Page 87 of The Billionaire's Royal Challenge

“I’m not…I didn’t drink.”

Victoria closed the doors behind them before she crossed over to him, her hands on her hips. “Nate, you can’t lie about this. You’re drunk.”

“No,” he murmured again, his features pinching.

She perched on the edge of the coffee table, taking his head in hers. “Honey…I’m your mother, and I love you, but I’m not going to let you destroy yourself again. It’s obvious you’ve been drinking. I know things have been stressful. You’re dealing with a lot. And we’re here to help you.”

“I wasn’t drinking.”

Charles hovered over his wife’s shoulder. “Nate, you can’t form a sentence, and you can’t stand up straight. What do you want us to think?”

“Was it the thing with Chloe?” Victoria asked.

Nate collapsed forward with a sigh, sinking his face into his hands.

The door popped open, and Caroline hurried in with a cup of coffee.

“Nathan, here is some coffee. Try drinking a little,” Elena said as she accepted the cup from her ladies’ maid.

His features crinkled as he glanced at her. “I’m not drunk. I’m not. Please, Ellie, you have to believe me.”

She pressed her lips together as she studied his features. She hadn’t been around when he’d been drinking, so she didn’t know if he’d lie while drunk. But she knew when he said he’d cleaned up his act, he’d been proud of it.

Had the pressures of living up to royal expectations driven him back to the bottle?

She squeezed his hand, her gaze attempting to offer unwavering support. “All right, darling, I believe you.Try this coffee.”

“No, you don’t,” Nate said as he tossed himself back against the couch. “You’re just saying that because you pity me.”

“That’s not true.” Elena reached to stroke his hair. “It’s not. But let’s take care of you first before we discuss it further. It’s obvious you aren’t feeling yourself.”

He took the coffee, the cup rattling against the saucer in his shaky hands, and sipped it.

“Good,” she answered as she shot a glance at Victoria. “Mr. Kingsley, can you sit with Nathan? I need to speak with Caroline and Mrs. Kingsley.”

Charles eased into a nearby chair with a nod. “Of course.”

Elena nodded a thanks to him as she rose, drawing Victoria and Caroline across the room. Alexander joined them.

“Mrs. Kingsley, is Nathan in the habit of lying when he’s been drinking?”

Victoria sucked in a breath. “I’ve never seen him act like this, but when he was drinking, he was secretive, and he did deny that he had a problem. But he never said he wasn’t drunk when he was, no.”

Elena clenched her teeth as she flicked her gaze over to Nate nursing his coffee on the couch.

“What is it, Elena?” Alexander asked.

“Caroline said she never saw him take a drink,” Elena answered.

Caroline nodded. “That’s right. I saw him have punch. That’s all.”

Alexander narrowed his eyes at the woman. “Were you with him the entire time?”

“Mostly. I stayed close in case he needed assistance.”

Elena leaned closer, her voice low. “Caroline, can you say for certain that he did not have alcohol?”

With wide eyes, she let her gaze slide among them. “Well,no. I mean…he could put something into his punch, perhaps. I never saw him with anything alcoholic, but I suppose he could have used a flask…I…”

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