Page 4 of Forbidden Passion

Looking up again, she felt her shoulders relax and her mind clear. “The world economic trends this year are surprisingly different from the previous years,” she began. Ciara glanced over her shoulder and nodded with approval as the first slide popped up on the enormous screen behind her. “The first thing one might notice is that…” she continued explaining the trends she’d observed through the data she’d gathered as well as the information she’d gleaned from various global news reports.

Ciara studiously ignored the man sitting to her left for the duration of her speech. She refused to look at him, knowing that her temper would flare up and she’d lose track of her speech again.

“In conclusion,” she continued, “tempers of the working and middle class citizens are rising. The instances of violence are increasing as the buying power of the average worker decreases. This trend gives rise to leaders who offer what appear to be a simple solution, but in reality, is merely enabling corporate greed to thrive.” She glanced at Falk this time, glaring at him accusingly.

When she watched him smile obnoxiously back at her, she wanted to jump off the stage and punch him in the nose. More violence. She sighed and looked away, focusing on the back of the large auditorium. “A perfect example of politicians being blind to the problem is the United States House of Representatives, who recently gave themselves an almost five percent pay raise, citing increased cost of living, while the federal minimum wage hasn’t increased since the year two thousand and nine. The British have seen a slew of protesters filling the streets, angry about the lack of funding for workers. And if you visit Paris, the protests are silent, but pungent, as trash piles up because the workers refuse to collect the garbage due to poor wages and dangerous working conditions.”

Ciara continued, referencing the rise in dangerous nationalism across the world and the increased power of oppressive authoritarian leaders.

“At the same time, the number of billionaires in the world increases every year. The average worker feels cheated and powerless. This kind of economic inequity will increase.” She clicked the remote and a new image came onto the screen. And so it went.

When she finished, the room exploded in applause. Ciara smiled and nodded to the accolades, then moved off the stage, offering a final wave of thanks to the audience. She nearly stumbled when her eyes moved to Falk. He wasn’t clapping, but she could see the admiration in his eyes.

Why was his silent expression so much more powerful than the crowd’s applause?

With a grunt of frustration, she continued towards the left wing of the stage, relieved to be out of the audience’s sight.

“Wonderful speech,” the organizer gushed, shaking Ciara’s hands with enthusiasm. “Absolutely on point and you explained your data in clear ways that everyone can understand. Thank you!”

Ciara smiled and spoke to the man for several more minutes. Finally, she was able to break away.

Jessy moved in beside her even as her bodyguards surrounded her. “We have a problem,” Jessy whispered as they moved quickly out of the auditorium.

“What’s that?” Ciara whispered back, smiling and nodding to the others attendees that were lingering outside of the space.

“Well…the city is small, Your Highness, and the new hotel that I booked for us is a thirty minute drive away.”

“That’s perfect,” Ciara replied. “What’s the…?” she froze as her eyes landed on a window.

All she could see was a wall of white.

Chapter 3

“What in the world?” Ciara whispered.

“There was snow in the forecast, Your Highness,” Jessy explained quickly. “But over the past few hours, the cold front moved over the Alps faster than anticipated, gathering more moisture. So, the six inch snowfall has turned into a blizzard.” Jessy paused, her mouth stretching into a grimace. “The city is expecting about threefeetof snow.”

Ciara's heart sank as she stared out into the now-acknowledged whiteout. With a growing sense of alarm, she grasped at the tiny gaps in the snowfall, fleeting windows to the outside world. These brief glimpses, however, didn't extend far enough for her to see the buildings across the street.

“Is there a problem?” a deep voice asked from behind them.

Ciara spun around, her mouth falling open as she stared up into the dark, penetrating eyes of the man she’d been trying so hard to avoid.

“No!” she replied back forcing an optimistic smile. “No problem at all.” The area just outside the auditorium was filling up with conference attendees. Ciara saw several of them turn, staring in astonishment at the quickly growing piles of snow.

Falk’s next words pulled her out of her misery. “Can I walk you to your hotel? I know that the sidewalks are piling up with snow, but the underground tunnel to The Lustor is warm and clear.” He paused dramatically, then snapped his fingers, shaking his head. “That’s right. You decided to spread the wealth by staying at another hotel.” He lifted his eyes and looked pointedly outside again. “I hope that you’re close by.”

Jessy had stepped away, a cell phone pressed to her ear. Almost as if it were choreographed, she came back, grimacing. “Your Highness, the roof of the hotel that I booked has…,” she started to say, but paused and sighed, then tried again. “Well, the snow fell so hard and so fast that the roof collapsed. Even if we could reach the hotel, they are shuttling their guests to other hotels.”

“Sounds like a serious problem,” Falk replied smoothly. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “There is plenty of space with me at The Lustor next door.”

Ciara heard him, but too many issues were hitting her all at once. Falk was too close, the snow was coming down fast and furiously, and…and now she was going to be stuck here? Not just in his hotel, but…in his suite? “Excuse me?”

Chapter 4

Falk turned to the pretty assistant waiting for instruction. “Would you excuse us for a moment?” he asked politely.

The woman immediately turned away, moving to stand with Ciara’s bodyguards.

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