LOGINInside, Blair sat on the sofa, her hand resting on her slight belly, while Roman stood nearby deep in conversation with Luca. Two-year-old Olivia was showing off her drawings to anyone who would look."Aunt Keira!" Olivia shouted, abandoning her colouring-in to run across the room. Keira bent down,
Olivia, growing restless, wiggled off Blair’s lap. “Can I go play with my blocks?”“Yes, but stay in the playroom,” Roman told her. “I’ll be there in a minute.”As Olivia skipped off, Roman pulled Blair to her feet and into his arms. “You look tired. You should have let me bring someone in to handle
“Mama! Look!”Blair looked up from her laptop to see her two-year-old daughter, Olivia, proudly showing off a crayon drawing that was mostly colorful scribbles.“That’s beautiful, sweetheart,” Blair said, genuinely impressed with the artwork of her toddler. “Is that our family?”Olivia nodded madly,
"Is that what you think?" Niko's voice was dangerously quiet. "That your only value is as a... what? A royal broodmare?""It's the reality of our position," she insisted. "The Wystovian crown needs an heir. You need an heir. And I can't—" Her voice broke.Niko crossed the distance between them in th
"I'm trying to protect him—""From what? From having a choice?" Keira's voice grew stronger. "You're deciding what's best for Niko without asking him what he wants. That's not protection, that's control."Amelia stared at her, startled by the blunt assessment."Look, I get it. The pressure is overwh
Amelia shook her head, the weight of her failure pressing down on her. "The doctors say there's nothing wrong with Niko, which means the problem lies with me. I'm considering stepping aside, letting him divorce me so he can marry someone who can actually give him an heir." She glanced at Keira, sudd
"We're just worried," Sutton said gently. "This is a lot, even for you.""I know." Keira's shoulders sagged. "The worst part is, I don't know if I'm more afraid this engagement will fail... or that it won't."Her sisters' faces softened in understanding."You really do have feelings for him," Blair
He lifted his head and covered her mouth with his, his mouth moved fiercely, almost possessive, every held-back desire in that kiss. When he broke free, his lips brushed a trail down her jaw, then along her neck, hot and bruising. It was like he needed to taste every inch of her.“Say it again,” he
The plane touched down with barely a bump. Through the window, Keira could see a line of black cars waiting on the tarmac, along with what looked like a small army of officials and security personnel."Showtime," she murmured, more to herself than to him."Remember," Alexei said as the plane taxied
Keira stared at the velvet box in Alexei's hands, her heart hammering against her ribs. Now this… him giving her a ring made it seem so real."Alexei." Her voice came out smaller than she intended."It's not what you think," he said quickly, reading her expression. "Not yet, anyway." He opened the b







