Page 1 of His Unexpected Heir

Chapter 1

“And…go!” Astra Phillips whispered, holding her breath as she surveyed the procession. Stepping back, she watched as the sparklers lit up the festivities accompanied by a gasp of surprise and delight from the wedding guests watching the line of waiters as they moved through the diners. With their trays filled with the wedding dessert held high, the sparklers added just the right touch of glamor and excitement to the dinner experience.

Success! Astra breathed a sigh of relief and allowed herself a moment of pride that the wedding celebration was working out exactly as she’d imagined.

“Just a few more hours,” Macie, her assistant, whispered.

Astra nodded, trying to ignore her aching feet. She hadn’t slept in…Astra didn’t look at her watch, not wanting to know how many hours she’d been awake. Too many.

“You did it,” Macie said. “This wedding was a monumental success.”

Astra looked around. The gold and blue theme of the wedding was perfect. Not only was blue the background color of the Sidrina flag, but it was also the perfect background for Mandy’s dress. The many shades of blue and green trimmed with delicate gold repeatedly drew the eye.

Or perhaps it was the happiness that was obvious between the bride and groom. Mandy was a really sweet person and Zahir…? Objectively, he was pretty darn good looking. Dressed in his dark blue uniform, trimmed in gold, the powerful sheik was an impressive figure. Unfortunately, he didn’t spark any interest in her, Astra thought.

Like a magnet, Astra’s eyes moved towards the other man, the dark-haired man who was currently leaning towards his friend, laughing at whatever Sean Byrne had said. The group of men at that table were…more than impressive.

Before she could glance away, the man in question looked right at her. Astra gasped as those dark eyes bored right into her soul. Her heart rate accelerated and she couldn’t seem to release the air from her lungs. Every part of her tingled with awareness.

It had been like this every time she’d seen Antonio del Campo over the past few days. Every stupid glance in his direction, every conversation had caused Astra to lose her concentration and just…sigh. If only the man was a horrible human being. Or a criminal like his father. Or just…mean!

But the future Marquesso del Campo was nice. Not just nice, he was funny, charming, and kind! He was good friends with some very powerful people, which had brought him into her sphere on several occasions during the wedding celebrations. His half-brother, Matteo, was nearly as good looking, but there was something about Antonio that just…did it for her!

A waiter bumped her slightly, which was a relief since the touch allowed her to pull her gaze away. Breathing in deeply, Astra turned away from the man, but she knew he still watched her. Those dark, penetrating eyes were more powerful than a laser, she mentally grumbled.

“Are you okay?” Macie asked, tapping some information into her tablet, then glancing at Astra. “You look a bit flushed.”

“Flushed” was a bad thing, Astra told herself, pulling her mind away from the bothersome man. Banishing the images of that man naked, she forced herself to focus on the night’s events. This wedding, this finale to the week’s wedding celebration, was hugely important to her business.

Giving herself a mental shake, Astra focused on ensuring that the final moments went smoothly.

“Yeah, everything looks…” she paused, noticing one of the waiters flirting with a wedding guest. She glared at the man, then turned to the head waiter. The man instantly recognized what was happening and moved to remedy the situation. One didn’t flirt during a royal wedding! Good grief. What was he thinking?

“Everything is fine, Astra.” Understanding, Macie moved slightly closer. “You did it. You’ve created a magical ambiance that will be talked about for years!”

Astra looked around and…her eyes immediately found a dark gaze again. Darn it! Astra didn’t have time for this!

And yet, once again, she couldn’t seem to look away. He was unusually tall and his swarthy appearance did something to her insides, making them feel gooey and tingly. However, Astra couldn’t seem to look away.

This time, there was a dark, smoldering heat in his eye that reminded Astra that she was alive. When he tilted his head towards her, she felt a thrill that was completely out of proportion with the night’s success. His acknowledgement of the evening’s triumph revived her, sending a jolt of energy to every cell in her body.

Feeling the blush bloom in her cheeks, Astra turned away, needing to…do something other than stand here, glowing. She had a wedding feast to finish! She didn’t have time to blush.

Pushing through the doors to the kitchen, Astra looked around, but there wasn’t any place to hide. She needed…just a moment, she told herself. A moment to pull herself together. This was ridiculous! She wasn’t some brainless, young debutante who needed acknowledgement of a handsome stranger!

She found a door and stepped through it, finding herself…in a broom closet? Astra closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the door. “Get yourself together! The man might be funny and interesting. But he is still a stranger! You have work to do!”

Okay, so he wasn’t a stranger. She’d met him, even spoken with him several times. And maybe, perhaps, in the dark, secret hours of the night…Astra might have read a few online articles about Antonio del Campo. So, she knew that he was considered a brilliant business strategist who was quickly cleaning up the mess his father had created. The current Marquesso, Ricardo del Campo, Antonio’s father, was currently serving out a one hundred and thirty year prison sentence. The father had been convicted of attempted murder, multiple counts of drug trafficking, and money laundering not to mention racketeering charges, abuse of power, and a slew of lower level crimes. The father had turned the small village surrounding his castle into his personal fiefdom, crushing any rebellion with brutal and merciless force. Thankfully, the Spanish government had cracked down on him as soon as his cruelty was uncovered.

“Has anyone seen Astra?” a voice called out.

Astra opened her eyes and, with a heavy sigh, stepped out of the broom closet. “I’m here,” she called out, trying to be heard over the cacophony of the clanking pots and pans. The kitchen staff were busy preparing the after dinner treats, washing thousands of dishes from the ten course meal, and some were even prepping ingredients for tomorrow’s breakfast. The palace chef was a master of controlled chaos, and Astra was truly grateful for his expertise. The food was one aspect she hadn’t had to worry about.

Everything else…yep. She worried.

At this moment, the sommelier approached her about a crisis, then the housekeeping staff needed guidance, someone else needed to know when to start the coffee service, the band was setting up in the ballroom and needed extra chairs…the list of minor problems went on and on.

Such was the life of an event coordinator. Astra handled everything with an outwardly calm demeanor, while underneath, she was a churning mass of exhaustion and terror that something would go badly wrong.

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