Page 28 of The Billionaire's Royal Crown

Elena’s phone lit again, her heart skipping a beat as she read Nathan’s next words. Her voice faltered, barely a whisper. “Chloe…she’s been murdered!”

The room seemed to spin around her as she shot a surprised glance at her ladies’ maid.

“Surely, Mr. Kingsley is not a suspect.”

“No, I don’t believe so, but…Stephen is.” Elena’s features fell, pinching as she stared at the phone. “We may need to postpone the engagement announcement. They may not be able to get here.”

Her mind swirled at the development. Murder investigations could take months. And if there was a trial…she may never end up married to Nate Kingsley.

CHAPTER 8

NATE

Nate paced the floor of his father’s office as he listened to the man speak with their legal team. His mind whirled through the possibilities while the two discussed the likelihood of charges being brought against anyone in the family.

They’d been involved in a bitter divorce, and Stephen had just been arrested for assault. While no formal charges had been filed, the mark still looked bad.

A woman who had accused him of assault ended up dead only a few hours later.

“So, you’re telling us Stephen could be facing a murder charge?” Charles asked, his voice wavering.

“He’ll at least be questioned,” the attorney answered. “Tell me you have a solid alibi for her time of death.”

Stephen squirmed under the weight of their stares, his discomfort obvious as he shifted awkwardly in his seat.

The wet clothes he’d shoved behind his door earlier thismorning flitted through Nate’s mind. Had he been out in the storm last night?

“I was in my room all night.”

“Did anyone see you there at some point during the night after you got home?”

“No,” Stephen answered. “I came home, I went to bed. It was a rough day. Nate, Maddie, and I were planning on flying out to Eldoria today. So, we turned in early.”

“Eldoria?” the counselor asked, his eyes flicking to Nate.

“It’s a small European country. I’m marrying Princess Elena.”

“Which reminds me,” Charles said, “we need to discuss you making up a prenup for this. I don’t want to be caught unprepared again.”

“At the very least, she can’t come after your money anymore,” the attorney answered.

“Clifford, that’s a terrible thing to say. A woman is dead,” his mother said as she hovered in the doorway.

“Sorry, Victoria, but it does solve a problem. A very big one. I don’t think she would have ended up with much, but she was putting your family through the ringer, demanding a pretty large portion of the pie.”

Victoria clicked her tongue. “Which is why they’ll assume we had something to do with this. Tell me we can safely put this behind us.”

“Nothing’s been filed yet. When there’s something, we’ll attack it from all angles. But for now…I’m afraid you won’t be heading out of the country.”

“What about just Nate?” Victoria asked.

Clifford shook his head. “I wouldn’t, if at all possible. Looks bad. The most obvious suspect here is Stephen, of course, but Nate had a history with her, too. Maybe he went after her to settle a score or defend his brother. Then heskips town to hide out in a foreign country. Probably one with no extradition.”

The man sucked in a breath before he continued. “And on top of that, we want to present a united front.”

Nate set his hands on his hips. “I also don’t want to drag the royal family into this. My surprise visit is going to have to wait.”

“I’m sorry, honey,” Victoria said, sliding her arm around his shoulders. “I know you wanted to spend some time with her before the engagement announcement.”

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