Betrayal by Danielle Steel Read Free Book Online

busy week ahead, and he warned her that he didn’t think he’d be able to come to Palm Springs. She promised to come back to L.A. when she could, but she had a lot to do too. She didn’t want the location shoot to fall behind.
    And by six o’clock that morning, Tallie was off and running, and she didn’t stop till midnight that night. The cast was utterly worn out by then, but Tallie was still going strong. Brigitte smiled as she watched her in action. There was no one in the world like her.
    The independent audit got under way as planned. The firm that was doing it was based in San Francisco, and they were cool and businesslike when they went to Victor’s office, and asked for what they needed. They used his conference room to spread out Tallie’s books and accounts, and they had brought their own computers. There were two accountants, and they had brought two assistants with them. And they kept to themselves all week. Now and then they asked Victor for an explanation or some substantiation as they pored over her general ledger, and they offered very little comment. But Victor found it stressful anyway. He felt as though they were checking his work and questioning his competence. They were a very high-flying firm, and he was sure they were charging the Japanese investor a fortune for the audit, but apparently the investor thought it was worth it.
    On the second day of the audit, Brianna had a surprise for him when he got home, looking nervous and exhausted. She’d been to see a lawyer, she explained, and she said she wanted a postnup from Victor. She looked very pleased with herself as she said it.
    “A postnup?” He looked shocked. “What exactly do you mean?” A cold chill ran down his spine as he said it.
    “You know, a postnup. Like a prenup, but after the marriage.”
    “We already have a prenup, Brianna. We don’t need a postnup too.” He didn’t like the sound of it at all. It sounded like blackmail to him, or a serious threat at the very least. He had done a prenuptial agreement with her, and she had insisted that he put a sum of money in an account for her before they married. He had been so desperate to marry her that he agreed.
    “I’ve already spent most of the money you gave me in the prenup, Victor. I need more. My attorney says that you can give me an amount now, and pay me an additional sum for every year we stay married.” It was like paying her to be married to him, and something told him that the amounts weren’t going to be small.
    “Why did you go to an attorney?” he asked her somberly. He wondered if she’d been asking about a divorce but was afraid to tell him. He had given her seven hundred thousand dollars when he married her, and she had spent it in three years, in addition to what she had cost him. He couldn’t imagine what she had spent it on, but she went through money like water. Despite his careful accounting, she constantly slipped through his fingers.
    “I just don’t feel comfortable without money of my own,” she said, whining at him. “I don’t want to ask you for everything. If you give me a lump sum now, and pay me an amount every year, I’d feel a lot better,” she said, sidling up to him.
    “I honestly don’t think I can afford it right now,” he said sadly. “Some of my investments haven’t been doing well. I’d rather just pay your bills and take care of you, than put a set amount in an account every year.”
    Despite the Angelina Jolie–lookalike pout, Brianna set her mouth in a firm line. “I don’t think I can stay married to you if you won’t do that for me,” she said with a nasty undertone in her voice. “If you love me, you’ll do it. You didn’t do anything you promised for my career. This is the least you can do for me. I wouldn’t feel secure without it.”
    “And if I don’t, or can’t?” he asked, feeling discouraged and frightened. It was a race he couldn’t keep up with. He had nearly ruined himself for her, and she