Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 44746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 224(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
When there’s a knock at the door.
He lets out a frustrated breath. “Great. Timing.”
I laugh and slap him gently on the cheek. “Get it together.”
He rolls his eyes and pushes me off him. I fall onto the couch and laugh at him. He gives me a look, still smiling, and gets to his feet.
“Coming!” he says, then looks back at me. “You stay there. I’m not through with you yet.”
“Ooh, scary,” I say, rolling my eyes.
He walks over to the door and opens it.
I watch as his whole body stiffens in shock. It’s like a wave passes over him. One second, he’s loose and happy, and the next…
He steps backward. “Princess Charlotte,” he says. “This is a… big surprise.”
A woman steps into the room. One of the guards closes the door behind her.
She’s tall and thin and strikingly beautiful. She almost looks like Cerise, but where Cerise is thin and severe, Charlotte looks gentle and kind. Her hair is cropped short and bleached blonde. Her eyes are blue and her cheeks are high with a long, lean body that a swimmer would envy. She’s wearing simple clothes, just a light white blouse and navy-blue slacks.
“Hello, Leon Price,” she says in perfect English with a very slight British accent. “I’m very sorry that we’re meeting under these… circumstance.”
They shake hands and her eyes move over to me as I sit bolt upright on the couch.
“And you must be Paige.” She drifts over to me like walking on a cloud. “On behalf of the Monegasque Monarchy, I extend my deepest apologies for this little… mistake.”
I stand and shake her hand, glancing over at Leon. He looks as perplexed as I feel.
“Thank…. Thank you, Princess,” I manage.
She smiles. “Call me Charlie.” She turns back to Leon. “And you too, Leon. Call me Charlie. This has gotten far too out of hand already and I truly hope we can fix it.”
Leon steps over to her, looking hesitant. “Well, ah, Charlie. I’d like to fix it as well. You’re aware of why we’re still here?”
She nods once. “May I sit?”
“Please,” he says, gesturing for the chair.
She takes it and Leon joins me on the couch.
“I’ve been briefed on this whole affair,” Princess Charlotte says. “I must say, I never thought Cerise would go to such lengths, but she…”
“Cerise?” Leon says.
Charlotte blinks and nods. “Yes, of course. You didn’t think it was Maxime?”
“He was the one…” Leon trails off.
Charlotte laughs lightly. “Ah, yes, well. He is the face, isn’t he, but no. Cerise is the one with closer ties to my family. She is the one that orchestrated this whole fiasco. Maxime was just following orders as always.”
Leon’s face clouds. “I see.”
“Please, don’t misunderstand. Maxime is at fault as well. The man should know better, but he can’t help himself. He’s plain stupid when it comes to his conniving wife.”
“Princess— Charlie, I was hoping we could simply go home,” Leon says. “I’m not asking anything else of you or your family.”
“You are free to leave this instant if you want,” she replies. “Both of you. But I have one other thing.”
Leon cocks his head. “I don’t want anything else,” he says. “I’ve wasted your time enough as it is. I only regret that I ever got involved with Cerise and Maxime.”
“Ah, well, now,” Charlotte says with a little smile. “I disagree with you there.” She reaches into her handbag and takes out some folded pages, handing them over to Leon.
He frowns as he takes them. “Contract?” he asks.
“Yes, indeed. For your hotel.”
He hesitates a moment. “Maxime showed these and told me about the changes. I’m sorry, Princess. I no longer wish to pursue this deal with those proposed amendments.”
Charlotte’s eyes sparkle. “Leon, dear, do you think I’d come out here only to give you that garbage deal Maxime tried to force on you?”
Leon looks briefly confused. “Then this is?”
“The original deal you negotiated. Slightly better, actually, I’d say. Dropped our cut of the profits by three percent as a little apology for all this. I think you’ll find everything else is satisfactory.” She stands and smiles down at us. “Take your time, send a copy to your lawyer. My people will be in touch.”
“Princess,” Leon says softly, clearly as shocked as I am.
“Please,” she says, smiling broadly. “It’s Charlie. You’re going to be a part of the Monacan family now. You’d better get used to me.”
He smiles and laughs, a real laugh. He stands and shakes her hand. “Thank you,” he says. “I look forward to doing business with you.”
“And you as well,” she says. She nods to me and turns to leave.
“Wait,” Leon says suddenly.
She hesitates and looks back. “Yes?”
“I have one more request.”
She frowns a bit and clearly this is about to go too far, but she just nods. “I’m listening.”
He glances back at me with a mischievous little smile then turns back to the princess, his eyes ablaze.