Novels by She's Royalty

Chapter 64Skylar's POVThe moment I asked where her father was, Rory's expression changed.A flicker of disappointment crossed her face before she quickly looked away.That alone told me more than words could.For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.Then she shrugged."He didn't come."I frowned. "What do you mean he didn't come?"Rory focused on the blanket covering her legs. The way children often do when they don't want to make eye contact during uncomfortable conversations."The school called him first."My stomach tightened. "And?"She swallowed. "They couldn't reach him."A strange mixture of emotions rose inside me. Anger, disbelief and frustration all tangled together."They called him several times?"She nodded. "I think so.""And he didn't answer?""No. It seemed he must be busy at work." She said it quietly, almost like she was defending him.That was the explanation. A child was lying in a clinic. And her explanation was that he must be busy. For one brief moment, a bitte

Chapter 63Skylar's POVMy heart was pounding before I even ended the call. The principal's voice had told me everything I needed to know. Something had happened.The moment I lowered the phone, I was already standing."What happened?" Zane asked.I grabbed my purse so quickly that it nearly slipped from my hands."I don't know." My voice sounded strained. The panic was already setting in."It's the school."Zane immediately stood as well. "What did they say?""Nothing.They just told me to come."I was already moving toward the door. My pulse hammered painfully inside my chest while a thousand possibilities rushed through my mind all at once.She could have been in an accident, an illness, a fight or something worse. I stopped just long enough to look back.Zane's expression had become serious."Call me when you get there."I nodded. Then I left.The drive to the school felt endless. Every red light irritated me and every slow driver became an obstacle. I gripped the steering wheel so

Chapter 61Skylar's POVThe next morning felt strangely normal. That was the unsettling part.The sun still rose. Traffic still clogged the roads.Employees still arrived carrying coffee cups and complaining about deadlines.Yet somewhere beneath all of that normalcy sat the knowledge that a stranger had walked into my company and planted a listening device under my desk.Every time I thought about it, anger flared all over again. I had barely settled into my office when my phone rang.The number wasn't saved. For a second, I considered ignoring it. Then I answered."Hello?""Good morning, Miss Skylar."My grip tightened around the phone. I recognized the voice immediately. Adrian Cole. Or whatever his real name was. The sound of his voice made my skin crawl. But I forced myself to sound pleasant."Mr. Cole. Good morning.""I'm glad I caught you." His tone was relaxed and friendly. Like we were business partners. Like he hadn't secretly planted a device in my office."I was actually ho

Chapter 60Skylar's POVI barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Adrian Cole's face. Or whoever he really was. I pictured the way he'd walked confidently through my company as if he belonged there. And then the conversation with Zane kept replaying in my head."Did he drop anything?""People like that plant listening devices.""Check tomorrow."The worst part was that I couldn't tell whether I wanted Zane to be wrong or right. If he was wrong, then I'd spent an entire night worrying over nothing.If he was right… Then someone had deliberately targeted me. Neither option felt particularly comforting. By the time morning arrived, I was exhausted.I got dressed quickly and headed to work. I hadn't had time to visit Mara at the hospital in the past few days. Guilt sat heavily in my chest every time I thought about it. She'd been there for me more times than I could count. Yet work and everything else happening in my life had kept getting in the way.I glanced at the clock on my

Chapter 59Zane's POVThe moment I looked at the business card, something clicked. It was enough to make my stomach tighten. I stared at the name printed neatly across the card.Adrian Cole.The name wasn't real. Or at least it wasn't the name I knew. I looked up at Skylar. She was watching me closely now.bThe relaxed mood from a few minutes ago had completely disappeared."Zane?"I looked back at the card. Then at her."Tell me everything."Her eyebrows pulled together."What?""Everything. Start from the beginning."A hint of worry appeared in her eyes.She sat back down and began explaining.The visit, the supposed collaboration proposal and the tour around the building and every detail she could remember.I listened carefully,Interrupting only occasionally to ask questions."What exactly did he say when he introduced himself. Did he ask about the security system?""A little.""What kind of questions?"She explained again. The more she talked, the less I liked what I was hearing. B

Chapter 58 Skylar's POV Grace asked the card owner to come in. He was a guy in his late thirties, I supposed. He was tall, composed and well dressed. He sat across from me on one of the couches in the reception area, which was where I had intentionally chosen to meet him. I didn't want us having this conversation inside my office. Not yet. “So what is this about, Mr...?” “Adrian Cole.” He stretched his hand out for a handshake. I accepted it carefully. His grip was firm but not aggressive.He smiled. “My company. The one on the card.” I nodded. “Alright.” He leaned forward slightly.“My company recently took a particular interest in your brand, so we're considering a collaboration. We would also be willing to provide financial support and additional resources where necessary.” My eyebrows lifted. That was unexpected. “What do you think?” “That would be wonderful,” I said honestly. “We're always looking for opportunities to grow and improve. But how exactly did you hear abo

Nora stayed straddling his lap, robe open, his fingers still deep inside her, her hand loosely wrapped around his cock. The moment felt suspended, fragile.“It’s the site supervisor,” he said, voice low and frustrated. “There’s a minor alarm trip, but he says it’s probably just wind on a sensor again. I need thirty seconds.”Nora nodded, breathing shallow. She didn’t climb off. Instead, she rocked slowly against his hand, chasing the friction while he answered.“Yeah… No, I’m not at home. Handle the reset and text me if it doesn’t clear.” His voice stayed professional, but his thumb kept circling her clit in tight, distracting strokes. He hung up after a short exchange, tossed the phone onto the coffee table, and looked at her with dark, hungry eyes.“Sorry. Where were we?”Nora kissed him hard instead of answering. The interruption had only sharpened the need. Julian groaned into her mouth, stood up with her still wrapped around him, and carried her toward the large window overlookin

Nora stared at her phone screen, the glow illuminating her flushed face in the dim room. Her thumb hovered over the keyboard. The message was simple and direct, and unmistakably from him. No emojis. No over-the-top compliments. Just an observation that made her stomach tighten with a mix of fear and raw excitement.She glanced across the alley. His light was back on, and he was standing at the window again, phone in hand, watching her. Waiting.Her fingers shook slightly as she typed back.How did you get my number?The reply came almost immediately.I’ve lived here six months. You moved in three weeks before I started noticing you.Nora let out a nervous breath. That was… strangely reassuring. Not some random creep who’d hacked her phone. Just a neighbor who paid attention. She looked up again. He raised one hand in a small, almost sheepish wave. The first real acknowledgment beyond watching.She waved back, feeling ridiculous and electrified at the same time.Another text came. I ca

Nora adjusted the angle of her desk lamp for the third time, trying to get the light just right on the half-finished canvas. The apartment was quiet except for the low hum of the city outside her fourth-floor window and the faint scratch of her charcoal stick. At 28, she’d finally managed to make a modest living from her art. Mostly book covers and the occasional gallery piece. But the work still her home. Especially on nights like this, when insomnia and a looming deadline kept her up past midnight.She lived in an old brick building in a transitioning neighborhood. The kind of place where rents were still reasonable but new condos were starting to pop up across the street. Her unit faced one of those buildings directly. Most of the windows opposite were dark at this hour, but one. Three floors up, almost level with hers, had been lit consistently for the past two weeks.She’d noticed him first by accident. A tall silhouette. Broad shoulders. He never closed his blinds completely. At

Kai listened to the voice on the other end of the line for nearly a minute, his back to Lila. She lay on the mat, heart still racing, body humming with unspent tension. The cool air of the studio brushed over her bare skin, making her acutely aware of how exposed and wet she was. Her thighs trembled slightly from the prolonged edging.Finally, he exhaled. “Alright. Thanks for checking. I’ll handle the reset in the morning.” He hung up and set the phone down. When he turned back to her, his expression was a mix of relief and lingering heat. “False alarm. The motion sensor on the back door glitched again. No one’s here.”Lila pushed herself up on her elbows, suddenly self-conscious. “We should probably stop. It’s late, and…”Kai crossed the room in a few strides and crouched beside her. His hand cupped her jaw gently, thumb brushing her lower lip. “Only if you want to. But your body’s telling me something different.” His voice stayed low, matter-of-fact. “You’re still right there on the

Lila’s heart thudded heavily against her ribs. She was still on her back, legs open in the deep hip flexor stretch, with Kai positioned above her in that controlled lunge. His thumb continued its slow, deliberate circle on the soft skin of her inner thigh, barely an inch from where her thin leggings ended. The touch wasn’t accidental. Not anymore.“Still trusting?” he asked again, voice low and even, like he was guiding her through a difficult pose. She swallowed, feeling the heat rising in her face. The studio was quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioning and their matched breathing. “I… yeah. I think so.”Kai studied her expression for a long moment, reading her the way he always did. Watching the micro-tensions in her jaw, the way her belly rose and fell. Then he nodded once, almost to himself, and eased out of the lunge. He sat back on his heels beside her, but didn’t break contact completely. His hand stayed on her thigh, palm warm through the fabric.“We can stop r

Lila pulled her car into the small parking lot behind the yoga studio just after 10:15 p.m. The building was dark except for the single light glowing through the frosted glass door. She sat for a moment with the engine off, hands still on the wheel, wondering again if this was a mistake. Private sessions at this hour weren’t exactly standard, but Kai had insisted the late slot was the only one that worked with his schedule. “Real progress happens when the world quiets down,” he’d told her during their consultation. His voice had been low, matter-of-fact, with that slight accent she couldn’t quite place.She grabbed her mat and bag, locked the car, and walked to the door. It opened before she could knock.Kai stood there in black joggers that sat low on his hips and a fitted gray tank that showed the lean, sculpted muscle of his shoulders and arms. He was barefoot, as always. At six-three, with smooth olive skin and sharp features framed by dark hair tied back in a loose knot, he looke