Page 90 of His Beloved Princess
"So, you claim you know nothing about her sleeping with your husband?" She took the yellow envelope from the file, moving it towards me. "We have photos that confirm he had an affair with her."
My stomach twisted with dread, and I tried to take the envelope with my trembling hand, but Andreas snatched it away. He opened it, briefly glimpsed at the pictures, and threw them on the desk.
"I have the original files right here, Caroline," he stated, unlocking his briefcase, and the officer's brows furrowed. He passed her a stack of photos, and her eyes quickly scanned them. A frown formed on her face while checking them, making a note here and there.
"Are you saying Miss Pearson fabricated evidence?" She leaned into her seat, giving us a doubtful look. "That's a serious accusation.”
"I'm sure your experts can confirm that those pictures are photoshopped." Andreas pointed at the photos that supposedly showed Bastian with Sarah, playing with the USB key he fished from his pocket. "I also have a video of her having sex with my father and another set of photos showing them on the yacht in Mexico."
"She had an affair with Leonard Thorn?" Caroline asked in evident surprise, taking the USB from Andreas, and he nodded. "Then why is she attacking Sebastian?"
"Revenge and money," he answered matter of factly, opening his briefcase again. I watched their conversation like some movie played before my eyes, trying to stay invisible. Andreas came heavily armed for this interrogation, and I didn't want to spoil anything with a wrong response.
"This is the list of people who were present at my mother's birthday party when Sarah crashed it and revealed my father's out-of-wedlock child." Andreas gave her the paper, his hand slightly trembling. I could only imagine how hard it was for him to talk about that day. Bastian mentioned it several times but never told me the specifics. "She did it because Bastian refused to pay the rent for her Manhattan apartment and the mortgage for her house. He also took away the limousine and driver my father assigned her. She lost all her privileges when my brother took over the company."
"We are talking about a sexual harassment accusation, Andreas," Caroline pointed out, still not sure about his words, but he had another ace up his sleeve.
"Bastian fired her in front of the managers of Thorn Enterprises, and he made sure she wouldn't find a job in this city. Do you want to know what he did when she started threatening him?" Andreas winked at me, and my heart clenched. I didn't know about this, and my expression matched Caroline's.
"I'm sure it was legal but devastating for her career," she mumbled, staring at the open file. The idea that popped into my mind was disturbing, yet she probably thought the same. No one wanted to be on Thorn's enemy list.
"Of course. Do you have other questions, officer?" he inquired, adjusting his suit jacket and checking his expensive watch.
"I believe I have everything I need," she replied, standing, and we followed her example. A strange feeling nestled in my chest when I watched her, but I didn't dare to say anything.
Basically, there was nothing more to say. Andreas made Sarah look like a spurned mistress who manufactured everything as an act of revenge. But I felt in my bones she wouldn't let us win so easily.
She would plan a retaliation. I was sure of it.
42
A Road Trip
Electra
"Ihave everything," Bastian groaned when I checked the room for at least the tenth time to see if we forgot to pack something. "And if my pants or shirts stay, they can auction them." He winked at me and exited the room.
"You're not Marylin Monroe," I mumbled, shaking my head and closing the closet door. Saying goodbye to the place where I spent the most horrifying time of my life was liberating, and I hoped I would never come back.
Catching Bastian in the hall waiting for the elevator, I took a backpack from him so he had better balance. He objected but didn't want to argue with me. I didn't trust his legs completely and wanted him to use a wheelchair, but he hated it. He suggested he would crawl out of the hospital rather than be seen sitting in that devious thing. Nothing could force him to use it if it wasn't absolutely necessary.
"Daniel parked the car at the back entrance as you ordered," I announced, reading the message from Andreas, who had to leave urgently because of some emergency with a client in Washington.
"I hope he's not waiting for us," Bastian said, reading the text over my shoulder. "Why is my brother reporting his whereabouts to you?"
"Daniel left, sad and disappointed because you didn't want him here," I replied, quickly typing the message. "And your brother needed a friend when you were out." I hid my phone in the backpack and threw it over my shoulder, grabbing the suitcase handle.
"I'm not out anymore. And he hasn’t texted me since the interrogation report," Bastian pointed out, following me outside. His walking stick clicked on the floor, the metal sound piercing my skull every time he made a step.
"He doesn't want to bother you with little things," I reassured him, knowing too well why Andreas avoided contact with his older sibling. He didn't like pretending everything was okay while his private life fell apart.
"So he's bothering you instead," Bastian growled, lifting his brows when another text came.
"He's not," I stated, closing the trunk and walking to the driver's seat. Bastian insisted on me taking him home, even when we had a dozen security guys with driver's licenses at our disposal at any time. "And I don't understand your attitude," I added when we got in. "What is so wrong with us being friends?"
"Andreas doesn't have friends," Bastian replied, fastening his seatbelt and placing his phone in the holder. "He considers friendships a weakness. He only forms alliances with powerful people who can help him reach his goals. All his relationships are within the family."
"What about his wife? He didn't just snatch her off the street and force her to marry him," I joked, masking the unsettling feeling in my stomach. I believed I’d pushed through Andreas’ defense and considered him a friend after those absurd, chaotic couple of months.
