I Married a Billionaire: Lost and Found (Contemporary Romance) by Melanie Marchande Page A
Authors: Melanie Marchande
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galleries, of course I always pictured myself standing beside it and talking about my inspiration to all the interested parties. But now - if I showed, I'd be inundated by reporters and hassled by everyone who recognized my name...
"I can keep it quiet, if it helps," he said. "Not publish your name in any of the announcements. You can be a surprise guest." He smiled. "I'll give you some time to think about it. I'll understand if you can't, but I really hope that you can."
"Thanks, Curtis." I shook his hand warmly. "I really…I really appreciate everything."
"Of course," he said. "I couldn't be happier to have you." He hesitated. "Oh, and - one other thing - I know you're probably not used to people acting like human beings around you anymore, but I promise everything we talked about here today will stay between us. Okay? So no worries on that front."
I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "Thank you," I said. "That's very nice of you to say."
"And I mean it." He was still holding my hand in his, and after a moment, he finally seemed to realize what he was doing. He shook his head and let me go, abruptly. "Hang in there, Maddy. I hope I'll see you soon."
"Yeah, me too."
I walked away, with my drawing tucked under my arm. I was going to have some prints made and have it framed in something simple before I handed it over to him for the actual show. If he wanted to change it that was his prerogative, but I just wanted to feel like it was protected. There weren't many things in my life that I felt I was in complete control of, but my art was one of them, and I wanted it to stay that way.
***
I knew Daniel would still be out when I got home, and the silence of the apartment as I shut the door attested to that. I thumbed through the mail on the hallway table, then suddenly heard faint noise issuing from somewhere nearby.
My phone was ringing. I fumbled it out of my purse, staring dully at the number for few moments before I recognized it.
Oh, great. This was just what I needed.
"Hi, dad." I tucked the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I slipped out of my jacket. "How are you?"
"I was going to ask how you are," he said. "We've been watching the news. Your mother thought I should call."
I let out a long breath.
"Okay," I said.
"Are you feeling all right?" My dad cleared his throat. "You looked awfully disheveled in that picture."
"I was coming home from yoga, dad. I always look like that when I get out."
" Yoga ?" My dad repeated, like he'd never heard the word before. "Well, all I know is, you didn't really look like you had yourself together. If you're going to have your picture in the paper, you really should clean yourself up a little bit."
"First of all, it wasn't in the paper, it was on a blog. And second of all, I shouldn't even have to point this out, but I had no idea they were taking my picture. You're familiar with the concept of paparazzi, yes?" I grabbed a cup out of the cabinet and slammed it down on the granite countertop so hard that it cracked a little.
"Sweetie, I'm just worried about you," he said. "You don't have to get defensive."
"Well, thanks. I appreciate it." I squeezed my eyes shut, tightly. "How's mom?"
"Worried about you."
I took a long, deep breath.
"Well, tell her not to worry. Daniel's got one of the best lawyers out there, we're going to be fine. It's just going to drag out for a while because these things do."
"Oh, well." My dad sighed. "I guess if he's going to find a way to weasel out of it, that's all right."
"He's not….weaseling out of anything," I said. "He didn't do it."
"Honey," he said, in the most condescending tone I could imagine. "You don't know the first thing about what rich people do."
"I actually think I might, dad. I've been married to one for two years."
"Insider trading is how people with a lot of money turn it into more money. Everybody does it, if they have the opportunity. Your Daniel was unlucky enough to get caught,
"I can keep it quiet, if it helps," he said. "Not publish your name in any of the announcements. You can be a surprise guest." He smiled. "I'll give you some time to think about it. I'll understand if you can't, but I really hope that you can."
"Thanks, Curtis." I shook his hand warmly. "I really…I really appreciate everything."
"Of course," he said. "I couldn't be happier to have you." He hesitated. "Oh, and - one other thing - I know you're probably not used to people acting like human beings around you anymore, but I promise everything we talked about here today will stay between us. Okay? So no worries on that front."
I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "Thank you," I said. "That's very nice of you to say."
"And I mean it." He was still holding my hand in his, and after a moment, he finally seemed to realize what he was doing. He shook his head and let me go, abruptly. "Hang in there, Maddy. I hope I'll see you soon."
"Yeah, me too."
I walked away, with my drawing tucked under my arm. I was going to have some prints made and have it framed in something simple before I handed it over to him for the actual show. If he wanted to change it that was his prerogative, but I just wanted to feel like it was protected. There weren't many things in my life that I felt I was in complete control of, but my art was one of them, and I wanted it to stay that way.
***
I knew Daniel would still be out when I got home, and the silence of the apartment as I shut the door attested to that. I thumbed through the mail on the hallway table, then suddenly heard faint noise issuing from somewhere nearby.
My phone was ringing. I fumbled it out of my purse, staring dully at the number for few moments before I recognized it.
Oh, great. This was just what I needed.
"Hi, dad." I tucked the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I slipped out of my jacket. "How are you?"
"I was going to ask how you are," he said. "We've been watching the news. Your mother thought I should call."
I let out a long breath.
"Okay," I said.
"Are you feeling all right?" My dad cleared his throat. "You looked awfully disheveled in that picture."
"I was coming home from yoga, dad. I always look like that when I get out."
" Yoga ?" My dad repeated, like he'd never heard the word before. "Well, all I know is, you didn't really look like you had yourself together. If you're going to have your picture in the paper, you really should clean yourself up a little bit."
"First of all, it wasn't in the paper, it was on a blog. And second of all, I shouldn't even have to point this out, but I had no idea they were taking my picture. You're familiar with the concept of paparazzi, yes?" I grabbed a cup out of the cabinet and slammed it down on the granite countertop so hard that it cracked a little.
"Sweetie, I'm just worried about you," he said. "You don't have to get defensive."
"Well, thanks. I appreciate it." I squeezed my eyes shut, tightly. "How's mom?"
"Worried about you."
I took a long, deep breath.
"Well, tell her not to worry. Daniel's got one of the best lawyers out there, we're going to be fine. It's just going to drag out for a while because these things do."
"Oh, well." My dad sighed. "I guess if he's going to find a way to weasel out of it, that's all right."
"He's not….weaseling out of anything," I said. "He didn't do it."
"Honey," he said, in the most condescending tone I could imagine. "You don't know the first thing about what rich people do."
"I actually think I might, dad. I've been married to one for two years."
"Insider trading is how people with a lot of money turn it into more money. Everybody does it, if they have the opportunity. Your Daniel was unlucky enough to get caught,
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