I Married a Billionaire: Lost and Found(29)

But instead I just sat there in silence, with Daniel's arms around me, trying to pretend that it made everything better. And after a while, it almost did - I almost felt like things were okay between us. That we were a real couple. A normal couple. That we ever had been.





CHAPTER NINE





The morning of the hearing was a flurry of activity. Daniel changed his suit three times, each time asking me which one looked the most "responsible." They all looked identical to me. Lindsey suggested the middle one. I didn't really know what to expect, but I wasn't really nervous. I knew I was only making an appearance to sit next to him and look young and innocent, so it wasn't exactly a high-pressure situation. I wore a pastel skirt suit and my hair down, putting on just enough makeup to make it seem like I wasn't trying.




"The water bill is due," said Daniel at one point, out of the blue.

I stopped in the middle of the living room. "All right?" I said.

"I can't pay it from my bank account. I have the cash, but…what do I do with it? Can I wire them the money?"

"You just take it to the office. Have you seriously never paid a bill in person before?"

"No. Why would I?"

I sighed. "Give me the money, I'll do it tomorrow."

He looked at me for a moment. "All right," he said. "Later on, I'll give it to you."

"What do you mean, 'later on?' You're going to forget. There's too much going on. Just get it now. Or tell me where it is, I'll get it." I'd never before concerned myself with the location of his emergency cash reserves, but now that he was acting cagey about it, I was suddenly very curious.

"No, I'll get it," he said. "Just - not right now."

I rolled my eyes. "Really? Do you want me to stand in the corner with my eyes covered?"

"Maddy, it's nothing personal. I just…I've never told anyone where it is."

"Sure, and we've only been married for…how long now?"

He shot me a look. "Relax," he said. "I'll get you the money."

"Fine, you're the one who wanted the f*cking bill paid."

We left for the hearing shortly afterwards, sitting in the backseat of the town car in a stormy silence. Lindsey sat awkwardly between us, saying nothing, and John, the driver, stayed tight-lipped, only nodding at us when we got in and out. He'd been looking awfully wan and baggy-eyed lately. I wondered if Daniel had told him more about the situation than he'd told me. It didn't seem out of the realm of possibility.

We convened in a small courtroom. The judge was a stern-looking middle-aged man, sitting down behind his bench with a sigh that said he'd rather be anywhere than here. Lindsey reached out and patted my hand, giving me an encouraging smile.

"We will now proceed with the initial hearing of Daniel Emmett Thorne's petition for his assets to be unfrozen, pending the investigation of an alleged violation of sections 16(b) and 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. I granted the Securities and Exchange Commission's request to freeze Mr. Thorne's assets due to concern that he might be a flight risk." The judge seemed like he was stifling a yawn. "Ms. Greenlee, do you have anything you'd like to say to start us off?"

"Yes, your honor." Daniel's lawyer stood up, clearing her throat. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us today. I appreciate that you're very busy, so I'll keep this brief. My client needs to be able to conduct his daily business, and all of his personal affairs. He cannot do this with a freeze order in place. I understand the flight risk concern, but my client not only has no intention of leaving the country, I highly doubt he would be able to without being recognized. My client is featured on the covers of magazines on a regular basis, your honor. I'm sure that you've seen them yourself."

The judge made a slight noise of assent.

"Your honor," she went on. "I'm not trying to drum up sympathy for my client. But he is living off a small amount of cash reserves, and the generosity of family and friends. No matter how rich he is, you can't expect him to live on nothing while this issue drags on and on."

"I had planned to lift the freeze once he is arraigned in court," said the judge.

"But that could be months from now," Ms. Greenlee insisted.

"I'm aware," said the judge, drily. "I'm also aware, Mr. Thorne, that you have family and friends helping you out. You're not in any immediate danger of being thrown out on the street, are you?"

Daniel stood up. "No, your honor," he said.

"Well, in that case, I don't see why I need to hurry things along." The judge shuffled some papers on his bench. "Mr. Thorne, you're a resourceful man. I am absolutely certain that you will find a way to survive for the next few weeks. As Ms. Greenlee pointed out earlier, I am a busy man, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't waste my time any further."

Daniel took a deep breath. "I apologize, your honor. That certainly wasn't my intention."

The judge adjusted his glasses. "I'd hate to see any suspicions rise about your sister in connection with all the assistance she's been giving you. She's not immune to this either, you know."

"Your honor," Ms. Greenlee cut in. "Please - this is ridiculous. There is no need to intimidate my client. He's done nothing wrong."