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CHAPTER 31
The next morning, Ava was overwhelmed by the press on her way to the ferry with Chris. Her son was already in tears, not quite understanding what was going on. Federico had spent some time with him earlier, but he had left before Ava could see him one last time.
The nanny had said he had been called away to something urgent at the palace, but Ava had wondered if the old woman had been told to say that so Federico could avoid saying goodbye.
“But I don’t want to leave Daddy,” Chris wailed as she tugged him along the gangplank to board the passenger ferry.
“Sweetie, it’s just not possible to stay here,” Ava told her son, fighting back tears of her own at some of the vicious insults still being thrown at her from the wharf.
Ava kept her head down as she showed
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Ava was just congratulating herself on getting through two hours of successfully shielding herself behind the Bartovia palace’s pillars and pot plants, dodging both the press and Prince Regent Federico Alberto Enrico di Altavilla e Portanova when she suddenly came face to face with the man she was trying to avoid. The shock of seeing him so close almost threw her back. She tried not to faint in front of the most powerful man in the country. Ava swallowed thickly, her heart coming to a clunking stop in her chest as her eyes went to his inscrutable dark brown almost black ones so far above hers. What to say after all those years? How to address him? What to say? Awful things happened, hurtful words had been said… Ava stood there, anxious like she never was before. Maybe he was expecting her to ta
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Federico could swear those words hit Ava right in her stomach. She kinda gasped for air. Ava looked extremely nervous, agitated almost, her bottom lip being savaged by her small white teeth, and her body looked tense and ill at ease. A little stab of guilt pierced him. His threat, his last words to her have perhaps been a little heavy-handed and ruthless, but he had to be absolutely sure she would keep quiet about their previous relationship. He would make it worth her while, although any dealings he had with her now would have to be conducted under the strictest secrecy. The journalists were like sniffer dogs when it came to the Bartovia royal family and it would be risky even being seen talking to her. But it would be well and truly worth it if
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The cobbled streets were lit with the occasional lamp post but even so, Ava felt the menacing shadows of the night creeping towards her with every step she took. She shone the narrow beam of the torch Teresa had given her around, but so far, she had found nothing but the occasional cigarette butt or gum wrapper. It made her think of her father, how he as the town mayor, had orchestrated a campaign to clean up the ancient streets of Bartovia, even though his own home had contained the filthiest of all secrets. Ava gave a little shudder and forced the memories back and continued on her mission, her head down, her steps carefully measured as she went as close to the palace as she dared. She was no more than three blocks away when she suddenly came u
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This time it was Ava’s mouth that went tight. So, this was his game now? Not a chance! Not one chance in hell!“I don’t intend being back here or sleeping with you, Federico,” she said with a deliberately haughty look. “Please, give me back my bracelet. I need to get home this instant.” His eyes burned into hers.“Not so fast… You are forgetting yourself, Ava Marie,” Federico said. “This isn’t the way to speak to the future King of this country. I will dismiss you when I see fit, not the other way around. Did I make myself clear?”“And if I still choose to leave this room, what are you going to do about it, Your Serene Highness?” she asked, throwing him another mocking glare. “Lock me up in the palace tower and throw away the key? I’m sure I’ll get used to it rather
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Christian’s little hand suddenly clutched at the front of Ava’s uniform, his eyes huge in his stricken face.“You’ll be back again, right, mummy?” Ava squatted down to his level and looked deep into his troubled gaze.“Of course, I will, sweet boy.” His expression was still white with worry.“You’re not g-going to p-prison like before, are you?” She suppressed a frown as she hugged him close. She had always tried to be as honest with him as possible without distressing him with details too difficult for him to understand, but she had never gone into the sordid details of why she had to go to prison. But it
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Ava felt as if her eyes were going to pop out of her head and land on the carpeted floor at his feet. She looked at him in complete horror, her mouth opening and closing like a stranded fish, her heart going so hard and fast it felt as if it were going to come through the wall of her chest.“I-I’m not sure that can be arranged,” she stammered. He gave her a frowning look.“I can’t see why not. After all, I’m now the royal patron of the orphanage. It’s only fair that I give my support in ways other than financial.”“Y-yes, but showing a preference for one child over another isn’t… fair,” Ava said, relieved she could think of something reasonably plausible on the spot. “The child who sent you this drawing is one of many who long to be noticed. You would be doing more harm
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‘Just breathe…’ she said to herself avoiding looking in Federico’s direction. ‘You can’t cry in front of him… or anyone else, for that matter. You can show any kind of weakness, or they’ll eat you alive.’ Ava composed herself with an effort and resumed her seat at the table as if nothing had happened. She picked up her glass of water and drank several mouthfuls, conscious of Federico looking at her with a frown beetling his eyebrows. She set her glass back down.“You said you had something to discuss with me over lunch about the orphanage,’ Ava reminded him coolly. She pointedly looked at her watch, making it clear she was on a strict timeline, and, more to the point, he wasn’t important enough to her to adjus
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She dropped her gaze from his and closed her eyes. Awful memories from that night came down on her like a flock of eagles, ready to tear her apart. Ava didn’t want to keep remember those moments, but she also knew they would hunt her for life. She opened her eyes, ready to go once again over everything.“What happened is… Uh… We started to argue,” she answered in a flat emotionless tone. “I hardly remember what we argued about now… it all seems so muddled and foggy in my head. As usual, he was shouting at me, and I was shouting back at him. And then…” Again, Ava closed her eyes tight, mentally skipping over that distressing scene until she felt she had control again. She reopened her eyes and carried on as if discussing the weekend weather.“Suddenly he was lying at the foot of the staircase
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