Page 42 of The Prince's Secret Daughter
Raj chuckled, shaking his head. “Not Disneyland, sweetie, but something almost as exciting.”
“Something more exciting than Disneyland?” Angela’s eyes went even wider, her little mouth forming an O as she thought about the possibilities. “What is it? What is it?”
Helen and Raj exchanged a glance, and Helen’s heart skipped. This was it. She reached for Raj’s hand, squeezing it gently. “We’re getting married, Angela,” she said, her voice warm but full of joy.
Angela blinked. Then she blinked again, as if she had to process this new and incredibly important information. Her brows furrowed, and she leaned back against the couch as though she were considering the idea deeply. Then, with all the gravity a four-year-old could muster, she declared, “You mean... like a princess wedding?! With cake and flowers?”
Helen and Raj laughed, nodding. “Exactly like that,” Helen said, her voice filled with love and amusement.
Angela jumped to her feet, throwing her arms out dramatically as if she were about to address a royal court. “I’ll be the flower girl!” she announced proudly. “I’m good at throwing flowers! I’ll throw themeverywhere!” She spun in circles, her tiny arms outstretched, as though she could actually feel herself in the middle of a wedding procession.
“Everywhere, huh?” Raj asked, raising an eyebrow playfully. “Are you sure about that?”
Angela paused mid-spin and gave him a serious look. “Well, yeah! I’ll throw them so high that everyone can see them! And then we’ll all dance, and Mommy and Daddy will kiss, and then we can have a cake!”
Helen laughed at her daughter’s excitement, her heart swelling even more. “You’re right, sweetie. There will be cake.” She winked at Raj. “And maybe we’ll even let you eat some before dinner.”
“Yesss!” Angela cheered, raising her hands in triumph. Then she stopped, looking up at her mother and Raj with a thoughtful expression. “Can I wear a green dress? Just like Fiona?” she demanded, looking at both of her parents. “And does this mean that I get to stay with my daddy forever? He won’t leave me?”
Raj looked at Helen with a warm, affectionate smile. “That’s exactly what it means.”
Angela, looking extremely satisfied with her own deductive skills, then tightened her arms over her stuffed animals. “That’s so good! I love it!” She ran over and, dropping her stuffed friends to the floor with four-year-old casualness, hugged both of them tightly, her tiny arms barely wrapping around their waists. “Best wedding ever!”
Helen smiled through her laughter, kissing the top of Angela’s head. “We think so too, sweetie.”
Raj leaned in, his voice soft as he looked into Helen’s eyes. “I love you,” he said, his words full of quiet intensity.
Helen’s heart fluttered, and she kissed him gently on the lips, pulling back with a smile. “I love you too,” she whispered, her hand resting on his.
Angela, still holding onto their legs, beamed up at them. “See? I knew it. You guys are the best!” She leaned back with athoughtful look on her face, tapping her chin. “Now... about that cake...”
Epilogue
“This is too much,” Helen whispered, her voice filled with awe as she took in the sheer luxury of the villa. She felt like she had wandered into a movie set, everything so perfect, it couldn’t possibly be real.
Raj chuckled and took her hands, gently pulling her toward the back of the villa. “You haven’t even seen the view yet,” he teased. “Brace yourself.”
When he pushed open the doors, Helen gasped, her breath catching in her throat. Before her, stretched out in all its glory, was the Adriatic Sea—endless blue, meeting the sky in a perfect line. “This is beautiful!” she said, a little breathlessly, her fingers curling around the railing as though she needed something solid to hold her upright.
Raj smiled behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “You know, it’s not every day I get to impress you.”
Helen sighed contentedly, leaning back against him, smiling as she felt his warmth. “This isn’t necessary,” she said, looking over her shoulder at him. “I would have been just as happy back in Lativa.”
Raj grinned, his voice playful. “Yes, but this way, we don’t have to wake up early. No stampeding feet of Angela and her bevy of dogs and cats first thing in the morning.”
Helen snorted at the thought. “Oh, trust me, I know. The amount of chaos she causes with those four dogs and three cats could be classified as a natural disaster.” She thought of Angela, who had made it her life’s mission to rescue every animal shecame across, dragging them home with a determination that no one could rival. “And the palace is a zoo. Plus, she’s seemed to have adopted her cousins—Laith, Rafi, and Zayn—along with the menagerie.”
“No more animals,” Raj declared firmly, turning Helen around so he could kiss her lightly. “Do you understand? No more!”
Helen laughed, the sound light and carefree. “I believe I should be saying that to you. You’re the one she has wrapped around her little finger. All she needs to do is blink those pretty brown eyes and you turn into a puddle.”
Raj groaned, a mock expression of despair on his face. “I know I’ve got a lot of catching up to do after the four years I missed, but seriously, she knows exactly how to get to me. I’m like putty in her hands. If she ever gets a hint of that from me, it’s over. She’s going to start making requests like she’s royalty.” He straightened up, his sigh dramatic. “But no more. There will be no more creatures in our apartment.”
Helen lifted an eyebrow playfully. “No more?”
“None!” Raj’s tone was firm, his posture rigid with resolve.
Helen smiled and, with a teasing glint in her eye, placed his hand on her still-flat stomach. “Not even...” she trailed off dramatically, feeling the weight of her words. “A sibling?”
