Ch 30: The accomplice

The following morning, I found Cole in the sitting room, speaking to three men I didn't recognize. I lingered by the doorway, one hand wrapped around my coffee mug, debating whether I should interrupt or quietly retreat before anyone noticed me. Cole looked serious. That alone was enough to make me curious. He stood near the fireplace, dressed in dark trousers and a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. Megan stood behind him, her arms folded loosely across her chest, listening as one of the men spoke. "...we've managed to narrow it down," the man was saying. Cole nodded once. "And you're certain?" "As certain as we can be at this stage, Your Highness." The man beside him reached into a folder and pulled out a photograph. He handed it to Cole, who examined it for several seconds before giving another nod. I leaned slightly to my left, trying to catch a glimpse of the picture. Unfortunately, the man holding it had apparently been blessed with shou

Ch 31:A control for the Crisis

By breakfast, the following day, we had collectively decided that the best way to deal with our problems was to pretend they didn't exist.At least until we'd eaten.It had been Nikolai's suggestion, which was surprising considering the man had spent the previous evening looking like he'd personally witnessed the end of the world.“Stress is worse on an empty stomach,” he'd declared that morning, taking over the kitchen as though he'd been born to run it. “And since none of you seems capable of having a normal conversation without looking like someone has died, I'm making pancakes.”I hadn't argued. Pancakes were difficult to refuse, even when made by a man whose culinary qualifications remained questionable.Now, I sat at the breakfast table with a cup of tea between my hands, watching Nikolai flip another pancake.“You know,” I said, “for someone who claims to be an expert, you keep checking the recipe.”“That's called precision."“That's called not knowing what you're doing.”He tu

Ch 32: What People think

Two days later, I found myself standing in the middle of a pet orphanage, wondering why Megan was looking at me as though I had personally ruined her life.“Lisa,” she said through gritted teeth.“Yes, darling?”“Your plan is stupid.”I glanced at the puppy in her arms. “You haven't even given it a chance.”“The puppy or your plan?”“Both.”The little brown puppy let out a low growl, baring its tiny teeth at Megan as she tried to wipe its muddy paws with a damp towel.Megan froze.“Oh, don't you dare,” she warned it.The puppy growled again.I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.“This is not funny,” she hissed, shooting me a murderous look.“I didn't say anything.”“Your face did.”I leaned against the nearby table, watching her struggle with the tiny creature. The orphanage had received several new animals that morning, and this particular puppy had been dropped off only minutes before we arrived. It was frightened, dirty, and apparently determined to make Megan regret ev

Ch 33: In two weeks Time

“I've had this infatuation with him for years, Lisa. Years. And somewhere along the way, I started imagining that if I just waited long enough, things might change.” She gave a small, humourless laugh. “But he's a prince. His life is complicated enough without me standing around hoping he'll suddenly look at me differently.” “Megan.....” “No, let me finish.” She took a breath. “I love him. I probably will for a long time. But I don't want to keep doing this to myself. I don't want to spend every conversation wondering whether he means something more, or every silence wondering what I've done wrong.” My chest tightened. “So, I've decided to stop.” “Stop what?” “Waiting for him. Hoping for him. All of it.” She shrugged, though the gesture didn't quite hide the hurt in her eyes. “I'll always care about him. He's my friend. But I'm done treating every little thing he does like it might be the beginning of something.” I didn't know what to say. Part of me wanted to tell her she was

Ch 34: An almost perfect dinner

The palace was even more intimidating at night.Golden lights illuminated the enormous stone façade, reflecting off the tall windows and making the entire building look as though it belonged in a fairytale. A line of neatly trimmed hedges led towards the grand entrance, where uniformed staff waited to welcome guests.I stared through the car window.“Tell me again why we're here.”Megan adjusted the skirt of her dress. “Because the King and Queen invited us to dinner.”“I know that. I'm asking why we agreed.”“Because refusing a royal invitation would be rude?”“I'm beginning to think rudeness is underrated.”She laughed, but I could tell she was nervous too. Neither of us had ever visited the palace before, and there was a considerable difference between spending time with Cole at the castle and having dinner with his parents in their actual royal residence.One involved stealing food from his kitchen.The other involved trying not to embarrass ourselves in front of the King and Quee

Ch 35: Then sleep with me

By the time dinner ended, I had come to the conclusion that the royal family was dangerously good at making people feel comfortable. We had moved to a sitting room where several board games had been laid out on a low table. The King had apparently developed a competitive streak when it came to chess, while Cole's older brother and his fiancée were engaged in a heated argument over the rules of a card game. Megan was laughing so hard at something the Queen had said that she'd nearly spilled her drink. And, most surprisingly, nobody had mentioned the scandal. Not once. No questions about the fireworks at Grams Club. No uncomfortable remarks about the photographs circulating online. No one asking Megan to explain her relationship with Cole. It was almost suspiciously peaceful. I should have been enjoying myself. Unfortunately, Cassian had spent most of the evening looking at me. Not constantly. That might have been easier to deal with. He was far too composed for that. Inst