Chapter 15
Amelia is nothing like I expected. She’s truly thriving here, growing more relaxed by the day, and I’m starting to see that she has a sharp, sarcastic sense of humor, something I really like.
She intrigued me from the start, even if it was in a negative way, but now I find myself more and more fascinated by her.
And the sex, it’s absolutely phenomenal.
To be honest, I’ve never experienced anything like it.
Sure, I’ve had good sex before, and plenty of it, mostly to blow off steam, but this is different, and I like it.
Even being married to her doesn’t feel so bad anymore.
On the contrary, every time I look at her, when I’m inside her, when she laughs, tells me off, or stands her ground, I realize more and more that I’m not going to let her go.
“I don’t want to go back.” Her voice is quiet, almost like a whisper, and I pull her closer to me.
We’re lying on the bed, watching some cheesy romance movie that honestly isn’t that bad.
The things you do for your wife.
It’s our last night; we have to head back tomorrow morning.
Staying any longer wouldn’t be wise, given the current situation, and I’m especially eager to find out what my investigators have uncovered about my brother’s death.
For that, though, I need my secure laptop to make sure the information reaches only me.
“I know. But we have to sort out all this crap, or we’ll never have any peace. Okay, fine, maybe we’ll never really have peace, but at least things will be more controlled and less dangerous,” I say quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and feeling her frown against my chest.
“Does it make me a bad person if I say I don’t give a damn about any of them? I haven’t done anything wrong. It’s not my fault they twist everything against me.”
I feel an ache in my chest because I know she’s trying to be brave, but she sounds so defeated and sad. That only fuels my anger and hatred toward the press and everyone who’s hurting her.
I want to protect her. And I will. No matter the cost. She’s my wife now, and the future queen of this country. Not everyone seems to have understood that yet.
“We’ll get through this. I won’t let them attack you like that again. Once we’re back home, we’ll deal with it. I promise you.”
Amelia lifts her head and looks at me, her eyes glistening with frustration.
“It won’t be easy. Richardson is clever. How am I supposed to prove he was the one who ran us off the road? Especially now that he’s launched this witch hunt against me.” She rests her chin on my chest and studies me closely as I snort.
“He’s clever, but he overestimates himself and is losing himself in his obsession with attacking the royal family.
The security firm I hired is on the case.
They’re digging through Richardson’s life from top to bottom, uncovering everything there is to find, believe me.
We’re bound to find something.” My expression hardens as I say it, and I won’t stop until I’ve unearthed every skeleton that bastard has hidden in his closet.
“He has to be punished for what he’s done.” Amelia’s voice is sharp, and I understand why. Because I couldn’t bear it either if he didn’t pay for Phil’s death.
For a moment, I feel a weight on my chest as I lie here with Amelia, relaxed and somehow even happy, knowing he would have genuinely wanted this for us.
Shit, I miss him so much.
“He would’ve loved this. Us. I’m sure of it. He always wanted me to be happy. As happy as he was with Damien.” I hear the melancholy in her voice, and damn it, I feel the same way. But this feels right.
I run my hand through her hair, and a sad smile crosses her lips, because she misses him just as much as I do. Still, it hurts to know he didn’t trust me enough.
“He could’ve told me, you know. I would’ve been happy for both of them. Finding out like this, after everything, that sucked, and I didn’t take it well.”
My face twists into a grimace and I feel a tight knot in my stomach thinking about how I acted that day.
“Yeeeah, I can confirm that,” she replies slowly, giving me a sharp look that makes the corners of my mouth twitch.
“Phil always wanted you to know. Damien had a hard time with it. But Nicolas, the Robins thing was just the tip of the iceberg. He was constantly under attack, and you know his parents. You know Harlington. When it comes to being gay, this country is stuck in the past.”
Her eyes flash angrily as she says it, and damn it, I know it too. I just didn’t realize how bad things had gotten for my best friend.
It pains me deeply to think about what he and my brother endured, having to conceal both who they are and the love they share.
My anger at my father flares up again, because he is a narrow-minded idiot in many ways, and Phil had planned to change that once he became king. Now I understand why he always reacted so strongly. And my dear father never even realized he was discriminating against his own son.
“My father is a stubborn fool. That’s the problem. But I’m going to change that. We’re going to change that.” I look at Amelia intently, and her eyes widen.
“Somehow I keep forgetting that you’ll be king one day,” she says dryly, and I laugh again.
“Well, the old man has no plans to step down any time soon. But one day, you’ll be queen, Goldilocks.” I grin broadly at her, and she raises both eyebrows, giving me a skeptical look.
“Not sure if that’s comforting,” she replies, even more skeptically. Chuckling, I pull her fully onto me.
“You mean because we’ll probably spend most of our time butting heads? That only makes things more interesting.” I kiss her quickly and then press her head into the crook of my neck.
“Now sleep. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.“
Amelia giggles, and fuck, I really love that sound.
In fact, I’ve been loving a lot of things lately that I used to hate. The living proof is lying on top of me, her breathing growing more even.
Her presence calms me, and soon my eyes grow heavier, until I finally fall asleep.
The next morning arrives far too quickly, and even though I enjoy the ride with her clinging to my back like a backpack, I wish we had a few more days alone together. But we have to deal with all this crap involving Richardson, and I need to talk to Damien.
Because Amelia wants to see Lizzy and I need to grab my laptop from the safe, we go to the palace first.
We’re walking past the royal study when we spot someone.
“Henry’s here.”
I follow Amelia’s gaze, and sure enough, her asshole brother is just stepping into my father’s office.
I can’t stand the guy, especially because he always treats Goldilocks so condescendingly. But that’s going to change.
“I’d really like to know what he’s always doing here,” I murmur, and Amelia nods.
“Me too, but if he’s here now, I’ll quickly head to Perlington House and grab a few things that are important to me, including the paperwork for my trust fund.”
We’d agreed at the cottage that she’d gather her things and leave her finances and all that to me, so she’d have as little contact with Henry as possible. Looks like she intends to put that plan into action right away.
“Alright, I’ll see you later at my apartment. Call me when you’re ready and I’ll send you the address.”
By now, we’ve arrived, and she tosses her backpack onto the bed without a second thought, making me grin. She’s so relaxed, completely forgetting her usual manners—normally she’d unpack and tidy everything.
Instead, she grabs her car keys and steps close to me. Smiling, I look down at her and gently tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.
“Don’t take too long, okay? And call me when you’re done.” I lean in to kiss her, and by God, I’d love nothing more than to throw her over my shoulder, drag her into a cave, and not come out for a year.
“Admit it, you already miss me a little,” she whispers with a smile against my lips, and I give her a quick, soft bite.
“Don’t get cocky, Goldilocks. Now get going, before I change my mind and neither of us leaves this room today,” I murmur, giving her one last hard kiss before pushing her toward the door. She walks off with a wide grin.
“Hurry up,” I call after her, earning a laugh that sets my hormones into overdrive again.
Shaking my head but feeling satisfied, I go to grab my laptop and head out as well.
Just as I reach my bike, my phone rings. I pull it from my pocket and see it’s my head of security. My pulse quickens.
“Nic? Where are you?” Colt asks without any pleasantries, and I know he’s got something.
“At the palace. Why?”
“Because you need to see this. It’s… man, it’s heavy and you’re not going to like it. Hurry, I’m sending it through our secure file system.”
He sounds dead serious, and I need to know what he’s found.
“Alright, I’m on my way. Thanks, man.”
“Don’t thank me yet. It’s bad. See you.” He hangs up and my stomach twists.
Does it have to do with Amelia?
My thoughts spin wildly as I head back to my city apartment, and when I arrive in the lobby, Cedric is already there—grim-faced, with a totally wasted Damien beside him.
“Nic, have you seen the news?” he asks straight away, and I shake my head. Cedric clenches his jaw and scans the area behind me.
“Where’s Amelia?” He looks at me, alarmed, and my stomach sinks.
“Why? What’s going on? She went to Perlington House to grab a few things before—”
He cuts me off immediately. “Call her. She needs to come here right now. And tell security to send a team to Perlington House. Lizzy is on her way too.” I stare at him, confused.
“Fuck, Ced, what’s going on?” I snap, irritated, but he only jerks his head upward, signaling we shouldn’t talk here.
We step into the elevator. I punch in the code that takes us straight to my apartment, and my anxiety grows.
Damien is completely out of it, mumbling nonsense, but I can’t be bothered with him right now.
Cedric hauls him along, and once we’re inside, I boot up my laptop while Damien switches on the TV.
Breaking News! Shocking Revelations and Royal Drama: Lady Amelia at the Center of a Deadly Scandal!
In an explosive turn of events rocking the kingdom, Lady Amelia is accused of playing a key role in the mysterious death of Prince Philipp. But this is just the tip of the iceberg in a scandal-ridden drama now dominating the headlines.
According to sources, Lady Amelia not only had a secret affair with Prince Philipp but also ruthlessly betrayed him during their relationship. Scandalous photos showing Lady Amelia in intimate embraces and passionate kisses with other men are flooding the internet, sparking a storm of outrage.
But the scandal doesn’t end there. Lady Amelia is accused of gaining access to the royal family through manipulation and underhanded intrigue.
Her goal: To marry into the family to pay off her brother’s gambling debts.
Evidence suggests she has shamelessly inserted herself between Lady Sarah Brighton and Prince Nicolas to pursue her own dark schemes.
The kingdom is in shock, with anger and hatred filling the air. The allegations against Lady Amelia cast a dark shadow over the royal house and raise the question: How deep do the roots of this scandal run? Stay tuned, because this royal thriller is far from over.
My heart stops and I freeze mid-motion as I hear what the reporter is saying. My eyes move to the screen, where Amelia is shown in countless situations, many blatantly taken out of context. Sarah is giving an interview, sobbing and wailing.
WHAT THE FUCK?
My ears ring, and a wave of rage surges through me.
“That bastard. I’m going to kill him,” I growl between clenched teeth as Cedric switches off the TV.
“Get her here, Nic. She’s not safe on her own.” Cedric sounds more than concerned, but I’m already on the phone.
Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.
Only her voicemail.
Fuck.
Panic and fear make my gut twist as I open the files Cole sent earlier and call him again.
“Cole, send a team to Perlington House. Amelia’s there. Alone! Yes, now. Let me know when you have her.”
I hang up and turn to the screen, needing a moment to fully process what I’m seeing. And when I do, I realize the news about my wife is nothing compared to this.
My head slowly turns toward Damien, who stares at me with bleary, desperate eyes. But I don’t care. My fist clenches, because what’s surging through me now is dark, vicious, and burning with so much rage and contempt that I can’t see straight anymore.
“You son of a bitch,” I grind out before completely losing it.