Page 23 of The Royal Contract

Everything? Where?

She didn’t pack an overnight bag so there is no way she would have everything. She dug her fingers into the clutch she carried and hoped there were extra sheets of makeup remover in it. She was instructed to take off her lipstick completely if she had to touch it up. She did not plan on doing so but was glad she had something to wipe off the heavy eye makeup and everything else on her face for theirstay.

Why couldn’t he tell her that before?

She let out an internal scoff and told herself this was not too much crap to take on, especially for the dream job that was promised to her. Not much trouble at all. She just needed to figure out how not to be jittery around him, no matter how hot he looked.

The drive to the airstrip and the quick plane ride was a blur, and at some point, she had started to expect that lifestyle. The prince seemed to commute to work or whatever he did via air, and she didn’t mind being with him, especially when she could interact with the pilots.

Soon, she told herself she would be a pilot and grow her own wings of freedom. She could almost taste it.

The city lights shone brightly as the private plane touched down, and her nervousness was back. She wasn’t sure what kind of party it was and who was going to be there. For a person who didn’t mind such social events, maybe it wasn’t too bad, but for her, it was too much to handle. Any gathering of more than a handful of people was overwhelming to her. Even as a child, she remembered sneaking a book to every outing and finding a quiet corner to read and not talk to anyone.

Her sister, on the other hand, was the public relations person for the family, and Sanjana was happy she didn’t need to be the face of the family. With the deal the prince made with her, she knew she had to play the part of his wife in public, and she only hoped that the party she was accompanying him to was the only one for maybe the next nine months or more.

Just as she was thinking about how she could make excuses not to go to any future parties, she was suddenly blinded by a million lights. It dawned on her a moment later that they were the flashes from the numerous cameras waiting for them outside the airport’s private terminal.

She felt his grip on her tighten as they walked toward the car, ignoring every call the paparazzi made to the prince. It took her a moment to realize they were addressing her as theprincess.

She was still processing what had happened when she heard the prince bark into his phone. “How did they get here? You had one job to do, and you failed.”

She didn’t know who he was talking to but felt bad for the person on the receiving end.

“They better not follow us to the event. If they do, we will be skipping the party altogether.” The threats and instructions continued while she took the time to gather herself, secretly hoping the reporters would show up at the event so they could skip attending the party.

Maybe she should tip the reporters about their plans so they can be ambushed and skip the parties.

Good thinking, Sanjana!

She gave herself a virtual pat on the back for being so resourceful and stared out the car window as they moved through the slow city traffic.

“Sanjana, we need to switch out your phone and your number.” His words interrupted her meddling thoughts about how to get out of attending parties. She was surprised his tone was soft, unlike the harsh tones he used a few moments ago. She cast him a perplexed glance, and he smiled, handing her a new and what looked like a fancy phone. “Please use this going forward. All your contacts and data have been transferred.”

She was in no mood to ask for details, and so she opened her clutch and handed him her phone. He looked at it for a moment and asked, “Hope it’s okay to shut off this phone. I’ve notified your immediate family of your new number.”

Sanjana didn’t know why she had to change the number. “Is there a reason why I cannot use my old number?”

She saw him clench his teeth. “Someone managed to get a hold of your number, and we want to keep that detail secure.” He played around with her old phone and saw him turn it off. “Be sure to keep your phone secure at all times.” She could only nod as she looked at the device in her hands. “The new phone is secured, and even if you lose the device, our privacy will not be compromised.”

Why did he think she would lose her phone? Did he think she was sloppy? Whatever! I’m not going out with him again.

“Sanjana, look at me.” Suddenly, his tone shifted, and she looked into his eyes, wondering why he had to have that animosity in his voice. She had no idea why her voice sounded so feeble every single time. “My team tells me that the only way the reporters knew our whereabouts is that someone hacked into your old phone, and that’s why the change.” His words made a shiver pass through her.

What did people want from her phone? The prince’s location, like he is joined at the hip with her?

“Oh, I will be careful.” She got a nod in response before he looked away to reply to messages on his phone.

A thick silence fell between them until his phone started to ring. Since she was still processing the idea of someone getting to know where she was through her phone, she listened to the conversation in case she had caused more trouble.

“Yeah, we are about ten minutes away… that’s not happening.” He paused as the other person spoke and finally said, “First and last time. Not going to give in to this melodrama ever again.” With those words, he ended the call and looked at her. “Expect to see some reporters at our destination. We’ll need to pose for a few pictures.”

“Oh, I thought—”

He didn’t let her finish. “I know, but we’re doing this as a favor for a friend.” He sounded unhappy about the idea.

“Okay.” How his friend would benefit from them posing for some pictures, she had no idea. “Where will the pictures be used?”

He shrugged. “We can decide where they get to be posted. My team will take care of that.”

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