Royal Hearts in Lockdown

MAXWELL POVThe problem with appearances was that they came with an expiration date.Sooner or later, someone looks past the pressed pants, the pretty smile, the rehearsed lines and they see the real thing.Mine was in front of me in four-inch heels and silk, kissing her secretary like he was her husband and not me.I didn't blink. I didn't say a word. I just watched them on the screen, the hotel security loop running before me.Nora moved away from the man—Mark, or Jordan, I think—and laughed as she rubbed her lipstick off his mouth. She glowed and looked free. Like a woman who didn't have a husband to return to.I closed the laptop.I wasn't surprised.Nora and I had been married for two years, and I had never seen her look at me like that before. It was a bargain from the beginning—power, business, respect. Her father wanted to keep the name Russo tied to legacy. My father wanted me to stop disgracing the royal house with my "unserious behavior." And I was weary of battling both of

MAXWELL POVI had to admit, Dr. Ashley was dramatic. "You want to fake an injury," he stated flatly, holding a foam neck brace in one hand and a roll of gauze in the other."No," I started, "I want to speed up the inevitable. If Nora believes I'm no longer 'public-worthy,' she'll sign the divorce without turning it into a Broadway spectacle."Ryan raised an eyebrow. "You're playing on her vanity."I shrugged indifferently. "It's not manipulation if it's the truth."He tossed the brace on the couch and let out a sigh. "Most people break up over one-night stands and texts. You stage a car accident and bribe a doctor."“Well, something has to work," I muttered.He laughed sharply. "You need help.""Guess, you’re my help."Ashley adjusted his stethoscope around his neck. “Lucky me.”He examined the fake reports he had drawn up—dislocated shoulder, minor back strain, nerve compression. All believable. All temporary.I slipped on the sling. “Convincing?”Ashley studied me, then nodded. “Co

Quincy’s povThe doors slammed shut behind him loudly. Maxwell had left and I stood there, suspended in confusion, my heart pacing faster than my thought could keep. “Why didn’t he kiss me? Does he feel nothing for me?” I questioned myself, her mind swirling with different thoughts.I turned slightly, my eyes falling once again on this scattered magazine, still curious about what was written on that paper. Skeptical of checking it out again, I shook my head and just walked away.I made her way down the hallway. The penthouse sprawled out around me, luxurious and intimidating. Still, my mind wasn’t in the room anymore__ it played scenes like reels, imagined kisses and slow embraces with Max, scenes that had never happened but felt dangerously close to real. I wasn’t sure what to think, or what my next move would be. Before I could make sense of anything, I was already outside.I arrived home after a long ride of distance, my drive home was full of delusions and loved scenes with Max

“Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?” I asked as I entered the living room, where Max was comfortably sitting, looking like he had no worries in te world.Since all the chaos of yesterday, my mind hadn’t stopped spinning. From the almost-kiss with Max almost to the dramatic entrance of his ex- wife—everything had been whirlwind. And he had gone silent with me since then, like nothing happened.Without glancing at me, he responded flatly. “No.”My jaws dropped slightly. “Not even a thank you for saving you?” I wasn’t trying to sound petty—I just wanted some kind of acknowledgment. I needed to know I wasn’t invisible too him.He finally took his eyes off the TV, offering me a glance that barely lasted five seconds.“Thank you for what?” He asked, his tone calm and reserved as if we were talking about the weather.My brows shot up. “For keeping your secret from your wife.” My pitch rose with a sharp edge of frustration. I didn’t bother hiding.I hated that he has stirred

I pulled into the driveway a little after 9 PM, this guy already cloaked in black velvet and the streetlights painting everything in an eerie amber glow. I had promised Eva a visit—I had to. Ever since I started the contract job and moved into the penthouse, she had barely seen me. And I’d missed her too, more than I admitted to anyone, even myself.The drive had been long and draining. My back ached, and every blink felt heavier than the last. After cutting the engine and dragging myself out of the car, I unlocked the front door and stepped into the dimly lit living room, letting out a sigh that carried all the exhaustion weighing on my shoulders. My ears clacked softly against the floor as I stumbled inside and sank into the couch. The familiar scent of home wrapped around me like a blanket, but it wasn’t enough to keep my eyes open. Within moments, I was dozing off. Suddenly, the light flicked on. “Oh my God,” I gasped, clutching my chest, turning to check who put on the light.