Page 58 of Royal Bosshole

As I stood in the green dress on the outside of the stage, I could hear the crowd. It was definitely way bigger than their usual crowd and it made my heart beat fast and my throat dry up a bit. This was my dream. This was what I'd always wanted, ever since I was a kid. It wished my grandmother could see me. She would have been so proud.

You can do this, Lil.

I smiled. Sometimes my inner voice sounded like my grandma’s voice, and it instantly soothed my nerves.

I heard Harriet’s voice over the microphone. “And now, the moment you’ve all come for. Langton!”

The crowd burst into happy applause, and with a big smile, I walked out on Bogart’s jazzy black stage. The lights were just as bright again, but I could lightly see the first row of people. With a smile, I nodded to the pianist, and as he began, I started to sing.

“Cold-Hearted Prince” was my favorite of all my songs. It was borne out of a desperate time when I was struggling with feelings for James, and then I was angry at him for all the things he did. It was romantic, but at the same time, it was vengeful.

It felt like a cleansing to sing the song aloud to a crowd for the very first time.

“Where have you been?

I haven’t seen you since

Since I called you my Cold-Hearted Prince”

The crowd joined in on the last verse, and I smiled, bowing when the applause started again. This was seriously everything I had ever wanted in my whole life. The people I cared about the most were there, except for my grandmother who I hoped was cheering me on from Heaven. And James. He wasn’t there. I would never see him again. I just had to get that into my brain.

“James?” I said into the mic, and then my hand started shaking.

Was I hallucinating? Had I suddenly died and now I was seeing James?

Harriet came up and took the mic and started talking about the next singer. She held her hand out to me.

“Langton, everyone!” she called, and the applause started again.

I blinked down at James who was looking up at me with such eagerness and hope that my heart was going crazy. He was real. He was really real. Slowly, I stepped off the stage and toward him.

CHAPTER24

JAMES

There were honestlytears in my eyes. I couldn’t remember the last time I cried, but hearing Lily’s perfect voice from this close and seeing her so close to me brought me to tears. The song was a little bit on the nose, but it was beautiful.Shewas beautiful. And when she said my name softly into the mic, it felt like I was the only one who heard it over the raucous applause and cheering.

She didn’t look angry, thankfully, but I couldn’t tell what was going on in that beautiful brain of hers. But after the next singer was announced, she was still looking at me. And then she was coming toward me.

My mouth twitched up into a smile. This was the moment I’d been waiting for, for months.

Tell her, you idiot. Tell her everything.

I’d spent the whole flight over trying to figure out the right words to say to her. My heart was full, and I had only a small hope that she felt something for me too. But was it enough for her to want her life to be with me?

I followed her to where she was coming off the stage, but then she was mobbed by fans, all clamoring for autographs. It was a small place, and yet somehow they’d been able to cram people inside. My blood pressure went up a bit, just thinking about how people were closing in on her, and how she might not be safe. I stepped forward, military training in mind. Once I got close, I reached a hand through the crowd and said her name.

“Lily.”

She looked up at me then, those bright gray eyes, so full of…something. But she took my hand, and I led her away to a far table. The woman in charge seemed to notice our predicament, and she spoke on the microphone before the next singer began. The table was far enough away and behind a small corner, that the music was a bit muted.

“Hi,” I said breathlessly, my mind going crazy over the way she looked, the way she sounded, the way her hand had felt in mine. I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms and into my lap, but I had to refrain. “Lily.”

“James,” she said, and I thought I saw a brief smile before she stiffened again. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you,” I said honestly. No more lies. “I would only ever come to see you. I’ve heard so much about you, Lily, and how well you’re doing. Congratulations. I’m so happy for you.” I smiled widely. “You were incredible, honestly.”

She breathed out, her shoulders sinking a bit as if in relief. “Thank you,” she said. “I thought I was hallucinating when I saw you in the crowd.”

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