Page 2 of The Billionaire's Royal Crown

She stepped into the hall, her left hand extended as she admired her ring. She tugged her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture before she sent it along with a text message to Nate.This looks lonely, don’t you think?

She rounded the corner, running into her cousin, Alexander.

“Oh, my apologies, I nearly ran you over,” Elena said with a grin. “Blame Nathan, I was sending him a text message.”

His lips twitched as though he was trying to form a smile, but it failed.

“Alexander, what is it?”

“Your luck with Mr. Kingsley is ruining my life.”

Elena’s jaw dropped open, her eyebrows furrowing. “What are you saying?”

She motioned for him to walk with her. He lumbered next to her, his lips tugged into a frown. “I was on my way to find you. Something must be done.”

“About what, Alexander? What has you so glum?”

“Lady Margaret,” he answered, his nose wrinkling.

“What about her?” Elena asked as they turned the corner and approached the private office.

Alexander flung his arms in the air. “What do you think? I am about your age. You are marrying. I am not. And becauseof your impending engagement announcement, I am being encouraged to accept Lady Margaret.”

Elena pushed through the double doors into the office and scanned the many gift baskets lined in the room. “Still? I thought this was settled before my engagement. You told your parents you were not interested.”

“What I told them and what they accepted are two very different things. What is all this?”

“Gift baskets from wedding planners who wish to plan the royal wedding. Would you help me parse through them?” She read one of the cards before she perused the items inside.

“I suppose it’s better than being hounded by my parents about Margaret.”

“I guess she did not fall madly in love with Julian after we paired them together for the first dance at the royal ball.”

Alexander picked up one of the baskets and tore open the cellophane wrapping to grab a package of chocolate turtles. “Sadly, no. I am not surprised. Julian is quite unlikeable.”

“Also further from the throne,” Elena answered as she stared at a mockup colors and floral arrangements, showing the designer’s ideas. “This one is out. I hate peach. Who has peach at a royal wedding in December?”

“I haven’t the slightest clue, Elena, and I don’t wish to find out. Likely Lady Margaret would have peach at our royal wedding.” Alexander collapsed onto the leather sofa as he bit into a turtle.

Elena set the basket across the room in a pile of rejects before she perused another. “Don’t worry, Alexander, I won’t let you marry Margaret.”

“Do you promise? Perhaps if you speak with your father, he can remind my father and mother that it is best to allow me to make my own decisions. It’s worked out quite well for you.”

“It almost didn’t,” Elena reminded him.

“But it did,” he answered, shoving another turtle into his mouth. “At the last minute, Kingsley learned the error of his ways, your father approved, and you are set to walk down the aisle with the man you love.”

“Stop eating those, you’re going to be sick.”

“I am not,” he answered. “I’ve only had three.”

“Four,” she said as he popped another in his mouth.

“Elena, if you were facing this, you’d have eaten the entire box.” He dug into the box for his fifth turtle. “No, I am incorrect. You would have merely run away.”

Elena plopped onto the couch next to him, reaching for a turtle. He pulled the box away. “Get your own sweets. You hardly need them.”

She rolled her eyes at him as she snatched the box and helped herself to one before handing it back. “Yes, I did run away, but that didn’t solve my problem. You must face this head on.”

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