Page 3 of The Billionaire's Royal Crown

“How?” he asked, his voice garbled by the candy.

“What do you think of this?” she asked as she held up a mood board for the wedding.

He shrugged. “Seems fine. How do you propose I face it head on? Stamp my feet and refuse?”

“It’s not a terrible idea. I don’t think I like this lace.”

“It’s quite fussy, I agree.”

She rose and set the basket in the reject pile and selected another. “Has Lady Margaret any interest in you whatsoever? What a hideous shade of green, this one is a no.”

Elena dumped the basket across the room as her phone chimed. “Hold that thought.”

She glanced at the screen, finding a message from Nate.I agree. It needs a friend. I’m excited to see you. I miss you.

A grin crossed her features as she typed back.Miss you,too. I’m sorting through wedding planners so we can give that ring a friend on Christmas Eve.

“Stop talking to your fiancé and help me,” Alexander groaned.

“I’m thinking,” Elena answered as she studied two more baskets.

She dropped onto the couch next to him again. “Do you have an odd meeting on your calendar for tonight?”

“Yes. It appeared this morning. Is that your doing?”

“No. I have Caroline trying to solve that mystery. Does Margaret have a love interest? Has she mentioned anything?”

“Yes, she has,” he answered. “It’s me. Oh, I’ve eaten all the turtles. I must find something else.”

He rose from his slouched seat to search the other baskets for more food offerings, tearing one open to eat from a box of flavored pretzels.

“So, Margaret is in love with you?”

“Hardly. But she thinks she is.”

“Thinks she is? What are you saying? She has a brain, hasn’t she?”

“I suppose she does,” he answered, shoving a few pretzels into his mouth, “but this is, of course, a lovely match for her.”

“Naturally, she will become a princess. And second in line to the throne…until you and Mr. Kingsley produce an heir.”

“Mmm,” Elena answered as she stared at another proposal from yet another wedding planner. “I quite like the mix of holiday spirit with traditional wedding suggested here. What do you think?”

“I think I shall be announcing my engagement on the heels of your wedding if you don’t focus on my problem.”

Elena set the basket aside and heaved a sigh. “I will not allow you to marry Lady Margaret, but you must give me a moment to think. Unless you’d like to race off to the States. Perhaps you’ll have the luck I did.”

“After what happened with you, my parents would never approve.”

“Hey, my situation did not turn out so terrible,” she answered as he bit into another pretzel.

The doors to the office burst open before he could reply.

“Uncle Frederick,” Alexander said, rising to his feet as pretzel crumbs fell from his shirt to the floor.

Elena rose with a slight curtsy. “Father.”

“Hello,” he answered. “I came here to work, however, I see the space is otherwise engaged.”

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