Page 25 of A Game-Changing Christmas

Though the Roses had been on guard about the nature of this meeting, they were significantly startled by the other occupants in the room. The Valentine men sat on the opposite side of the table. Every last one of them:

Hunter, CEO of VFC Energy, a fortune 500 company.

Xavier, one of the world’s most powerful sports agents.

Lance, award-winning film director and one of the best working in Hollywood today.

Raphael, world-renowned celebrity photographer.

Kyle, the youngest top software engineer of his time. He had cofounded Zing the popular search engine in 1996.

DeAndre, mastermind of Valentine Innova-Corp, an engineering company.

Seeing each other in such close vicinity, The Roses and Valentines frowned, then quickly looked to King Isaac Winthrope for unqueried answers. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, but it was when Jonathon crossed the threshold that the silence ended.

His gaze swept across the men in the room then his jaw locked as his face hardened. “What the—”

“Please mind your manners when you’re in the company of royalty,” Cadena’s throaty voice spoke up.

She’d brought Jonathon’s attention straight to her, and his furrowed gaze softened then his voice drummed.

“Excuse me … Princess, I meant no disrespect when—”

“I am not a princess,” she said, turning to him fully. She kept his contact. “You must have me mistaken for my sister, Cadence. I am advisor to the king, and you will address me as such.”

Jonathon’s gaze skipped over Cadena, making a beeline for King Isaac Winthrope. If Jonathon had been mistaken, the king was showing no signs of it.

“My apologies, I thought you were her twin, Princess Cadena Winthrope, Advisor to the king, heiress to the throne, no?”

Cadena lifted a lone brow, keeping her expression haughty. “Just advisor to the king will do, Mr. Rose.”

Jonathon nodded. It was clear that Cadena wanted no parts of her princess title, and that was a problem for King Isaac Winthrope to resolve on another day.

“As you prefer,” Jonathon said. “Advisor, you asked me to mind my manners, but you have not shown us the same courtesy, ambushing us into a meeting that we have no desire to be a part of. What is the meaning of this?”

Though the Valentines and Roses hardly agreed, if ever, they both were quiet as they wanted to know the answer to Jonathon’s query.

“If you’ll have a seat, I’ll get down to my explanation,” King Winthrope said.

“After you offer some enlightenment, we’ll figure out if taking a seat is necessary,” Jaden added.

Cadena glanced at her father, internally telling him I told you so without saying so much as a word.

“As you know from our previous business relationship, working together is beneficial to us both. An opportunity has arisen to better our countries should you be willing to put aside your differences and work together. I’m talking about a three-way partnership.”

The room was still, and nobody flinched until King Isaac Winthrope finished his proposition.

“Your city has a homeless crisis. You need a pipeline of resources, most importantly vegetation to feed your hungry.” King Winthrope glanced to the Valentines. “Our contribution with our last charity venture went over well, going as far as to bring donations in from other countries because of my guidance.” He eyed them both. “We can do this again. With the bountiful crop we have in Kéra Asnela, we can provide the funnel you need to better your land.

“We are willing to even provide hefty donations to your city’s mayor, and as a result, fund small businesses that create new job opportunities.

“That’s part of your brand, right? Builders of the city. Uplifting the community. Do-gooders of the people?”

“We could do that independently,” Jonas asserted.

“I was afraid you might say that. It’s true. You each hold a powerful affluence over your peers, but what I would need in return would come with the strength of both your assets.”

“And what is it you need, King Winthrope?”

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