Page 108 of The Billionaire's Royal Challenge

“I believe the Kingsley have already left, Your Highness. Their luggage was being loaded–”

Elena didn’t hear the rest of the statement as she spun on her heel and fled toward the front of the palace. She’d waited too long. She hoped she could catch him.

With each step, her urgency grew, her heart pounding in her chest as she raced through the halls, desperate to catch Nate before it was too late.

Her chest constricted, and she zipped past Caroline who called to her.

“No time to talk, Caroline! The Kingsleys are already getting into the car. I must catch them.”

“Run, Your Highness!” Caroline shouted as she hurried behind her.

Elena pushed her legs to carry her through the halls and down the stairs as fast as she could. She puffed for breath as she reached the front door, flinging it open. She searched for Nate and his family, but her heart plummeted as she found no one.

Instead, a car pulled down the drive, already almost at the gates. She swallowed hard, her features pinching. She’d missed her opportunity. And now she’d never have another chance.

CHAPTER 24

NATE

Nate firmed his jaw, trying to remain unflappable despite his hammering heart. In front of him, Prince Eric’s smarmy smile beamed.

“Anyway,” the man said, “this is your last day here, if I’m not mistaken. So, happy trails, as you Americans say.”

Prince Eric stuck his hand out toward Nate, a silent request for a handshake.

Nate stared down at it, his stomach twisting into a tight knot. “Pass,” he answered.

He wasn’t going to shake hands with the man who drugged him.

Prince Eric withdrew his offer, clasping his hands behind his back again. “Fair enough. Perhaps we can both agree, though, that the best man won. I promise I will make Elena very happy.”

The words hit him like a physical slap. Was their relationship really nothing more than a ploy to her?

“Goodbye, Mr. Kingsley. And good luck. I wish I could say it was lovely meeting you, but you have been a thorn in my side that I am all too pleased to have plucked and pitched away.”

With another arrogant grin, the man nodded and twisted on his heel to stride away from Nate.

Nate sucked in a shaky breath as he left, still reeling from the news. Had she run straight to Eric to accept his offer only moments after they’d broken up?

Did she have any feelings for him at all?

His mind struggled to process the bombshell Prince Eric had just dropped as he stood frozen in disbelief.

Caroline’s unexpected appearance was the only thing that roused him. With a pleasant smile, she approached him and offered a greeting he barely heard.

“Mr. Kingsley?” she repeated, her head tilting and her brows pinching.

“Oh uh, sorry,” he answered, shaking his head. “My mind was somewhere else.”

“I’ll say. Perhaps a million miles from here.”

“Yeah,” he murmured.

“Are you all right?” Caroline asked.

He wasn’t. Not by a mile. But he couldn’t tell her that. “Uh…”

“Mr. Kingsley,” Caroline said, concern etching into her features by the second, “you look as though someone has stolen your puppy. May I get you something?”

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