Bad Boy Prince: A British Royal Stepbrother Romance by Vivian Wood Page B

but I haven’t mailed it out yet.
    Waiting for Mum to get home and procure me some stamps, being silly.
    I shuffle the stack. At the bottom are a handful of American universities.
    I flip through a few, all recognizable as Ivy League schools. I haven’t even seen most of these places, but there’s one that I did visit on my trip to the States a few years ago.
    “Where is it… where is it?” I mutter.
    There, the last one in the stack.
    “Brown University,” I say aloud, testing it out. “I go to Brown University. I’m Katherine, I go to Brown.”
    I bite my lip. It seems drastic, but…
    I could start over.
    No matter what I decide, no one would know about the baby. Except I’d need to leave right away, not wait till the end of summer like everyone else.
    I open my laptop and go to the Brown University website. I look around for a minute before I find what I need to see.
    Ready For An Early Start? Begin Your Freshman Year Early, Take Summer Courses!
    It’s almost too perfect. And no one will question it. My dad just died, Mum’s gone bonkers, it’s only natural that I would want to escape. Any normal teenager would do the dramatic thing, right?
    I open a new email window.

    to: [email protected]
    from: [email protected]
    RE: Admission

    I’d like to formally accept my place at your prestigious university. I would also like to enroll in your early summer courses. Please call me as soon as possible to make all the necessary arrangements.

    Sincerely,
    Katherine Saville

    I attach my phone number and then hit send before I can lose my nerve.
    A way out. I’m saved, maybe .
    I collapse onto my bed, wondering if I’m going to rock any boats.
    Mum’s going to be flustered, at first. Truthfully, though, I think she’ll be relieved to have time alone to grieve and… work stuff out, whatever.
    Dad’s gone.
    And Rex…
    Well, Rex is like a cat. He always lands on his feet, nothing ever seems to hurt him or even weigh him down. He’s going to be way better off without me, I’m certain of it.
    In a way, I’m keeping the burden off his shoulders , I tell myself.
    I close my eyes and finally start to drift. I need some sleep, for sure.
    Tomorrow I start packing for my move to the States.

9
Kit
    “ W ait … are you firing me?” I whisper into the phone, shocked.
    Silence for a few seconds while Isaac tries to formulate an answer.
    “I wouldn’t think of it that way, Katherine,” he sighs, sounding more Italian than ever. “It’s just… if I can be honest with you, we loved your designs. Still love them. But I’m a lowly fashion director, not a brand owner. The owners got a call from some high-ups in Courtland…”
    “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I hiss.
    “Alas, no. Someone wants you keeping a low profile, and launching a personal fashion line apparently does not fit into their vision for you.” He pauses. “I am very sorry, Katherine. Please come back to us when all this unpleasantness has cleared up, no? Your designs are quite promising…”
    I sigh and thank him before hanging up.
    Great. Grounded and fired. Perfect .
    Gritting my teeth, I toss my phone on the bed and sprawl out on my mattress.
    This move back to Courtland has been nothing less than a disaster. I pick up the tabloid lying next to me on the bed.

    S candal !!! Lady Katherine’s Ex Tells ALL!!!

    I hurl it across the room, scattering pages everywhere. Not only is Charles a fucking cheating douchebag, not only is he blackmailing me for money I can’t just summon without a reason… he’s also whispering lies to the paparazzi, for cash.
    It’s a little funny, really. I dated Charles because he was the safe, practical choice. He kept my secrets, he stood by me and didn’t shame me.
    And yet… now, this. It’s not like it could have come about overnight, either. I must have overlooked a ton of stuff over the years, eager to care for and confide in someone, anyone.
    Eager to replace Rex, too, if I’m honest.
    My