ROME
Three days since the King died, we barely talked. I missed her, but I also had a job to do.
I just came back from a business trip and hadn’t slept for twenty-four hours. I couldn’t even take a nap. All I could think of was her cries. I hoped and prayed she was okay.
Everything must be foreign to her since she’d been away for years. I wondered if they treated her right, but I knew her brother would take care of her no matter what that the King had decided for her future.
Her father, now the King, just gave a speech in line with his father’s death. I saw the resemblance between Prince Thayer and Carly. And I still pinched myself every now and then that my girlfriend was a princess.
My new assistant walked with the file in her grasp.
“What the hell is that?”
“The report you asked me for, sir.”
“I needed that three hours ago, Aryan. And why it’s still in your hand?”
“Sorry, sir.” She quickly handed it to me, and she almost tripped.
“Careful.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“I don’t need your apology. Florian recommended you to me. Don’t make me regret hiring you.” I flipped the file open. I really missed Carly. This new assistant liked to apologize, unlike her. And Aryan was kind of aloof. I didn’t know what Florian saw in her. Anyhow, she has been a big help so far.
“It’s just, sir. Mr. Langston-”
“What is it?” I lifted my gaze from the file.
She was about to tell me something, but she was berating herself.
“I paid you to tell me about exactly everything that happens in the office. Are you just gonna stand there?”
“Sir, I’ve received calls from a different news channels, magazines, and newspapers and asked if you can give a statement and interviews.”
“About what?” I was confused. I had not checked my calls, personal emails, and Twitter, and I certainly didn’t have time to turn the TV on or read the newspapers. I would have received a call if the economy was crashing or something was wrong inside my company.
“About you and Princess Carlott.”
Did she just-I stared at her in shock. “How did you know that?”
“It’s all over the internet, sir.”
“Fuck.” I rubbed my face. “How did it happen?” I was asking myself more than my assistant because I was sure she had no idea what was going on.
“I don’t really pay much attention to your personal life, sir.”
“Right. Keep it that way.”
“What do you want me to do, sir?”
I stared at her. Honestly, I had no idea. I wasn’t ready to go out there and make an announcement that Princess and I were dating. Now it sounded like a sappy romantic movie on Netflix.
I drew a deep breath. “Turn everyone down. No media, no interview, no paparazzi. I don’t want anything.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Call Zee to come up.”
“Yes, sir.” She walked out.
I turned on my phone. The moment my service went active, my phone never stopped chiming for minutes.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Then Linden’s name appeared on the screen.
“Linden.”
“What the fuck, man? I’ve been calling you since two hours ago. Don’t you ever charge your phone?”
“What are you talking about? I just landed, went to my penthouse to shower and change, and I haven’t been able to sleep for twenty-four hours.”
“Well, get your ass ready for another long trip. We need to get to Triberis Capria in two hours. I already have the flight plan and talked to your captain.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain later.” He sounded bustling.
“What’s with the rush? I haven’t been able to talk to Carly.”
“Well, your face is all over the news. You just became famous in three hours since your picture and Carly went online.” Maybe this was what my assistant was talking about.
“What picture?” I opened my laptop. The battery was twelve percent. I quickly typed my name on Google. In three seconds, my name appeared on the news. “Fuck! How did it happen, Linden? Who leaked it?”
Some headlines were nasty- The Princess Royal Just Got Back, Seeking Media Attention. Her Romance Made Headlines. Caprean Mourns, The Princess In Love. Some were good. Princess Royal Romantically linked With The Billionaire Realty Heir. Do We Hear Wedding Bells?
“Fucking great. It’s strange to see my face all over the fucking internet.”
“I don’t know yet who leaked. No one knew about your relationship except your friends and, of course, Carly and her brother. And Seth Thorn.”
“And it looks like this picture was taken when she was still here.”
“Is it possible that they leaked it?”
I scoffed. “That’s impossible. The royal protection is tight. That’s the last thing they would do, attracting attention for Carly. She would be all over the internet for over three years if they were not careful. And shouldn’t they focus on the Late King’s funeral? I mean, why are these stupid people care about Carly’s relationship? She barely even stepped outside the palace.”
“She was at the Thanksgiving. I saw her, Prince Thayer, and his wife, Duchess Kennedy. She shook hands with the people who paid their respects to the late King. I think our princess is back on track.”
“Yeah. I’m happy to hear it. That’s the reason she hadn’t been calling me.” I ignored the twist in my gut. I meant this was what I wanted, right? I pushed her away, and now she was out there doing her duty.
“She’s busy, man. And so did you.”
It finally came to my senses. I just lost my sense of privacy. My life would be open to the public. And this would be a nightmare.
“You there, man?”
“Yeah. Can I call you back?”
“We’ll be there in an hour. Stay in your office.”
“Okay. Bye.”
Zee marched in, shaking his head. “You need another security in the building. I already arranged it.”
“That bad?” I rubbed the back of my neck.
“Yeah. Reporters, paps, bloggers, vloggers are waiting for you down.”
“Fuck me.”
My phone vibrated. “Langston.”
“Rome.”
“Storm?” I couldn’t help but feel relieved that I finally got to hear her voice. “Hey, sweetheart. Busy, huh?”
“Yeah, babe. I’m so sorry.” She seemed in a rush.
“For what?”
“My father, the King. He knows our relationship.”
“What? How? I mean, I just saw it like three minutes ago. How did it get out there? I swear I had nothing to do with this. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“No, Langston. You don’t understand.”
“What’s wrong, Storm?”
“Seth had that photo. The leak came from the palace.”
“What?” I was already on my feet, walking toward the window. “Why would they do that? Aren’t they supposed to keep your relationship private? For God’s sake, the late King hasn’t even been laid in his resting place.”
“Don’t come, Rome.”
“Why? I want to pay my respect like the others. We can meet later.”
“No. Please. It’s a trap-”
“What do you-” The line went dead. I checked the screen and dialed her number. It went directly to her voicemail.
“Is everything okay?” Zee asked me.
“Yeah. It’s just her last words before she hung up.” I faced Zee, still confused.
“Let’s go to the penthouse. Linden will be here shortly.”
I met my assistant, who was still handling calls. “Aryan, cancel everything in my schedule. Move it to next week. I will call you at your personal number if I need you.”
“Yes, sir.”
I went upstairs to my penthouse. As soon as I entered my room, where I made love with Carly before she left, every memory I had of her came back rushing to me. I saw her image on my bed, moaning, writhing- I pushed that thought away.
My mind went back to the royals. Why would they leak that photo? It seemed disrespectful to the late King. Whatever their agenda and plans toward Carly seemed drastic and cruel.