Page 18 of Prince Un-Charming

"And I can't think of a more decent woman than you."

I look at him. "Excuse me? What was that?"

Caesar smiles. "I don't need a whirlwind romance, and I don't need to meet the love of my life. All I need is a marriage contract with a decent woman. And it turns out that there are shockingly few decent people in my life."

I nod, my mind flashing back to the unpleasant encounter I had with his most recent spurned lover.

He leans forward as if reading my thoughts. "You've seen the kind of women I've been with. You know as well as I do that the King would not be impressed if I were to marry any of them. So I've been racking my brain, and I keep coming back to one person."

His gaze is steady on me. "Vivienne, you’re right. I have been observing you more closely. I needed to confirm what I was thinking, that you’d be the perfect person for this. No one would convince him as well as you that I’m prepared to run the Kingdom.”

I can’t speak. This can’t be happening. Not like this.

"So I guess what I'm trying to say is..." He pauses as he reaches into his desk drawer and pulls out a small box, setting it on the table. "Vivienne Carter, will you be my temporary contractual wife?"

I blink at him for a full minute. He picks the box back up and gives it a shake, and there’s no rattle. "This is actually empty, but after we hammer out the details we can go pick out a ring."

"I'm sorry," I cut him off, still unable to fully grasp what he is saying. "A ring?"

"For you to be my wife. At least until all this succession business is taken care of. But we can cross that bridge when we come to it."

It all suddenly makes sense. I find myself jumping up to my feet on instinct.

"Are you fucking insane?"

9

CAESAR

"Iknow this is sudden," I try to tell Vivienne as she stares daggers at me from the other side of the desk. "But if you’ll let me explain..."

She cuts me off. "No. I don't want to hear anymore. Mr. Vanecourt, I'm sorry to hear about your father, but this is not appropriate. I have to go."

She's already at my office door by the time I get to my feet. It slams behind her, and I'm left alone.

I can't believe she could dispose of me that quickly. Her eyes looked as if she was disgusted that I could even ask her.

I try to catch a glimpse of her through the blinds, but I can only see the elevator doors closing. I didn't even have a chance to ask her what she would want in return. I would make this mutually beneficial.

But as I stare at the empty chair and imagine our conversation from her side, I can't think of a single thing she could ask for that would equal what I'm asking of her. I just asked her to enter a fake engagement with me to give me a chance at becoming King. And I had honestly expected her to just agree.

No wonder she thought I was crazy.

I look at the little empty ring box still sitting on the desk. I had hoped she would see it as a cute gesture to defuse the tension of the moment. Now it sits there as a symbol of how poorly thought out this was.

I pick the thing off the table and chuck it at the wall. It cleanly snaps in two along the hinge. It’s fitting. I couldn’t even pick out a ring box right.

My anger with myself turns into a cold terror that seizes me. I didn't just ask any woman to be my fake wife. I proposed to my secretary.

She called it inappropriate. This is a scandal waiting to happen.

How could I have been so stupid? All the royal privilege in the world won't do me a lick of good if this gets out. One call to the press and I’m finished.

I rush out of the office. When the elevator doors open, the guard gives me a wave. "Emergency, Mr. Vanecourt? I just saw your secretary leave in a hurry."

I shake my head as I walk past him. "Just another day in international affairs."

Entering the garage, I scan the lot for any sign of Vivienne on the sidewalk. If she just hears me out, we can put this behind us. She's a professional. That's part of what attracted me to her for this.

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