SEDUCING THE BILLIONAIRE

Chapter Ten

"I do not think there is a case here your honor, the statements and the receipts clearly show that my client's sister's inheritance is not being misused," Jerome spoke out "he is a great brother who put his life on hold in order to take care of his sibling. Even Lindsey can be asked, she is twelve years old, old enough to talk about her life," he made his argument.

"Even though the money may still be intact, a young girl should have a mother figure molding her into a responsible lady."

"My client is married; his wife is the first born and has had the experience of helping to take care of not just three of her sisters but a niece and nephew too."

"This woman only cares about the money your honor," Aunt Brenda's lawyer argued "take this case to trial and we will prove it to you."

"They have no evidence, they are just spreading falsehoods and making accusations because my client's wife does not come from a wealthy family. Does it mean every woman from a middle-class family should not fall in love with a wealthy man because then she is a gold digger?"

"Counsellor, do you have concrete proof that this woman is after the child's inheritance and the defendant is giving it to her?" the judge questioned.

"Well not at the moment your honor but if you take the case to trial, we will be able to gather the evidence and present it" the lawyer responded.

His request to have Audrey's and Duke's bank statements had been denied saying the only statement needed was the one from Lindsey's account, how Duke spent his money was not relevant, it was how he spent Lindsey's inheritance which was important and there were no suspicious transactions from there. Duke never withdrew money from the account, they always swiped when buying clothes and did direct transfers when paying for school fees, so every transaction was recorded, every amount accounted for.

"Stop wasting the court's time counsellor, there is no case here and we will not be going to trial," he declared "but..." Jerome had also requested that the adoption be approved "the adoption will not be approved for now. A social worker will be making frequent unannounced visits to the house to see how you live and make reports, once satisfied that everything is okay and the child is in a safe nurturing environment, the adoption can go through."

"Your honor, if the adoption eventually gets denied, my client wants custody of her niece," the lawyer requested and the judge agreed that yes, if during the probation period the social worker finds information proving Duke and Audrey to be incompetent guardians, Aunt Brenda would automatically be given temporary custody and considered for permanent custody.

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"DK, you have to step up your game," Jerome spoke, they had left the courthouse and where back in his office, Jerome came from old money, a long lineage of lawyers and politicians. He had enough money to never work a day in his life, but he loved the thrill which came with being in the courtroom, his clients' lives depending on his performance. It gave him such an adrenaline rush.

"What do you mean?" Duke asked with a slight frown.

"You can't continue hiding away behind those glasses. You have no idea how powerful social media can be, it's influence can even reach the courtroom. Yes, this marriage is a sham, but you don't have to act like it, parade yourselves, make cute videos. This adoption is dependent on whether you're believable as a married couple, I've barely spent time with Audrey, yet I can smell this sham from miles away."

Duke hadn't even told him about the contract, it was just between him and Audrey, but the man knew him too well and the fact that he was able to tell that there was something off about him and Audrey was not good.

"I'm trying my best," Duke grumbled.

"you're not trying hard enough. Do I also have to become your PR manager?" he asked rhetorically "on Wednesday take her out for dinner, I know a nice restaurant with nosy waitresses who will secretly take pictures and circulate them."

"I don't want pictures of me eating out there," Duke refused because that meant his mask would be off and people would see his scar.

"Oh, for god's sake." Jerome groaned "you're not the first person to have scars after an accident, stop feeling sorry for yourself. I've seen burnt victims proudly walking around embracing their new reality, if you were that bothered about it you should have gotten the damn plastic surgery."

Audrey was so stunned by how callous Jerome was when talking to Duke, it was indeed tough love.

"Maybe we can do the review on your own terms before anyone else takes pictures," she decided to chime in "you can bring a journalist home to finally talk about the accident and how it has affected your life then reveal what mark it physically left on you," she suggested.

"That's actually a great idea, listen to her Duke." Jerome supported the notion.

Duke let out a sigh and started rubbing his forehead, he really was not ready for this and the thought of everyone talking about his face gave him anxiety. Audrey reached out and took his hand, squeezing it a little bit.

"You have to be strong, not just for yourself but for Lindsey, you'll be shocked at the support you'll receive, people love you," she assured him.

"Fine, I'll give the interview," he reluctantly gave in.

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Jerome was the one who brought a journalist he trusted, making sure the interview would go the way they wanted. The moment it was announced that Duke would be getting on camera and talking about the accident and everything that followed, his name started trending and the social media pages for the media house he was using gained followers, eagerly waiting for the interview to drop.

"I feel like I'll throw up," Duke confessed, the journalist and his technical team were setting up in the flower garden and Duke was upstairs getting ready.

"Hey," Audrey put her hands on his shoulders "just close your eyes and take a deep breath, remember that you can cancel it if you want."

"No no, I can do this." he took a deep breath and gave her a small smile "thank you Audrey."

"For what?"

"Just for being here, helping me calm down."

"Well, that's what wives do," she teased, and he chuckled, feeling much calmer.

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The interview started off with him being on edge as he talked about the night of the accident, about waking up in the hospital, finding out that his parents hadn't made it.... The host was so good and made him feel so comfortable such that by the time it got to him taking off the sunglasses and mask, he felt more at ease.

"I have been hiding ever since it happened but no more, my sister misses her older brother who was not afraid to take her out and my wife deserves a husband who is not hiding away like a criminal," he smiled at Audrey who was standing with the camera crew, the host invited her to join them, and she did likewise. As she sat next to him, Duke took her hand in his, entwining their fingers as he pulled her even closer.

It felt nice being close to him, taking in his scent and feeling his fingers entwined in hers.

"She helped me navigate the darkest period of my life, a true angel," he spoke as he looked at her with a charming smile.

Audrey smiled back but inside her emotions were a mess, did he mean what he was saying? Of course not, she was kidding herself, she hadn't helped him navigate anything. He was probably just doing it all for the cameras.