8

ESTEFAN'S POV

Standing in front of the mirror to fix my tie, I groaned as I couldn't get the hang of it. Back at the palace, I always rely on my younger brother Esteban to knot my tie for me. He had been trying to teach me how to do it myself for the past seven years but I never paid attention since he was always there to do it for me which I was regretting at the moment.

After trying for more than thirty minutes, I gave up and threw the tie on my bed beside my phone that has been ringing nonstop since I woke up.

Ever since the lunch date, Leah has been calling me endlessly. I ignored her calls so that she would get the hint that I didn't want to talk to her but she wouldn't stop calling. Talk about desperation.

A sigh escaped my lips when the phone stopped ringing and I stopped myself from punching the mirror in front of me out of frustration when the phone rang again. I checked the device screen and I exhaled when I saw it was my brother calling.

"Hello, big bro," my brother hollered when I answered the phone.

"What do you want?" I placed the phone on the dressing table and put it on loudspeaker.

"You couldn't call once to check how I was doing? Don't you miss me at all?"

"I don't." I lied as I fixed my hair in front of the mirror.

Esteban was the best brother I could ever ask for, he had been so nice and welcoming since the day I entered the Palace without minding the fact that I was his half-brother. He made it his job to annoy me every single with his mouth that couldn't seem to shut up. I couldn't lie that I didn't miss him so much since we departed from Spain but there was no way I would tell him that and let it get to his head.

"Really? I'm sure you are having a good time knotting your tie yourself." He chuckled.

"If you don't have any other thing to say than to make fun of me, I will hang up now."

"No, no, wait. I called because of something important." He yelled into the device.

"Start talking."

"The thing is, I thought you went to London with dad to help him with the Knight Tech deal but it seems to me that you had another mission for your visit there."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" I scrunched my eyebrows.

"Don't tell me that you didn't notice that you and that British model have been trending on social media since this morning."

"What?!"

"Everyone is bewildered that the Spanish cold prince who has never been seen close to any woman talkless of dating one was suddenly caught having a lunch date with one of the hottest British models, Leah knight. That alone is enough to cause an uproar on the internet."

"I don't care, they should think whatever they want." I picked up my phone when I was done with my hair and made my way out of the room without the tie.

"Tell me something, what's going on between you guys?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that, bro. She must be special to you that's why you took her out on a date."

I stopped in my tracks and exhaled. "First of all, she invited me out and I didn't want to embarrass her by turning her down. Second, I don't understand why people just conclude that two people are together just because they went on one date, that's being stereotypical."

"That's right, I'm sorry but if anything does happen between you guys, I want to be the first person to know."

I hung up the call on him without replying. My father stepped out of his suite just as I exited mine. I bowed my head in greeting. "Good morning, father."

He patted my shoulder as we made our way toward the elevator with the royal guards behind us. On getting to the first floor, we walked out of the building where a black sedan car was waiting to pick us up. We took our seats inside the car as the driver drove us to the Knight Tech building.

"Estefan," he called.

"Yes, father."

"What do you think about the Knight sisters?" He turned his attention to me.

"What?" I gave him a confused look.

"I personally think the both of them are beautiful, well-mannered and of good nature and I was wondering if we could get one of them married into our family."

"Are you trying to ask me if it is okay for you to take another wife?"

"What?!" He gave me an absurd look. "What would I do with another wife at this age? Why would you even think of something that ridiculous? Even those girls would never agree to marry an old man like me." He glared at me.

"Sorry." I lowered my gaze.

"I was asking because of you. I think it's high time you settle down and get married. I have delayed it too long and I don't want to waste any more time now."

"Dad, what exactly do you want?"

"I want you to get married to one of the Knight sisters."

My father had been pressuring me on the marriage issue since I turned twenty-three and I had to agree to marry any girl he chooses for me as long as she doesn't get on my nerves. But he claimed that he hasn't found the perfect girl for me which was a good thing on my side because I wasn't ready to get married. But I decided to change my mind since the knight sister was involved.

"Okay, I'll do it. But on one condition, I get to choose which one of them I want to marry."

"Of course. I'll talk to Charles about it before we sign the deal." He beamed and I nodded.

Everything was already falling into place without me having to do anything at all. That should be a good sign, right?