you. We’ve already done two paternity tests this month too. Trust me, it’s more like you never do anything right.”

  “You make it sound like I’m such a scumbag.”

  “Technically, you are. People just refrain from calling you that because you’re a billionaire,” Clara said with a shrug, and then she stood.

  I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at what she said about me, like she wasn’t scared of losing her job but then again, no one was better than her at it.

  “I still mean it, Logan, stay put in your house until this all blows over. And do not have any girls over.”

  I grumbled in annoyance at the last part. I needed a distraction for the whole thing‒but mostly for the recurring thoughts involving Olivia‒and the best one would be a woman. I needed mind-numbing sex at the moment. Pshh, whatever.

  What my publicist didn’t know won’t hurt her.

  I showered first and thought of which girl I wanted to invite. I could call the security of the neighborhood and tell them she was my guest. They were used to me having people over, especially women. As soon as I got my shower, I changed into sweats and a thin white shirt and then jogged back to the dining room.

  The housekeeper already took off but she left me with my dinner. The steak looked absolutely appetizing and it would be even more appealing to eat it with someone. I poured myself a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and picked up my phone. There had been a handful of women who’d shot me a text, asking me how I was doing.

  I knew they were itching for me to ask them to come over and I scrolled through all the texts sent, wondering who would be the lucky one. But as I reached the last recent text sent, I sighed and set my phone aside. There wasn’t anyone who piqued my interest and caught my attention and even if I had them over, there was no guarantee I’d forget the things that bothered me.

  Swirling the liquid in my glass, I stared at the contents splashing on the side of the goblet and let out another sigh. The food was still hot and smelled like heaven but I didn’t really have much of an appetite. I stared at the steak on my plate and took a sip of the wine, feeling a little bitter.

  You’re still in a relentless pursuit of breaking women’s hearts as if they mean nothing to you.

  You were never even my friend, to begin with, so I don’t know what delusional train you’re on.

  Ten years and you haven’t changed, Logan. You’re still an arrogant ass.

  There it was again, the echo of everything Olivia had said to me that day. I had turned my back on her in the parking lot and left in seething anger. It felt like no matter how high up I had reached, it didn’t matter to Olivia. In her hazel eyes, I was still the same ass that broke her heart ten years ago.

  What I hated most with everything she said was that it echoed the truth I did not care to admit even to myself. As drastically as my life had changed, I was still the same guy. I partied just as much and went home with any woman that caught my attention. I could care less each time they knocked on my door and begged me to love them.

  Meanwhile, Olivia had been climbing to the top of her career. Making a name for herself in the industry she was thriving in. On top of all that success, she also had a person to come home to every day. Hell, they even had a daughter.

  The last thought made me scoff sullenly. Olivia must be having the time of her life being a successful lawyer and having a family to share her success with. She got to come home to her little girl and the man she’d conceived that kid with. She had someone to eat meals with and go on walks with and at night, she had someone to hug her tight while she slept.

  If only I hadn’t been a stupid, arrogant, and greedy man, maybe it could’ve been me. Fuck. The thought bothered me more than it should.

  I picked up my glass of wine and walked around the house, leaving my barely touched food on the table. I couldn’t help but look at all the things I’d acquired over the years and how I’d only used to dream of having all of this. Back then, all I knew was that I needed to make a name for myself and have more than I could imagine.

  Olivia used to tell me to re-evaluate, how I was dead-set on a goal that could disappear in a snap with one wrong move. I told her it wouldn’t just disappear because I would make sure that I wouldn’t be making any wrong moves. All I could ever think about at that time was how I would get to where I was now.

  I always thought that when I’d made it to my goal, I would feel exhilarated for the rest of my life. It never occurred to me that loneliness would be a part of it too. What was the point of having everything you wanted when at the end of the day, you came home to an empty house?

  Downing what was left of my wine, I sank down into the sofa and let out a quiet sigh. In my young and thriving mind, I thought that by the time I reached this point, girls would be lining up to me. Now women did line up to be with me but it was hard to differentiate the sincere ones from the gold-diggers.

  With a long sigh, I closed my eyes and leaned my head on the back of the couch. The familiar sadness began to take its toll and I wished I had something to distract me from it. But nothing came and I had to sit here and let it come into me in waves and ripples. This had been the part I didn’t expect when I became a billionaire.

  As the loneliness sank its claws on my heart and spread throughout my being, Olivia crossed my mind again. Like a vicious snake, the jealousy began to simmer in the pit of my stomach. She had pulled herself together after our break-up and managed to succeed in life. Among all of that, she found someone to come home to every single day.

  I did not.

  Women lined up to me but I didn’t know who was sincere or if they were just next to me for the money. I never chose one anyway, because they weren’t her.

  They weren’t Olivia.

  5

  Olivia

  Xavier whistled lowly when I opened the door for them. I already knew I didn’t look my best at the moment. I didn’t bother combing my hair when I put it in a bun and I wore my thick black frame glasses and was only in sweats. To be honest, receiving guests was probably a bad idea on my end but at this point, I didn’t really care.

  It was Sunday morning and I’d only slept for about two hours. I spent the waking hours going through all the documents Logan’s team sent to me, as well as the opposing team’s documents. Along with all of that, I had to go through precedent cases that I had my secretary look for. Then, there were other cases I also had to go through.

  God, Logan’s case was such a pain in the ass, just like he was.

  Lacey appeared beside her husband and gazed at me with concern. “I know I’m not a criminal defense attorney but if there are any civil cases I can take from you, please tell me.”

  I knew she was always willing to help but I’d also always been meticulous with my cases. But Lacey obviously looked concerned for me and I nodded my head. “I’ll keep that in mind. There were just a lot of things I had to go over throughout the week. Hadfield also told me that I only had a week to go over Logan Crewe’s case.”

  Stepping forward, Xavier called out Amy’s name

  My daughter came in and ran over to give him a big hug.

  Xavi was a child at heart and loved playing with Amy and the two of them easily clicked. When he and Amy disappeared into the backyard, Lacey and I headed to the kitchen.

  I made her a cup of coffee on my Keurig coffee machine.

  “That bad?” Lacey asked, leaning towards me on my blacktop counter.

  I handed her a glass filled with a vanilla latte and sighed. “It’s not that bad. The case isn’t as bad as the one I handled with Irvings. It’s just that he
’s Logan Crewe. The last case didn’t involve a big name in the business world. Logan’s name is tied to about five big companies in the country, Lace. If I mess this up, my whole career will go down the drain.”

  Lacey reached for my hand and placed hers over it, in comfort. She could relate to how stressful one case could be. “You know how much I admire you for being amazing at what we do but maybe you can talk to Hadfield? Maybe he can reconsider.”

  I knew Lacey was only saying it out of concern. She meant well but she knew I couldn’t let go of a case once it fell on my lap. Besides, if I backed out now after nearly a week, Logan might think it was because he was the client. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction that he still held some kind of effect on me.

  The last thing I wanted to happen was for Logan to think that.

  “It’s good for my whole career, Lace,” I said quietly and sighed.

  Xavier and Amy came through the kitchen door Amy ran up to me. She would be spending the day with Lacey and Xavier.

  “You be good to Lacey and Xavi, okay?” I kissed her forehead.

  She nodded and then she wrapped her arms around my waist. She looked up at me with her hazel eyes, strikingly similar to mine. “Please don’t overwork yourself.”

  Amy looked so worried when she said it and my heart swelled up with so much love for my baby girl as I hugged her. There had been time when I was still in law school when I’d collapsed due to fatigue. I had been exerting so much of myself at the time that I forgot to take care of my own self. Obviously, Amy hadn’t forgotten it.

  I kissed her forehead and squeezed her in for another hug before letting her go with Lacey and Xavier. I walked them to the door and watched as the three of them got into Xavier’s car. For a moment, I felt a pang of jealousy. In instances like this, it made me have to face the fact that Amy was growing up without a father.

  When I first found out I was pregnant with Amy, I felt a paralyzing fear of having to raise a kid when I’d still sort of been a kid myself. Granted, I was of legal age at that time but I could barely get the hang of ‘adulting.’ I was still in college and I had all these plans for my future. All I’d wanted at that time, was the reassurance from someone I loved, telling me I could make it through.