The wedding was nice, Linus supposed. David and Elizabeth had not eloped after all, despite their joking threats to that effect. That meant he had to put on a tuxedo and tear himself away from work long enough to stand beside David at the altar and suffer through the first two dances.

A young, aspiring Larrabee insider got enough of a head start at the bar to try sidling up to Linus with a hint about "his turn," only to get glowered into a quivering puddle on the floor.

Out of deference to the bride, Linus refrained from pulling out his phone or talking shop with any of his contacts until after the cake was cut and the couple was running to their helicopter. Classic David showmanship, wanting to be airlifted out of his reception.

People used to call Linus a "workaholic" with an eye roll and a shake of the head. Now they said it with lowered voices and concerned eyebrows. Even the most desperate and determined of high society's gold diggers and old maids despaired of ever getting his nose out of his financial statements. His fixation on the stock market was hypnotic. Mack occasionally did a double take to make sure he wasn't sleepwalking.


"Honey," David yawned as they flew home from the Seychelles, "I think I'm gonna take the bar."

Elizabeth looked up from the built-in sofa where she'd been napping and stretched. "Oh? Why now?"

"Linus can't seem to find a junior in-house counsel he likes. I already work there, so I might as well throw my hat in the ring. Maybe see if he'll give me a raise."

"You could probably take over as chief in-house counsel and sign off on your own raise, and I don't think he'd notice," remarked Elizabeth.

"Nah, he'd notice. Up there in his tower, he's like a kid with an ant farm. Somehow he can see everything that's happening in every branch of the Larrabee Corporation all at once."

"I'm worried about him, David."

"You are? Good, me too. Every time I thought about it, I was sure I was just being paranoid. That's what he would say." David raised his seat back from reclining to upright. "Hey, look what I did! I didn't even need your mother's help."

Elizabeth grimaced at the memory.

"You think becoming a lawyer will help you lighten his load?"

"Couldn't hurt. He's always been after me to use my degrees. I already dusted off my diploma from HBS. Why not go for broke?"

"That's a funny expression coming from you," she laughed. "Considering you won't even need to take out a bar loan."

Two perfect blue eyes opened wide at her in complete ignorance.

"What's a bar loan?"

Five minutes of explanations and incredulity later, David was ready to pay out of his own pocket for the bar prep expenses of every student in his alma mater's rising class.

"David, I'm pretty sure most of the students at your old school will also have no need for a bar loan. What if you made that offer to the graduating class at a public law school instead?"

"But honey, if a guy's gonna donate, it has to be to his alma mater!" David protested.

"Says who?"

"Huh." David settled back in his seat and thought about it. "Is this what being a philanthropist feels like?"

"See, Linus was telling the truth about you," Elizabeth teased, reaching over to swat his leg. "Eventually."

"Oh yeah. Linus. As soon as we get home, I want you to order him on bed rest, Doctor."

"I wish I could. He'd just make some crack about how a man as old as he is doesn't have to take medical advice from a pediatrician."

David interlaced his fingers on top of his head and looked at her soberly.

"I'm scared for him. I'll get the board involved if I have to, but he can't keep this up forever. He'll kill himself."