Page 62 of The Princess and the Fraud

Realization hit her then. Fiona tried to scuttle behind her friends. Almost as if they were robots, they all moved in front of her, creating a wall that shielded her from Aaron Astor’s view. It might’ve been comical to watch if I wasn’t afraid of Fiona’s throat closing.

“Aaron, I’ll contact you later about tonight,” she breathed, grabbing a fistful of one of the girls’ shirts and backing up. “T-Thank you again for the flowers!”

And with that, in a block formation, the girls hurried off toward the nearest bathroom, ending the show.

It took two seconds for Aaron to whirl around. The open, unguarded expression he’d worn yesterday in the music hall was gone, replaced by something sharper—anger, bright and crackling in his eyes. “Are youtryingto get yourself fired?”

“I—”

“Why would you say you bought them when you didn’t?” A short breath escaped him, something like a scoff. “Unless you actually did—are you insane?”

Heat flared in my chest. “I was covering for you,” I snapped, his anger feeding mine. “Forgetting an allergy isn’t exactly a great way to win someone over, genius?—”

“I didn’t buy them.”

Annalise’s gaze darted between us. “Then who did?”

None of us spoke. Almost everyone at Alderton-Du Ponte knew about Fiona’s allergy; she was the reason baby’s breath was practically banned from the property. Besides, hidden at the bottom of the bouquet? Whohidesbaby’s breath?

Aaron exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. “You shouldn’t have tried to take the fall for it.”

“Oh, but you should?” My voice was sharp. “You don’t need any screw-ups when you’re this close.” Our eyes locked, the air between us shifting. Something passed between us—something unspoken, something charged.We’re in the same boat, remember?“You need to spin this in your favor.”

Annalise inhaled suddenly, her brows shooting up. “Wait. Lovey. Do you know?”

“Lovisa found out about the will.” Aaron didn’t look away from me as he said it, didn’t care to look at anyone’s reaction but my own. “Byaccident.”

Right, I’d accidentally picked the papers up off his desk. Just like he’d accidentally spilled my mimosa tray.

“You found out?” Annalise echoed. “Is that why you were asking all those questions about Aaron a few minutes ago?”

“Y-You told me everything voluntarily,” I sputtered, cheeks heating. “I didn’taskanything?—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Aaron cut in, shaking his head as if shaking our voices away. “How can I spin this in my favor?”

Annalise turned to Trisha behind the desk, who tried to seem like shehadn’tbeen eavesdropping. “Can you book a spa day down at Rêve Relax in Bayview for me? For one. For Fiona Flannagan.”

Trisha’s eyes flicked to mine briefly. “Of course, of course. Shall I say it’s courtesy of Mr. Astor?”

“Please.” Annalise turned back to Aaron. “Fiona will call you after getting the call about the appointment, and you’ll offer to drive over to her house and hand deliver more medication if she needs it. Takeout. Ice cream. Whatever she wants. Tell her—I don’t know—that seeing her sick triggered a protective instinct in you or something.”

Aaron’s face scrunched. “I have to say that?”

“You’ll pursue her harder,” she insisted. “Trust me. Knowing Fiona, that will get her right where you want her.”

Aaron didn’t answer right away. He mulled it all over, clearly playing the scenarios through in his head. Most of the frustration had ebbed from him, but was still visible in the stony way he had his jaw set. It was strange to see this side of the conversation, Annalise coaching him through the steps, trying to calm down his visible anxiety. His eyes were downcast, but couldn’t seem to land on one spot on the floor. His fingers fidgeted where he pressed them against the sides of his legs.

According to Annalise, it was because Fiona was his ticket back into the family, and he thought he’d almost lost it.

“You’ve got time.” Annalise laid a hand on his shoulder. “Fiona’s just as desperate as you are, but in a different way. She’ll accept.”

I knew I should’ve offered support as well, should’ve encouraged him as she had, but I couldn’t open my mouth. Watching him fight for a steady breath, I could see just how important that was to him. It was a strange thing to be privy to. And I wished, again, that I hadn’t seen this side.

“She will,” Aaron breathed, the words soft, as if he were speaking them to soothe himself. “She has to.”

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Alderton-Du Ponte closed at eight, which meant the hallways went from lively toquietafter the sun set. I helped close up the restaurant Thursday night, which meant wiping down all the tables, running the dishes through the washer in the back, sweeping and mopping the floors, and I finished up around nine-thirty. I even helped the line cook clean up his station, because the only thing waiting for me when I clocked out was my quiet apartment, and I didn’t want to turn my brain off yet.

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