MarcoMagdalena lounged on the queen's throne. There was no one to see her, yet she still sat in the chair decked out to the nines. It made Marco sick to see her so blatantly on the throne as his father lay upstairs recuperating.The doctors said the surgery had gone well, but King Carlo was still weak and exhausted from the ordeal. It frightened Marco to see his father like that.“Marco,” Magdalena greeted her stepson as he approached.“Do you really believe that you have the power to stand between Sabrina and I?”“Of course I do,” she said, as though it was such an obvious fact. “I have all the power I need, because it's in the law. And royalty must obey the laws just like everyone else.”“Laws can be changed,” Marco replied.Magdalena scoffed. “You can't change anything, Marco. Don't deceive yourself.”“And why not?” Marco asked.“Because if you do, I'll be sure to point out to the public that their Prince is not a law-abiding member of this country,” she said, casually glancing do
SabrinaSabrina had taken Faye's cell phone and stepped into the other room of the motel to make her call. She knew Marco's personal number by memory and she dialed quickly. She couldn't wait to finally hear his voice again and looked forward to clearing things up.It only rang once, before Marco picked up on the other end.“Hello?” he said, his voice instantly putting a smile on Sabrina's face. “Who's this?”“It's me,” Sabrina said.“Oh, my God, Sabrina,” Marco said, clearly relieved. “Where in the hell are you? We've been searching the island non-stop. I haven't slept in days.”“I'm so sorry,” she said. “I shouldn't have done this to you, but I had to get away.”“Are you still on Orsino?” he asked. “Where are you calling from?”“I'm using my Aunt's phone,” Sabrina said.“You went back to Memphis then?” His voice broke slightly.“No, I'm not in Memphis,” she replied. “I'm using my Aunt's phone, because she's here with me on Orsino. She came out to see me.”“Thank God,” Marco said, re
SabrinaThe town car pulled up to the Palace and Marco was still shaking his head in awe from the story that Faye had shared with him about her origins.“The universe does like to use her favorite characters,” Marco commented.A guard opened the rear door and the three of them stepped out. Sabrina walked up the stairs, with Marco on one side and Faye on the other. Her heart was beating through her chest as they neared the front entrance.“Are you sure Magdalena isn't going to kill me?” Sabrina said, with a half-smile.“I'm positive,” Marco said. “Don't you worry about her. Besides, my father needs us now during his recovery. I don't want to waste any extra energy on Magdalena.”Oh my God. Carlo's surgery. I completely forgot about that, since I've been so absorbed in my own feelings, Sabrina thought.“Marco, how did everything go with the surgery?” she asked, as the guard opened the front door for them and they stepped inside.“It went okay, given the circumstances,” he said. “He had
MarcoThree weeks later...Marco stepped out of his bedroom at the same time his father was walking down the hallway.“Marco, you startled me,” Carlo said, his voice still a bit raspy, but getting better. “I just woke up from a nap. I can’t believe how drowsy these pain medications make me.”“You look like you're feeling much better, though,” Marco said.“Indeed I am,” Carlo said. “The tests yesterday went well, too. I'm told that I am completely cancer free, at least for the moment. That's good enough for me.”Marco pulled his father close and hugged him, breathing out a sigh of relief. He'd been waiting anxiously to hear about the test results.“I'm so glad to hear,” he said, squeezing his father affectionately. “Let's keep our fingers crossed that the results continue to stay that way. What do you say?”“I'd say that's a fine plan,” Carlo said, with a smile.Carlo was starting to act like his old self again, and Marco couldn't have been happier. Just three weeks after the surgery,
SabrinaAunt Faye connected the top clasp on the back of the Sabrina's wedding dress, then glanced into the mirror in front of them.“How does it feel?” Faye asked.Sabrina brought her hands down the sides of the dress. An intricate design was hand-sewn throughout, with millions of tiny stitches creating a beautiful pattern.“It feels expensive,” Sabrina said, with a smile. “But also really good.”“I can tell you're nervous,” Faye said, spinning Sabrina around to face her. “Am I wrong?”“I'm nervous, but in a good way.” Sabrina let out a sigh, calming the anxiety in her gut. This wasn't going to be any ordinary wedding. It was super formal, and held many traditions that were foreign to Sabrina. She’d been told the ceremony could last up to three hours, and she had no idea how she would sit through it without bursting from excitement and nerves.“Just take a deep breath,” Faye said, her eyes glowing from the daylight that poured in through the window. “And if that doesn’t work, try to
SabrinaOh God, I hope I don't throw up. What a horrible first impression that would be.Sabrina swallowed down her nervousness and shifted a bit in her seat, twirling her auburn hair in her fingers. Anything to distract herself from the swarm of butterflies that was currently terrorizing the inside of her belly. The eggs and bacon breakfast had seemed like a good idea a few hours ago, but she began to question it now that she was about to face the most important interview of her life and it didn't want to stay down.The air of the small square interview room was cold as the air conditioner refused to turn off. It was a stark contrast to the heavy, humid air outside and in a few more minutes, Sabrina thought she might be able to see her breath. She rubbed her arms, wishing she had worn more than a thin dress shirt. She hadn’t brought a jacket, or even a cardigan. Besides the fact that she didn’t own one that was near nice enough for the occasion, she hadn’t even thought about it until
MarcoPrince Marco strolled across the floor of his hotel suite. It was a nice room, there was no doubt about it. It had the best amenities of any hotel in Memphis, at least that's what Valetta assured him. It was filled with big leather furniture, stainless steel kitchen appliances in the over-sized attached kitchen, and floor to ceiling windows alone the outside wall. It also included a hot tub in the bathroom and a massive balcony that overlooked downtown Memphis.Despite its grandiose appearance, the place was significantly smaller than his own bedroom at his palace on Orsino Island. He didn’t mind, though. It made the trip feel more real. He didn't care if it was the biggest or the best because he was on his own. This was the last time his life would be his own and he was going to enjoy every moment of it.He unbuttoned his white dress shirt and slipped it off of his shoulders, tossing it onto the bed. It was still early in the day, but he already felt accomplished. He had just f
MarcoKing Carlo cleared his throat. “So tell me, Marco, how did the interviews go today? Did you find someone to help you while on your sabbatical?”“I did,” Marco said. Sabrina’s face flashed into Marco’s mind.“And...?”“Her name is Sabrina. She’s from Memphis, Tennessee, born and raised. In fact, she lives just a few miles from the hotel where I’m staying now.” Marco couldn’t hide the excitement in his voice and his father recognized it immediately.“She’s attractive, I take it,” the old man said.“Did I give it away?” Marco asked. He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled slightly.“You always do.”“Well, you’re right. She is very attractive,” he told his father. He couldn't stop the smile as she pictured her face. “There’s something about her that intrigues me. She’s not flashy and vain like most of the women I encounter. She seems simple, but a good kind of simple. There’s an innocence in her that I find myself drawn to.”The king chuckled. “She sounds lovely, Marco. But don’