Page 28 of The King's Fake Bride

Xander groans, pulling away and setting me back down on my feet to turn and glare at Daphne. “Give us a minute.”

I dart past him. “Don’t worry about it. I’m ready. Let’s go say goodbye.”

Xander sighs somewhere behind me, but he doesn’t hurry to catch up.

Which is fine. I need to get my head clear, and then I need to remember that even though the way he looks at me sets me on fire, none of this is real.

It’s all going to come to an end, whether I like it or not.

CHAPTER 11

XANDER

Amy paces back and forth in the hallway, fanning herself with the list of approved questions for the television interview. “I don’t know if I can do this. I’ve never done an interview before.”

I grab her by the shoulders, stopping her. “You’ve read the questions they’re going to ask. We went over everything together. You can do this.”

The color drains from her face as she peeks out at the set and the massive cameras pointed at it. “I think you’re vastly overestimating what I can do.”

“You’ve got this, and if there’s anything that comes up that you don’t know how to answer even after looking over the questions, I’ll be there to save you.”

I let go of her, feeling like I’ve been electrocuted.

A week ago, we took things a little too far. The bottle of champagne got to both of our heads.

And since then, she’s been busy with lessons, but forty-eight hours isn’t near enough to have her ready to talk to an interviewer on live television.

“You two have to see this.” Daphne hurries over with her phone out, handing it to me.

AMERICAN WOMAN MARRYING KING FOR MONEY AND FAME. WILL DRIVE CROWN TO RUIN.

To my horror, the article goes on to list everything from Amy’s dead parents to comments from a “source” I’m guessing is her former boss. Nothing about the article paints her in a good light.

“We have to get this taken down.” I hand the phone back to Daphne, deciding not to show Amy. She doesn’t need more worry piled on her shoulders. She already looks like she’s going to be sick with the thought of going out there and trying to charm people.

Amy arches an eyebrow. “Do I want to see that?”

“It’s nothing good.” I clear my throat as one of the assistants comes out and waves us forward. “We don’t have time to worry about it either. We’re on.”

People are cheering as we’re guided over to the edge of the set.

“Good evening. I’m Taryn Doukas, and this is Katastinia Tonight. Today, we’re going to be talking with King Xander Ariti and his fiancée, Amy Harlowe.”

The audience claps as I reach down and take Amy’s shaking hand in mine. She wipes her other palm on her black skirt before we step onto the set.

I smile to the crowd, waving as we head to the white couch to the side of Taryn. “It’s great to be here with all of you again. It seems like just yesterday we were doing an interview about my coronation.”

“Yes, well, we’re glad to have you back and with your stunning American fiancée in tow.” Taryn’s eyes sparkle with something I don’t like.

She looks like a shark circling the water on the hunt for her next kill.

“It’s a pleasure,” Amy says, her voice soft as she sits down on the couch and crosses her legs at the ankles. She folds her hands in her lap, but the posture looks so stiff and unnatural that it’s obvious it’s not her.

I recline in the seat, stretching my legs out in front of me and doing my best to get comfortable.

Taryn shuffles the cards in her lap. “I’d like to talk about what the entire country is wondering right now.”

“Well, we’d be more than happy to answer any questions,” I say, reaching over and taking Amy’s hand, lacing our fingers together. When I smile at her, the crowd starts whispering to each other.

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