Free Priceless by Nicole Richie Page A

panicked, her hand on the study door. But then she pulled herself together.
    “Davis.” She entered the kitchen with a lot more gravitas than she actually felt. “I need to work out exactly what is going on with our finances. Do you have the number for Dad’s banker?”
    He nodded, and while he went to get it, Charlotte gave Gretaa hug.
    “Don’t worry, I’m going to sort it all out, OK? I know Dad didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
    Greta looked so old and so broken-hearted. “Do you think so, Charlotte? I didn’t want to invest my money, but he persuaded me it would be better if I did. If he didn’t mean to take it, why didn’t he leave me alone?”
    Charlotte wanted to cry but bit her lip until it bled instead. “I don’t know, Greta, but we’re going to push on, OK?”
    Davis came back with the number.
    Charlotte stood. “On second thought, Davis, why don’t you just drive me downtown? I’ll call on the way.”

    CHARLOTTE RECOGNIZED THE bank as she entered the marble lobby, but it must have been years since she’d been there. It had been designed by Reed and Stern, the architects for Grand Central Station, and it had the same cavernous feeling. Very intimidating. At the age of eighteen she had come into some money her mother had left her and had been brought there then to set up accounts or sign documents or whatever it was. She kicked herself for not paying more attention. What on earth had she been doing for the past few years? She felt as if everything she’d learned until now was utterly useless in this situation. She was starting to feel as duped as everyone else, even though she knew her dad loved her.
    Her dad’s personal banker came forward as she entered. Mr. Edelstein was older than God and apparently had bounced a Rockefeller on his knee or something, because he knew everyone and everything about the rich in Manhattan.
    He greeted her warmly and then led her to a private room. Davis hesitated as they entered, and he chose to remain outside. She wanted him to come with her, wanted him, in fact, to hold her hand, because she was petrified, but she covered it up well and merely sat down and waited for Mr. Edelstein to speak.
    He sighed heavily. “This is a sad business, Miss Williams. I am shocked beyond belief.”
    “As are we all, Mr. Edelstein. While my father is awaiting trial, I have to keep going, though, and I realized this morning that I have no idea of our finances or what the investigation means for us. Do you understand it at all?”
    He looked at her and felt pity he couldn’t show. Usually, it was wives who sat like this. Abandoned by their husbands, realizing they knew nothing about their own money, they came to him to find out if they could fly to Antibes while the divorce came through or if they had to go get a job at Starbucks. Too often, it was the latter.
    “Well, Miss Williams, it’s somewhat complicated.”
    She sighed. “I imagined it would be. Many things are turning out to be harder than I anticipated.”
    He smiled briefly. “There is some good news, though. You have money of your own, money that is entirely separate from your father’s. Your mother’s will basically left all of her money, money she’d earned in her lifetime, to you in trust. When you turned eighteen it became legally yours—you might remember signing documents?”
    She nodded.
    “Well, that money has basically been left untouched, quietly growing thanks to the miracle of compound interest, and now amounts to a little more than ten million dollars.”
    Charlotte’s heart lifted. She could pay Greta and Davis back, at least.
    “However, the investigators have frozen all of the accounts your father had access to. I was planning on calling them today to remind them officially that your account should not have been included, as your father does not have access to it, but they are proving intransigent.” He sighed again. “The FBI and the SEC both can be difficult if they want to