LukeFor the entire flight to my childhood home, I sorted through emails on my laptop, desperate to keep the conversation with Father as infrequent as possible.But as king, he had other duties to attend to. While he locked himself in the suite on the private plane, fielding whatever issues were ailing the country that he ran, I did the same with my work. I wasn’t as productive as I would have been at the office, with the constant turbulence and the staff’s eagerness to cater to my every need, but I did get enough done to feel somewhat accomplished by the time the plane landed.As the plane touched the ground, I drew in a sharp breath, and a sinking sensation weighed in my gut. The plane slowed, and the moment the “fasten seatbelt sign” turned off, I clicked the buckle open and stood up.The door to Father’s suite opened a few seconds later, and he strode past me with his staff right behind him.I hadn’t bothered to change into the more traditional clothes that Father would have prefe
LukeWalking in the opposite direction from Father’s drawing room, I went in search of Mother and Abir.Knowing where they would be, I walked with purpose down the long hallways and across the glittering marble floors with intricate gold overlays. Being in England for so long with the bleak weather and the different style of houses and buildings, coming home to the palace made everything seem brighter, enough that I yearned to wear my sunglasses again.Mother would never approve, so I didn’t entertain the option. I merely squinted my eyes until they adjusted instead.The New Year celebration would take place tonight, and Mother always went above and beyond. It was a time to celebrate family and close friends, and she never skimped on the festivities.I found her and Abir in the Great Hall, overseeing the staff transforming the banquet space into the most lavishly decorated room in the palace.Abir was the first to see me. “Luke!” He hurried over to me and reached his hand out to shake
SophiaIn the taxi over to the hotel, I flipped through my passport. I tried to keep my cool as the agent at Heathrow placed my very first stamp onto one of the pages in my book. I wanted to commemorate it somehow, but I didn’t want to seem like a naive tourist.Instead, I clicked a picture and texted it to Matt with a thumbs-up emoji.With the time difference, I wasn’t sure what time it was in Dallas, or even if he had managed to get a flight back to Seattle.I had little time the night before to pack, but I was surprised to find that Mr. Fraser had added an international cell phone package for me to use while I was in the UK.It would make things easier when it came to communication with my boss, but I tried not to overdo it with texts that weren’t work-related.It was a little sad that at twenty-nine years old, I never made it out of the country before, but after nailing this assignment, that might change.Who knew? Maybe next year I would have a full book of stamps that I would be
SophiaThe concierge was helpful in getting me a car, and before I knew it, I was back on the road. This time, I didn’t look at the sights. The sun had started to set in the distance, and I hoped that I wasn’t too late to speak with Mr. Walters. I wasn’t sure what the schedule for an oil tycoon was, but I needed to nail this story to show Mr. Fraser that I deserved the promotion.When the taxi stopped, I looked up at the massive building next to the vehicle.“This is it?”“Yes, mum,” the older gentleman said.Stepping out of the car, I stared at the structure. It looked like a box, all sharp angles and several stories high.I swallowed the lump in my throat and lifted my chin, acting as if I belonged there.Walking up to the building, I noticed a small gray box next to the door. A red light shone from the top corner. It looked like a swipe card reader, and I didn’t have any way to access it.The front doors looked pretty heavy, and I peered through the small window, which was high eno
LukeIt was good to see my family again, but the unrelenting pressure of taking over the kingdom had turned my little vacation into a tension-inducing trip that had me more wound up when I left than when I’d arrived.I kept it all inside, as I always did. It was one of the ways that Abir and I were different. My dear brother wore his heart on his sleeve while I closed off all emotion when I could, especially when it came to the public eye.From the airport, I didn’t even bother going back to my flat. I had a lot to do at work since I’d missed two days already. I knew Maddox would want to know what happened since I was sure the news of Father stepping down was already known throughout the company, if not the public as a whole.Promising him dinner would help defeat his curiosity. I had a lot to make up for, and I wasn’t going to let this company suffer because my mind was distracted by the decision about becoming king.I arrived around the time that the rest of the employees did, so I
LukeMy door opened, and the both of us turned toward it. Justine always knocked.Instead of the familiar face of my secretary, I looked into the pale blue eyes of some strange woman. Her dark hair fell over her shoulder, and she was dressed in a gray skirt suit that made her eyes appear even bluer, if that were possible.“Speak of the cheeky devil,” Maddox said with a grin. I knew that smile. He’d already made up his mind about her. I wished he’d think with his brain more often.You’d have to be blind not to think she was gorgeous, but I’d been around enough news outlets to know that they always sent in the pretty girls to get their foot in the door before the real questions began. Questions I didn’t want to answer at the moment. She was right to get to Maddox first. He was a pushover when it came to a pretty face. But I knew better. She was going to have a tougher time with me.“I’m Sophia Holmes,” she said, stepping into my office as if she owned the place.I wasn’t impressed. “I d
SophiaTo keep up my charade about doing a piece on the company, I agreed to speak with Maddox after leaving Mr. Walters’s office. I hoped he hadn’t realized how struck I was by him when I burst through the door. I’d seen pictures of him, but they were mostly random candids that showed his hands in front of his face, or ones taken at a press event. I hadn’t thought he’d be as attractive as he was.He towered over me with a brooding gaze that gave me a different type of feeling than Maddox and the bellhop. Power rolled off him in waves, and I wondered what it would be like to be in his presence on my own. It was a good thing Maddox was with me for the initial meeting.Even though I couldn’t care less about the actual business, I stroked Maddox’s ego for about a half hour before delving into the nitty-gritty. I couldn’t get Mr. Walters out of my mind. Even though I planned on speaking to him at some point, getting some dirt on him from his friend would prove to be helpful to get him to
SophiaWere we back at this again? Hadn’t he realized I’d waited hours for him? The least he owed me was five minutes.Though, he was a prince with apparent secrets to hide. He owed me nothing.He turned away from me, but I kept on him, desperate not to let him out of my sight. His skin was so smooth, enough that I wanted to run my hands across the surface. He was the opposite of his partner. Dark-skin and clean-shaven. His lips were full and totally kissable.I inwardly scolded myself. My thoughts were so inappropriate, it wasn’t even funny.“Did you speak with Maddox?” he asked me.Hearing him speak to me like a normal person—even though there was still an edge to his voice—showcased his accent a little bit. It wasn’t as formal as Maddox’s; it had a little bit of something else to it. Damned if it didn’t make my knees weaken a little more.“I did.”“If you came here to do a piece on the company, then he would have given you everything you needed.”“My editor wants to get to know you