Chapter 1: The Advertisement

Taylor Baker’s POV

I was sighing as I was looking out the window. I cannot believe that on my 23 birthday that my father refused to let me out to meet with my friends. This is what you get when you were born into the royalty.

I sighed as I was looking out into the city of my country, the capital of them all, the place where the industrial revolution began. I just hoped that I would not have to be here sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I loved London but sometimes, I cannot bear the thought of being elsewhere. 

But right now, I wanted to.

The door of the library that I occupied was being opened and my father, the Duke of Sussex, Hugh Baker, strode in as he was looking at me. I smiled at him before I was closing the book that I was reading.

“Father, this is a delight. I thought you were visiting the queen today?” I said before I was getting up from the couch that I sat on. I walked to the bookshelves before I was putting the book on the it again as I turned to look at my father.

Hugh Baker was smiling at me before I was arching my eyebrows. If one thing I know about my father, he did not like to be wasting his time. And right now, he was wasting it.

By not speaking with me, just seek me out and stared at me.

I chuckled before I was sitting on the divan again before I was arching my eyebrow at him. My father was clearing his throat before he was sitting on the couch that was in front of me. I was looking at him before Hugh Baker was smiling at me.

This is a scary situation because Hugh Baker never smiled. Not with me at least.

“I see that you are still brooding when you were not allowed to be out and about in the city. You know why I don’t allow you to go out right?” my father said as I was rolling my eyes.

Here we go again.

It has been years since I was kidnapped by an occult that was trying to attack the queen by taking the gentry’s family and demanded for their ransom. Of course, my father has been freaking out that he asked for the help of a foreign spy school that was able to make sure that we’re all right.

And we did.

They were the best in the business. It was led by a general that I knew as Commander Romano. I have been 15 years old at the time. It has been 8 years since then.

I rolled my eyes at my father before I was looking bored at him. For a duke, he sure like to be brooding a lot.

“Look, father, it has been 8 years since that kidnapping and if you remember, I did attend self-defense classes that you urged me to go. If anything, I can take down any opponent if I wanted to. So, please don’t tell me that you were doing this because you were afraid of me being kidnapped again,” I said as I was leaning back in my seat.

Hugh Baker did not concede, instead he just sighed before he was pinching his nose. I sometimes wondered if he was not being stressed out too much, maybe my father would look like he was in his early 40s instead of 50s.

But I think everyone would love to get to know him, since he was a duke and all but my father has never remarried because he told me that he loved my mother and no one can ever replace her.

Even me, it would seem.

“You do not understand. You cannot go away and go out of the house. Not when there was someone special wanted to get to know you,” he said as I was perking up at him. 

Someone special that wanted to—was he mad?

I was glaring at him before my father was standing up from the couch that he was sitting at. He moved to the window before he was looking out at the hustle and bustle of London. If anything, I think my father would be a Londoner forever.

But not me, I wanted to explore the world. I wanted to feel what it would be like to live like a normal 23 years old woman in modern society.

Not as a duchess, but a normal girl.

“Who was it?” I asked him as my father was turning to look at me. He arched his eyebrow at me before I was rolling my eyes at my father.

“The person that wanted to get to know me?” I said before my father smiled at me.

“Well, they were from Hungary and his name is--,” my father cannot continued to tell me the name before the butler was coming into the library.

“I am sorry, milord, there is someone that wanted to meet with you. He is waiting in the study room right now,” the butler said as my father was nodding at him. He bowed before he left the library. I turned to look at my father as I was arching my eyebrow at him.

“Business?”

“More or less. I have to go. He might be waiting for me but we cannot be tardy. Now, I will continue this conversation later with you. There are some things that I haven’t gone through yet,” my father said as I was looking at his retreating figure. I was rolling my eyes before I was pulling out my phone that was inside my pocket of my skirt.

Yes, skirt with pockets. I mean, why not?

I was scrolling my social media as I was looking at the explore section of Instagram. I was sighing when I saw that some of my friends were travelling with their buddies or their partners. They looked happy as I was sighing before I closed the app again.

I threw my phone on the couch before I was looking at the window. The sun was rarely to shine London and tonight was one of those days. It was shiny and I was stuck in my library, in my house. Okay, perhaps it was my father’s mansion.

I know what you might be thinking. Why don’t you just go out and sneak out if you are so good at defending yourself, Taylor? You can just get out if you wanted to.

I smirked as I was looking at the window before I was laying down on the couch before I was taking my phone again. I was opening my Twitter before I was scrolling down. Then, it struck me. There was an advertisement that asking me if I wanted to be a part of something. It was based in Finland before I was blinking my eyes at the statement.

It wanted to find someone that can act and impersonate someone.

Being someone with an interest in the theatre and drama, I can hardly cover my smile as I was sitting up from the couch. I was looking at advertisement before I was clicking on the link. It was redirected to a link that I have to fill in my details.

I was biting my lips before I was looking at the blank spaces that I have to fill. I was looking at the door before I was filling the form within the minutes. I know that my father said that I have to stay home but I am sick of it. 

It is time to take my own action of my own life, I mused before I was pressing ‘submit’ on the response before I was blinking my eyes. My form has been sent and I was smiling from ear to ear. Now, I think I have to contact one of my old friends for help. She was an expert to ghost someone.

Hugh Baker’s POV

I was walking inside the study room that I usually spend my time when I was busy to handle my tenants and queen’s orders. I was looking at the old man that was standing in front of the window as he was regarding the city of London.

His once glorious blonde mane has been tainted with greys through them. Even though he was approaching his 60s, Levine Virtanen was not a person to be messing with. You might not know this, but this ma, right here, was one of the ruthless businessman that everyone knows in the business world.

His grandsons were the same as him. After all, his grandsons were raised by him when their parents were dead when they were young. Of course Levine Virtanen would make sure that they have everything that they need to strive in the business world.

Last time I heard, they all have been married since the eldest grandson, Kai Virtanen, was married to one Finnish Princess. Then, his second grandson, Chris Virtanen, was married to a relative of Danish royalty. They did not mess around since all the grandsons were married into royalty.

The last and youngest grandson has married a Swedish Princess, last time I heard of it.

Levine turned to look at me as he was smiling at me. I shivered as I was walking to my mahogany desk. The old man was taking a seat in front of me as I was smiling at him. I went to the decanter before I was opening the brandy and poured it into two glasses.

I took the glasses before I handed one to Levine. He thanked me before I was sitting at my desk again. I sipped on the brandy as the liquor was burning my throat. That felt good actually before I was looking at Levine. He was twirling his brandy before he sipped it.

Just a little before I was putting the glass down as I was focusing my eyes on him.

“So, I heard that your last and youngest grandson has been married. Congratulations on my behalf for your success,” I said as Levine just smirked at me.

“Thank you, I appreciate it. But enough about me, let’s talk about your situation then,” Levine said before I was sighing. I was rubbing my face with my hands. Levine was amused to see that I was getting distracted as I was looking at his vivid green eyes.

I heard that his second grandson has his eyes.

“What do you want me to do? My daughter will not be agreeable to this marriage. She’s stubborn if anything,” I said before I was sipping on my brandy, letting it burn my throat. Levine chuckled before he was sipping on his own brandy.

“What do you know of the Hungary royalty, Hugh?” Levine asked me as I was arching my eyebrow at him. 

“Well, last time I check, they have a prince that was looking for a bride,” I said as I was looking at Levine before his green eyes were twinkling.

“And how old is your daughter this year?”

“23 years old but still sulking like a child when I don’t let her out of the mansion to celebrate her birthday,” I said as I was grimacing. Levine laughed before he leaned forward. I was looking at his handsome face, even if he was old now.

Levine Virtanen was a handsome man, once upon a time. I’m sure that he has broken some of the hearts of the ladies in his youth.

“What if I told you that your daughter would be falling in love with my choice of her groom?” Levine said as I was blinking at him. Was he mad? I think Levine Virtanen has gone mad now. I shook my head before I was sipping on the brandy again.

“What makes you so certain?” I asked him before he smirked.

“Oh, it will be but it will not be fun if you know the plan. Now, shall we get to our business then? It will be a chaotic week, I promise you,” Levine said as I was staring at his smirk.

Yup, I think Levine Virtanen has gone mad thinking that my daughter would be married at the end of the month for her inheritance, which I forgot to tell her. Fuck!