Page 23 of The Billionaire's Royal Secret

“Well, the good news is, he seems equally smitten with you, dear. I thought your faces may crack from grinning at each other so much.”

“Very funny,” Elena said as they collected their things and left the course behind.

As they strode toward the park’s entrance, a man passed by them, bumping into Elena as she grinned at her ladies’ maid, comparing their paintings.

“Hey, watch it, lady,” he shouted at her.

She wrinkled her nose as she stared at him for a moment before he continued down the path. “How terribly rude. It’s those types that you have to watch out for, Caroline.”

“Indeed,” her ladies’ maid answered.

They made their way back to the apartment. A cold draft greeted them as they pushed inside the apartment, its door creaking ominously on its hinges. A sense of unease snaked down Elena’s spine as she stumbled forward, her feet hitting something as she stepped inside. Caroline’s brow furrowed as she stared at the floor.

She bent forward and retrieved a manila envelope.

Elena set her painting down as she studied it. “What is that?”

“I don’t know. It hasn’t any postage or address. Someone must have slipped it under the door.”

Elena snatched it from her hand and tore it open. Her eyes went wide as the contents spilled out. Her heart thudded faster as she stared at pictures of herself with Nate, their lips locked.

A handwritten note fluttered to the floor. Elena lifted it in shaky hands.Careful who you kiss, Princess. You could create an international incident.

Her jaw dropped open as she snapped her gaze to Caroline, her eyes clouding with anxiety and upset. “Dear heavens, Caroline. I think I’m being blackmailed.”

Elena’s hands trembled as she held the note, each word etching a line of ice down her spine. Her heart twisted in a knot as she stared at the pictures again. Who would do this?

CHAPTER 6

NATHAN

The carousel whirled in front of him as Nate lingered in its shadow. The laughter spilling from the merry-go-round starkly contrasted with the turmoil that still churned inside him from the day’s revelation.

The proximity to a space where he’d spend a blissfully happy moment helped soothe the pain. He conjured the image of Ellie’s smiling face, of her tinkling laugh. The vivid image managed to curl the corners of his lips.

He stared down at the bag, still clutched in his fingers. He couldn’t wait to give her the gift.

Seeing her earlier in the park had been a turning point for him. After he’d spotted his brother with his former girlfriend, the familiar surges of upset, inadequacy, and anger churned within him. So did the burning desire to push the pain away with a bottle.

As he’d wandered through the park, each step had been a battle against the whisper of temptation that clawed at theedges of his resolve. Memories of darker times, of seeking oblivion in a bottle, clashed with the image of Ellie’s radiant smile.

Her laughter, echoing in his mind against the backdrop of the carousel’s music, was the only thing that steadied his hand. She became his lighthouse in the tempest, guiding him away from the rocks of despair.

His feet had driven him to the carousel. It had provided a meager balm for his nerves, but had stopped him from drinking, but then…

Then, Ellie had appeared and changed his day. The urge to drink disappeared, though he still couldn’t bring himself to return to the office. He didn’t want to see his brother. So, he’d avoided the office for the afternoon and also dinner for the evening.

Instead, he’d spent time alone, assessing his life and the most recent developments. As night fell over the park and lights bloomed to life, he made his way to his car.

He tossed the bag onto the passenger seat and climbed behind the wheel, firing the engine. As he navigated away from the city to the sprawling mansion the Kingsleys called home, his mind clung to the memories of Ellie.

He slid his eyes sideways to the bag, his lips curling at the corners as he anticipated making new memories.

As the house came into view, he sucked in a breath, his jaw clenching again as the image of his brother’s smug smile taunted him.

If he slipped past the living room and headed straight to his room, he could avoid everyone.

He eased the car to a stop and tossed the shifter into park before he grabbed the bag and climbed from the inside.

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