Ella POV I looked up at Alexander, my eyes wide as my thoughts took form. I knew what to do with the land. He was already watching me, a grin spreading across his face. I propped my chin on my fist, staring seriously at the map of the border region. The Lunar Lake land adjacent to the farmland
Ella POV My father was staring at me expectantly. I felt silly for how nervous I was, I knew that I had done nothing wrong. Facing his anger wasn’t something I was used to. I took a deep breath to calm myself. “Alexander and I spent the afternoon figuring out a use for the land we gained from Da
My father smiled, the kind of proud smile that always made me feel like I could take on anything. "That’s my girl," he said warmly. "Now, it seems to me you’ve had a very long day. Why don’t you go get some rest? You’ve got therapy in the morning, right?" "That’s right," I confirmed. "My occupatio
Ella POV Before I even opened the message from Amanda, I called Alexander. My hands were trembling as I waited for the call to ring through, and relief washed over me when his face appeared on the screen. “What’s wrong?” he asked immediately, his expression sharpening as he took in my obvious di
My eyes widened as I took in his words. He was right—David’s stunt put the entire kingdom in an awkward position, forcing people to choose between our wedding and his. It was a calculated move, but a reckless one. Unless he did something drastic to regain public favor, this gamble wouldn’t pay off.
Alexander POV My phone started to ring almost as soon as I ended the call with Ella. I glared at the screen as I saw it was the venue. They had a lot of nerve to violate a contract with me, but I had to keep my anger in check. I kept my voice calm and firm as I answered. “Have you called to ex
“Not exactly.” I grimaced at the thought of Amanda and shook my head. "I don’t want to vent to you about something like this." "Does it have something to do with David, though?" she asked in a hushed tone, her voice dropping as if she didn’t want anyone to overhear. "Because since our last convers
Ella POV “He is a difficult man to shop for,” Elizabeth said as we left our fourth stop empty-handed. “I think I’m making it more difficult than it needs to be,” I admitted, frustration seeping into my tone. “I just want to get something that will really make an impact on him, and nothing feels
“Does that mean he’s announced David’s arrest, too?” I asked.“Yes,” Alexander said, irritation flashing across his face. It was obvious—once again, the king had made a major decision without giving us a heads-up.I turned to Diana, suspicion creeping into my expression. She had been advising the ki
Ella POVSomething about Diana was off.Every time I had interacted with her before, she had maintained a pretense of politeness, a faint affection, as if she at least wanted me to believe she liked me—that she had my best interests at heart.But now, as she looked at me, that facade was gone. She w
“Alexander,” Ella interrupted, her voice suddenly sharp, “You know him.”I froze, her grip on my arm anchoring me in place. The room seemed to close in as my mind raced.“Yes,” I said quietly, meeting her gaze. “I know him.”Ella POVMy mind was spinning, almost dizzy with the overwhelming thoughts.
Alexander POVThe office door burst open, and Ella rushed in, barreling straight into me and collapsing into my arms. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, still seated in my chair.“What the hell is going on?” I asked, my voice a mix of concern and confusion.August, who had been sitting across fro
Ella POVElizabeth and I sat across from each other at a small table in our favorite restaurant at the shopping center. An untouched appetizer sat between us, the ice in our drinks melting slowly.I didn’t want to push her. Whatever she had to tell me, she was clearly struggling with. But I also nee
She lowered her gaze. "I just don’t want my friend to get hurt," she admitted. "I'm trying to figure out who's targeting Ella so I can stop them."Dr. McIntyre scoffed. "By killing them?"Elizabeth met her eyes without flinching."If that's what it takes."There was a long silence as the two women s
Third Person POVElizabeth descended into the basement of her house, a heavy weight pressing against her chest. She had no idea what was going on with her father or why he was acting as he was, but she knew it was dangerous.He didn’t seem to understand how serious the situation was. Someone was sch
Eventually, out of desperation, she had called Diana. Her aunt had agreed to pay for housing on one condition: that she return to the South.Now, here she was, in the capital, feeling like a ghost in a place that no longer belonged to her. Every day, she lived in fear of running into Alexander.And
Ella POV“We could ask Sabrina.”"I can't," Alexander said, his voice barely audible."Okay," I replied easily.He was silent for a long moment before loosening his grip just enough to look at my face. "Okay?""Of course," I said. "I'm not going to pressure you to do something that's painful for you