Page 14 of Once Upon a Royal Billionaire

“Hey, superstar. I’m here to help get you pumped for your pitch.”

“Oh, right, thank you.” She smiled, trying to recover. She felt like her heart had been torn again, and she had to take three deep breaths before she could convince herself that she and Rhett were in a good place. It might not be perfect, but no one’s heart was broken.

Brooks pulled up a chair. “So, what did you do to Rhett?”

Her eyes flashed to his.

He leaned back. “Okay, no need to answer that. Let’s talk about your presentation.”

She pulled up the PowerPoint file, even though she had it memorized. He was a world-renowned business expert—it would be stupid to turn down his offer.

She went through the speedy version, and he listened, his razor-sharp eyes catching everything. Then when she finished, he flipped back to the beginning and refined every slide with angles, emotion, and detail she would have never considered.

She took notes furiously.

When he was finished, he turned to her. “You’re gonna blow this out of the water, babe. They won’t know what hit them. They’ll come stumbling forward with their wallets open.”

She laughed. “Well, I hope so. I could use the funds.”

He brushed a hair out of her face. “What’s this about?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean Mountain Blue has never run investor campaigns. You’re not a startup. What’s going on?”

She pressed her lips together.

“Say no more. You have enough capital in this meeting to save a small country. But if you need more than financial backing—consulting, advice”—he rested a hand over hers—“support. You know where to come.”

He was so kind. His eyes were earnest. She stared deep into them, wondering where he was going with his offers of help. What exactly did he want from her? Could she picture him with Lily? She had so many things to think about in response to his simple gesture.

“Thank you, Brooks.” She pulled her hand away.

“Yes, thank you, Brooks.” Rhett stood in the doorway, his displeasure obvious. The room shrank a little bit with the two tall, broad-shouldered men filling it. Rhett stood taller, and Emily was reminded clearly that a king to an island nation stood in her office. Was there anything left of the boy she’d known? Perhaps. But at this moment, he made the air sizzle with power. And testosterone.

Brooks stood. “Rhett.”

Rhett nodded. And waited.

The two men stared at each other for a moment more, then Brooks shrugged. “If you need anything else, just shoot me a message. I’ve got your back.”

She stood and leaned forward to hug him. “Thanks for everything.”

His arms felt tender, his gentle kiss on her cheek was warm. Then he dipped his head and brushed Rhett’s shoulder as he left.

“Rhett, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Standing there with all your kingly status.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You literally forced Brooks from the room.”

“Do you want me to call him back? Is that what this is about?”

“No, what good would that do? Look, he came early to help me with the presentation. It was nice of him.”

---