Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
She stood and walked around the table to press a kiss to Theo’s lips. “You don’t have to apologize for having a full spectrum of emotions, Theo.”
“Don’t I?” He shook his head. “I need some air.” He held up a hand before Galen could speak. “I’m not leaving the property. I’m going to take this bottle and go sit on the chair by the pool for a little bit.” He walked away before either of them could say anything.
Meg joined Galen at the sink. She grabbed a hand towel. “You wash. I’ll dry.” Through the window, she watched Theo stalk to one of the chairs and drop into it with a grace that he possessed even when angry. “Is he upset about the birth certificate or something else?”
“He’s pissed because I reminded him that we can’t have it all, no matter how much we want it.” He scrubbed a plate, rinsed, and handed it to her. “In a perfect world, Theo’s uncle wouldn’t be trying to kill us. He wouldn’t have a country he needs to serve more than he needs to pursue his own happiness.” He shot her a look. “You wouldn’t be going back to New York without us.”
“Galen…” She dried the plate. Meg didn’t usually make a habit of asking questions unless she knew she was willing to hear the truthful answer. But she couldn’t seem to help it with these two. “What would a perfect world look like for him?”
“For us,” he corrected. Galen kept washing, as if mulling it over. The tightness in his shoulders gave lie to that assumption, though. He knew what he wanted. He was just working around to voicing it. Finally he handed over the last pot and turned to face her. “You’d go back to New York, and we would, too. Theo would keep playing the stock market because it entertains him, though eventually we’d have to find some kind of business to buy to focus his ambition.” He leaned against the counter. “You’d go back to school, and we’d spend the next year or two going round and round while you yelled at us that you had your own life and yet somehow you’d end up in our bed again and again until we convinced you to stay. Eventually, you’d get over the fact we have money, and when you got bored with the accounting shit, you’d figure out that dream of yours and we’d go chase it down together.”
For a moment, she let herself picture it. Being with them. Creating a life together. It wouldn’t be easy. They were all strong personalities and there would be countless clashing in the future as they found a way to piece themselves together into a whole. But It was a lovely dream. “I’d make you work for it.”
“I know.” His lips twitched. “And without a doubt, you’d find ways to break the rules just so we’d punish you.”
She finished drying the last pan and set it aside. “It’s too bad it’s only a dream.”
“Yeah. Too bad.” He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, both of them facing the window. Galen rested his chin on her head. “That man right there is destined for great things. He’s not ours, no matter what any of us want. He’s Thalania’s. If Theo had his way, he’d find a path forward where he gets us and he gets the throne. It doesn’t exist. And it’s breaking his fucking heart.”
Theodore had the birth certificate.
Phillip cursed. Read the report. Cursed again. He should have known better than to let Dorian handle this mess. The man was both inventive and cruel, but he had a soft spot for his son that prevented him from taking the necessary measures. He still thought the boy would fall into line, and so he hesitated.
Phillip couldn’t afford to hesitate.
Theodore might not know what that birth certificate signified yet, but he was too smart for anyone’s good. He’d figure it out.
It was time to escalate matters.
He reached for the phone and paused. Doing this through unofficial methods hadn’t worked. Calling for an official assassination of a former Crown Prince… It would get out. He didn’t have full control of the various departments yet. Theodore’s influence went too deep and though no one had stepped in when he was exiled, there was still a simmering resentment aimed directly at Phillip. They blamed him for making the choice he did, and there were key administrators who actively worked to make his life more difficult than it needed to be.
If it got out that he had ordered Theodore killed…
No, that wasn’t an option.
There had to be another way.
Ah. Yes. That will work nicely.
He dialed his head of security—well, technically, Isaac Kozlov was Edward’s head of security—and waited. A few seconds later, a gruff voice came on the line. “What can I do for you, my lord?”