I Married a Billionaire: Lost and Found(16)

After fiddling with it for a while and remaining unsatisfied, I finally wandered out to the kitchen, yawning. When I saw the clock on the microwave, I had to look twice. Was it really past midnight already? No wonder I was tired.

Daniel had to be off the phone by now. I trudged up the stairs, ready to collapse into bed and forget about everything for a few hours, but as I drew near the still-closed door, I heard his voice.

Who on earth could he be talking to at this hour? I frowned, pressing my ear against the door, but it was still too fuzzy to understand. Sighing, I wandered back down the stairs and considered my options. I could go back and knock, but I decided to wait it out a little longer, flopping down on the sofa and staring at the ceiling.

***

I woke up with a horrible crick in my neck and the smell of coffee permeating the apartment. I sat up, rubbing my head, and saw Daniel sitting at the kitchen island over a steaming mug and Lindsey washing dishes in the sink.

I got up and shuffled towards the bathroom, overcome with the grimy feeling of having slept in my clothes. Daniel looked at me with dull eyes.

"You didn't come to bed last night," he said.

"You were on the phone," I replied, a little louder than I needed to.

I felt slightly more human after a shower, and when I returned to the kitchen, only Lindsey was still there.

"Did you want me to make you some breakfast?" she asked, gently.

I shrugged, which she evidently took as a yes. She reached into the fridge for a carton of eggs.

"Why didn't someone wake me up?" I asked, pulling out a chair.

"You looked so peaceful," Lindsey said. "Nobody's been sleeping well lately, so I figured I'd better let you get your rest while you could." She brought over a mug of coffee and set it down. "Daniel's meeting with his broker to get the latest from the security team. He didn't tell me any details, but so far I guess they're not having much luck piecing it together."

"Well, that's encouraging."

Lindsey was beating some eggs in a bowl. "Well, you know, it could be worse. Right now, I think they suspect an inside job - someone physically using Daniel’s broker’s computer to make the trades, rather than a remote hacking job. The security camera footage was lost, or tampered with, or something. But if it is someone in-house, they shouldn’t be too hard to find."

"I doubt that's going to do much in the way of convincing the judge," I said. "Do you think I'll have to go to the hearing to get his assets back?"

Lindsey shrugged. "It might look good if you're there. Why don't you ask him?"

"Most of the time, I'm not even sure he knows I'm here," I said, staring down into my mug.

Lindsey put a plate of eggs and toast in front of me. "He's tired, honey. He's tired and he's under a lot of stress. I know he's not always the easiest to deal with, but he hasn't forgotten about you. I promise."

"Sure," I said, picking up my fork. "Of course."

Lindsey stood there for a while, quietly, before finally walking away and silently disappearing into her bedroom.

I didn't know what I was supposed to do. After the raw display of panic I'd seen when he first got the call, this detached, zombie-like version of Daniel was, as Lindsey so delicately put it, not the easiest to deal with. I didn't know what the hell was going through his head. And while I understood that he was absorbed with his problems, he seemed to be forgetting that all of this affected me, too. It was our life. My life.




He got home sometime after lunch, dropping his briefcase by the door and slumping down in one of the kitchen chairs. Lindsey turned around from watering the basil and cleared her throat, quietly.

"So," she said. "How did it go?"

Daniel shook his head. "All that, just to say they don't know anything yet. But they're 'making progress.'"

"I don't see why this should be so hard," I muttered, but no one seemed to notice.

"I've just heard back from the judge's office," Daniel went on, staring down at his hands. "I've got a hearing set for next week. He managed to fit me in." He managed a hollow smile. "So, with any luck, I'll have my money back in the next six months."

"Just let me know if there's anything you need," said Lindsey.

"I know. I will." Daniel's phone buzzed, and he picked it up, looking at it bleakly. "Fuck."

"What?" I asked. Lindsey was quietly disappearing in the background, retreating into her room and shutting the door.

"The…journalists, all of them," he muttered. "They won't stop calling."

"You gave them your personal number?" I stared at him.

"I had to!" he said, suddenly very loud, but still not looking at me. "In case they needed to do reschedule last minute, or…"

"Jesus." I turned to the sink, pushing dishes around more loudly than I needed to. "I don’t know what you were thinking."

Daniel stood up. "You know, I really do appreciate your input, but maybe you could consider shutting your f*cking mouth every once in a while."

A glass slipped out of my hands and smashed in the bottom of the sink. I whirled on him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, have I been talking too much? I didn't realize anyone else could hear me."