for the state dinner?”
Charlie pushed the uneaten scallops aside, her stomach now churning too much to eat anything. Her mind briefly flitted on her unfinished bowl of stew, which was sure to be cleared away by now, too. “Sure, Coco. I’ll take some of this down with me.”
“Don’t bother with that. Send up some of the waitstaff to clear it out.”
Charlie nodded and made her way across the room to the door. She paused, her fingers on the handle, and turned to Coco once more. “Did I really do okay?”
“You did just fine, Charlie Wyler. Just fine.”
Some of the tension drained from her shoulders, but plenty still remained. “Thanks, Coco,” she said, and walked out and back down to the kitchens.
Chapter 7
Nate was huddled in his father’s study where he’d just finished telling Alex, Marcello, and his father about Byron and Tim’s visit.
Marcello, who was in the seat next to Nate in front of their father’s desk, rubbed a thoughtful hand over his chin. “Makes sense. Those two would have a lot to gain by reporting false numbers. I hadn’t gotten around to looking at the Royal Council members yet, but I think I’ll look at them first. I haven’t gotten much from anyone else.”
“Much doesn’t mean nothing,” Alex said as he stood behind their father’s chair. “Who else do you suspect?”
Marcello shrugged. “It’s too early to tell and, no, I don’t have any names for you. Just because something suspicious has popped up doesn’t mean they’ve got the wherewithal to embezzle billions.”
“Marcello,” Alex started, but Gabriel held up a hand, silencing them all. “It’s all right, Alexander. Marcello understands the seriousness of this situation and if he had something credible to tell us, he would.” Alex nodded, though his mouth was set in a frown.
Gabriel sighed and rubbed a hand over his forehead, his gold wedding ring glinting in the soft light of the room. The three brothers glanced at each other; their father rarely showed any stress. He was their rock: always calm and collected, the voice of reason.
Alex – who was much more emotional than Gabriel, and who saw his father in these moments more often than the rest of his siblings – often wondered if he would ever be half the ruler his father is. Today, however, Gabriel didn’t look the stoic leader the world and their country had come to know. Today, he just looked exhausted.
Alex squeezed his father’s shoulder. “Papa, why don’t we leave the issue for tonight? Marcello’s still investigating, and the budget Nate prepared can wait until morning. Let’s just have a quiet dinner and get some rest.”
Gabriel patted his son’s hand. “A fine idea, my son, but time waits for no man, especially not a king.”
“You know, I never noticed it until today,” Nate started, “but if Tim had a little more weight on him, he’d look just like Papa’s cousin, Gerald.”
A flash of anger crossed Alex’s face. “Don’t mention that man’s name to me. It was his fault Rebecca was almost killed.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “I wasn’t going to mention this, but now I think I will. Gerald contacted me recently. I know, I know,” he said to the outcry in the room. “He wants to make amends.”
“Amends?” Alex scoffed. “His illegitimate son, Lafayette, blamed us for the break in the line of succession to the throne, when it was actually his great-grandfather that abdicated the throne and caused the succession line to change. Lafayette kidnapped Rebecca, almost assaulted her, and shot at her – she still bears the scars from all that, by the way – in a feeble bid to make me change the line of succession back.”
“I know, my son. The fact that Gerald never mentioned or acknowledged his son, illegitimate or not, is bad enough, but he wants forgiveness.”
“Why in the hell would we forgive him?” Alex all but
Charlie pushed the uneaten scallops aside, her stomach now churning too much to eat anything. Her mind briefly flitted on her unfinished bowl of stew, which was sure to be cleared away by now, too. “Sure, Coco. I’ll take some of this down with me.”
“Don’t bother with that. Send up some of the waitstaff to clear it out.”
Charlie nodded and made her way across the room to the door. She paused, her fingers on the handle, and turned to Coco once more. “Did I really do okay?”
“You did just fine, Charlie Wyler. Just fine.”
Some of the tension drained from her shoulders, but plenty still remained. “Thanks, Coco,” she said, and walked out and back down to the kitchens.
Chapter 7
Nate was huddled in his father’s study where he’d just finished telling Alex, Marcello, and his father about Byron and Tim’s visit.
Marcello, who was in the seat next to Nate in front of their father’s desk, rubbed a thoughtful hand over his chin. “Makes sense. Those two would have a lot to gain by reporting false numbers. I hadn’t gotten around to looking at the Royal Council members yet, but I think I’ll look at them first. I haven’t gotten much from anyone else.”
“Much doesn’t mean nothing,” Alex said as he stood behind their father’s chair. “Who else do you suspect?”
Marcello shrugged. “It’s too early to tell and, no, I don’t have any names for you. Just because something suspicious has popped up doesn’t mean they’ve got the wherewithal to embezzle billions.”
“Marcello,” Alex started, but Gabriel held up a hand, silencing them all. “It’s all right, Alexander. Marcello understands the seriousness of this situation and if he had something credible to tell us, he would.” Alex nodded, though his mouth was set in a frown.
Gabriel sighed and rubbed a hand over his forehead, his gold wedding ring glinting in the soft light of the room. The three brothers glanced at each other; their father rarely showed any stress. He was their rock: always calm and collected, the voice of reason.
Alex – who was much more emotional than Gabriel, and who saw his father in these moments more often than the rest of his siblings – often wondered if he would ever be half the ruler his father is. Today, however, Gabriel didn’t look the stoic leader the world and their country had come to know. Today, he just looked exhausted.
Alex squeezed his father’s shoulder. “Papa, why don’t we leave the issue for tonight? Marcello’s still investigating, and the budget Nate prepared can wait until morning. Let’s just have a quiet dinner and get some rest.”
Gabriel patted his son’s hand. “A fine idea, my son, but time waits for no man, especially not a king.”
“You know, I never noticed it until today,” Nate started, “but if Tim had a little more weight on him, he’d look just like Papa’s cousin, Gerald.”
A flash of anger crossed Alex’s face. “Don’t mention that man’s name to me. It was his fault Rebecca was almost killed.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “I wasn’t going to mention this, but now I think I will. Gerald contacted me recently. I know, I know,” he said to the outcry in the room. “He wants to make amends.”
“Amends?” Alex scoffed. “His illegitimate son, Lafayette, blamed us for the break in the line of succession to the throne, when it was actually his great-grandfather that abdicated the throne and caused the succession line to change. Lafayette kidnapped Rebecca, almost assaulted her, and shot at her – she still bears the scars from all that, by the way – in a feeble bid to make me change the line of succession back.”
“I know, my son. The fact that Gerald never mentioned or acknowledged his son, illegitimate or not, is bad enough, but he wants forgiveness.”
“Why in the hell would we forgive him?” Alex all but
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