Chapter 30
Raj glanced over at Helen, seeing the way she had her hand over her mouth. Exactly what Angela had done moments ago. It was a stark reminder that Helen and Angela were a team. A team that he wanted to be a part of.
When he looked at his daughter again, he nodded solemnly. “Only two pancakes. Got it.”
He pulled the door open and peered outside. When he received a nod from the guard, Raj nodded to Helen and Angela. “Pancakes it is!”
Angela hooted with joy, racing ahead of them.
Raj glanced at Helen as they walked down the hallway at a more sedate pace. “The butler assured me that the chef would make pancakes that are high in protein and low in carbs.” He put a hand to the small of her back. “He uses yogurt and something else.” He grimaced. “I’m not really a fan of regular pancakes, and these sound even worse.”
“Maybe they’ll be good.”
“I would have asked for something different, but Angela had just come out of her bedroom and got all excited when she heard the word pancakes. I don’t have the ability to deny her anything.” He smiled faintly. “I’ll get there though.”
“What’s up with her cowboy boots?” Helen asked as they both rounded the corner of the hallway that led to the great room.
“Nazir discovered there were listening devices in them.”
Helen gasped and stopped. She looked up at Raj, then at her daughter, horrified that anyone would use Angela as a route to spy on Raj. “How did they get in here?”
“I don’t know. But I remember Angela said something about Emily being sick. Nazir is looking into yesterday’s babysitter, who was recommended by the hotel and had gone through their background checks. This one today, I don’t have any information on yet. But Nazir is digging and we’ll have some information soon.”
“Good to know,” she agreed with a sharp nod.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, watching her carefully. “We had a pretty active night.”
He caught her blush before Helen could turn away. “Yes, I’m very hungry.”
For food? He wondered, noticing that she didn’t look back at him. He led her to the table where Angela had already climbed up onto the chair with her booster seat and was happily chatting with the butler, who had been let back into the penthouse. The man bowed politely as Raj held the chair for Helen, his arms behind his back.
“I’ll bring in breakfast, Your Highness,” he said, then turned and walked through that mysterious doorway.
“Why did he call you that?” Angela asked, taking a sip of her milk.
“Because I am a prince,” he explained, shaking the linen napkin out so that he could lay it over his lap. “My brother, your uncle, is ruler of a very large and powerful country. You have cousins, by the way. The oldest are twins, nearly the same age as you.”
Angela looked at him blankly. “What are cousins?”
That stumped Raj for a moment. He frowned thoughtfully, pursing his lips before he explained. “Well, I have brothers and sisters. The oldest is Khal, and,” Raj made a scarily charming face that made Angela giggle helplessly, “he’s a horrible, mean person.” His features cleared as he continued. “I think you should be afraid of Khal.”
“Don’t be silly, Daddy!” Angela admonished. “If he’s my uncle, he’s going to be nice.”
Raj chuckled. “Khal is married to a wonderful woman named Tasha.” He turned to Helen. “She’s from Georgia, I believe. She has a sweet, southern accent and is very stern.” He turned to Angela. “She bosses my brother around all the time.”
Angela giggled. “Like Fiona?”
Raj still had no idea who Fiona was, but he nodded. “Exactly like Fiona,” he lied. “Khal and Tasha have a three year old son named Zayn.” He took a sip of his hot coffee. “Then there is Joran. He used to enjoy all sorts of dangerous activities. He loved going out with my country’s special forces unit and doing wild stunts.”
“Like what?” Angela asked, beaming adorably at the butler as he placed two pancakes onto her plate.
“Like jumping out of planes or running into dangerous places without looking first,” he said, nodding his thanks for the pancakes. He lifted the container of syrup and poured some on both of their stacks. “Joran is married to a lovely woman named Tila. She gave birth to twins right about the same time you were born.” He paused, then looked curiously at Angela. “When is your birthday?”
Angela looked to her mother. Helen smiled gently and gave the date, then watched with surprise as Raj’s eyes glittered at the memory of when their daughter was conceived. He remembered! Goodness, Helen hadn’t realized how badly she’d wanted him to remember.
Holding her breath, she slowly let it out when Raj turned back to Angela to continue the story. “You also have a third aunt. Her name is Marianna and she is,” he paused for a moment, thinking, “twenty-two.”
Angela’s tiny mouth formed a moue as she sounded out the name, trying to add the accent exactly as her father had pronounced it. “Aunt Marianna,” she whispered back, then nodded. “What’s she like?”
Raj considered that question for a moment. “She’s…complicated.”
“Math is complicated,” Angela corrected, pointing a forkful of pancakes in his direction. But then she was distracted by the drip of syrup and concentrated on stuffing the too-large bite of pancakes into her mouth.
“My brothers and I didn’t know that Marianna existed until she was in her mid-teens.”
“What are mid-teens?” Angela asked around the mouthful of pancakes, then looked guiltily at her mother.
“Don’t…” Helen started.
“…Talk with my mouth full,” Angela finished, trying to swallow quickly.
“Marianna was sixteen when,” he paused and looked at Helen, obviously trying to choose his words carefully. “When she came to live with us, she was angry at having to leave her home and learn a different culture and language. It was a difficult challenge.”
Angela’s eyes were wide with interest. “Am I going to have to learn a different language?”
Helen started to explain, but Raj stepped in and gave their daughter the perfect response. “You don’t have to learn a new language, but I’d be delighted to teach you Arabic, if you think you’re smart enough to learn.”
Angela immediately nodded her head, climbing onto her knees as her eagerness to learn something, anything, to impress this new and fascinating person who had come into her life. “You started yesterday!” she interjected with a firm nod. “I can learn anything! My momma told me that.”
Helen shifted uncomfortably when Raj’s admiring gaze shifted towards her. There was a long moment of silence, then Raj turned back to Angela. “ Jyid, ” he said with a lyrical accent. “That means ‘good’ in my country’s language.”
Angela immediately repeated the word and her accent was surprisingly good. Raj nodded with pride and Helen hid her expression behind her coffee cup. But mentally, she repeated the word, wanting to learn the language as well. She should have been teaching herself the language over the past several years and teaching it to Angela. But somehow, time just seemed to keep going without her realizing it.
“Can we go to the zoo today?” Angela asked innocently, watching as Raj angled his knife and fork over his plate. She did the same, then looked at his plate and hers to ensure that she’d angled them exactly the same way. When Raj wiped his mouth with the napkin, she mimicked him perfectly.
Helen watched as her adorable daughter absorbed every detail of her father’s actions, her heart aching. Angela was so desperate to both impress her father, and to learn everything from him that she could, and Helen felt as if she were losing her daughter. Because Helen had been there from the beginning, Angela felt no need to impress her mother.
In one way, that was good. Angela’s belief that her mother would never leave her was rock solid. Her daughter’s confidence that Helen would always be there and there was no need to impress her was a positive sign that Angela knew that Helen was her soft landing.
And yet, Helen’s heart ached that Angela was so eager to impress her father, wanting Raj to notice how good she was, and to learn everything she could from him.
She was fighting back tears when a warm hand covered hers. Looking up, she saw Raj’s dark eyes watching her. There was both reassurance and confidence in his eyes. Helen wasn’t sure she understood, but she was grateful for him anyway. He couldn’t know all of the conflicting emotions she was trying to make sense of, but he silently tried to convey…comfort.
Helen offered him a smile, but the energy bunny that was their daughter whizzed around the table. She stood in front of them, bouncing up and down. “Can we, Daddy? Can we visit the zoo today?”
Raj glanced at one of the guards standing at the door. Then he bent down so that he was looking into Angela’s eyes as he explained, “One of the fun things about being a princess is that you will get to see a lot of the world,” he started off. “But one of the downsides is that we have to be very careful.”
“I’m always careful,” Angela replied, but she was distracted. “And if I’m a princess, shouldn’t I be green, like Fiona?” She glanced up at her mother. “I don’t want to be like the other princesses. They are wimps!”
Raj obviously didn’t understand why she had to be green in order to be a princess. Helen stepped in to explain. “Not all princesses are green, honey.”
“Fiona is green and she’s strong.”
“There are many princesses who are strong. Remember Mulan? And what about Belle?”
Angela started bouncing again. “I could be like Mulan! She’s strong! And she battled everyone!” The bouncing stopped and her nose squinched up. “Belle liked to read. And I like to read. So I guess I could be like Belle too. But she got captured.” She looked up at Raj. “I don’t want to be captured and you’re not hairy.”
Helen and Raj tried to keep up with her four year old mind, not sure where it would go next. But before Helen could reassure Angela that she didn’t need a hairy captor to admire the character, Angela returned to her favorite princess. “Nope. I want to be like Fiona.”
Raj opened and closed his mouth, still confused. “Well, perhaps we could…uh…!”
Helen decided to give him an out. “You know, honey,” she said to Angela, “your daddy is going to teach you a new language. Why don’t you teach him about Fiona and the other princesses?” she suggested. “Instead of going to the zoo, why don’t you and your daddy watch the movies, starting with your favorite and then some of the others?”
Angela’s eyes lit up with that suggestion, clapping her hands eagerly. “Do you want to see them, Daddy?”
Raj nodded. “I would truly enjoy the lessons,” he replied with a slight bow and a formal tone that made Angela giggle as she leaned against Raj’s leg.
Helen watched as Raj’s arm slowly wrapped around her. He was visibly surprised by their daughter’s immediate acceptance and complete faith in his love and affection. Helen suddenly realized that he’d probably never had that kind of acceptance before. As a wealthy, powerful man, he’d most likely never known anyone who would love him for himself, and not the power and prestige that came with his position within the government. He’d never known that kind of absolute trust.
She’d given that to him, she remembered. And he’d walked out of her life without a word.
Swallowing the sadness that suddenly washed over her, she turned away. “While you two watch the movies, I am going to get back to work and see what I can discover. I need to clean out my office and see if there is some way that I can–”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” Raj interrupted, standing up and coming over to her. He glanced warily behind him at Angela, suggesting, “Why don’t you find the butler and ask him if the hotel has the movies you want to watch with me?”
Angela raced out of the room without a word. Helen watched as two of the guards followed, not letting the little lady out of their sight.
When they were alone, Helen turned to Raj. But before she could speak, he leaned in and kissed her.
Blinking, Helen looked up at him, unconsciously licking her lips. “What was that for?”
Raj shrugged, taking her hands. It felt very wrong and very right to touch him like this. She’d given herself one night with Raj, but she couldn’t let him hurt her as he’d done last time. This was just about sex, she reminded herself. Don’t get emotionally involved. Don’t let him wound you again.
However, as she pulled her hands away, Helen wondered if it was too late.
“Raj, no matter what, I need to clean out my office. I haven’t worked for Paul long, but there are pictures and small things that I want to pick up.” She took a deep breath. “I want them for my next position, wherever that might be.” Her mouth twisted slightly. “If I can even find another job. Paul is an unexpected rising star in the investment industry at the moment. Everyone is buzzing about him and Nathan.”
“You’re worried that they’re going to ruin your reputation, is that it?”
She nodded. “They’ll be subtle about it. But word will spread that I’m persona non-grata.”
“Then let’s stop him from spreading that bit of rubbish,” he interjected. “Let’s figure out what he’s up to. We already know that he built some sort of building facade. But why? What was his ultimate goal?”
Helen pressed her lips together, considering his offer. “You think we can take him down before he starts spreading rumors about me?”
Raj considered his words carefully as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “I think that he’s hiding something. And yes, I suspect that the project he proposed to me two days ago is a scam, although I’m not sure how. The building is genuinely up for sale. But what’s the catch?” He paused, letting Helen consider his words. “Instead of waiting around for Paul and Nathan to tarnish your reputation with false rumors, why don’t you unravel their scam and take them down?” He waited until her eyes shifted from concerned to contemplative. “Figure out what they are trying to sell, then expose them.”
“Won’t that hurt my reputation? I’d be a whistle blower. And we all know how badly those turn out, despite the laws in place to protect them. Whistle blowers are always condemned by the press.”
His grin widened. “The Lativa palace has an excellent publicity staff. I can direct them to get everything in place now, so that when we have the details, all they need to do is release everything to the world. That way, you won’t be the whistleblower, and the world will still find out that they aren’t good people.” He moved closer. “The one that gets their story out into the world first is usually the winner in the publicity game.”
She eyed him with suspicion. “You really think that your employees are faster than Paul and Nathan? They have the ears of the most powerful people in the financial world.”
Raj rolled his eyes, pulling her closer. Helen knew that she should resist, but…he was just so damn charming with that smile and his glittering, dark eyes. Not to mention, his mouth that…well, she knew what that mouth could do. She remembered, in vivid detail, how that mouth could make her body quake.
Pulling her eyes away from his mouth, she lifted her gaze to his, then blushed. He knew what she was thinking. Or maybe he just suspected, but that was dangerous enough.
“First of all, I am one of those powerful people in the financial world, Helen.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “You really don’t know who I am, do you?”
“I know that you’re name is Raj and you’re from…,” she paused, her mind whirling as she started to put the puzzle pieces together. “You’re from Lativa?” she whispered through numb lips. Because if he was from Lativa, then he might be…? “No!” she hissed, pulling out of his arms, or as far out of his arms that he’d allow.
“Yes, habibi ,” he said with a soft, sexy chuckle. “I am head of the Sind-Al Investment Group, of which Dark Angel Investments is a subsidiary.” He pulled her back, his big, warm hands resting low on her hips. “I am also Prince Raj Al-Sintra, the economic minister for the country of Lativa. I manage my family’s money as well as the investments for my country.” He lowered his head, his lips hovering above hers. “So, when I say I am one of those powerful people that everyone listens to, I know what I’m talking about.”
“Oh!” she whispered, her voice choked by her shock. She’d heard him talk about Lativa, but these past few days had been so overwhelming, she hadn’t made the connection.
“So, will you trust me now?”
Helen looked around at the guards and the enormous space. He wasn’t just a prince. He was a member of the ruling family! Had he already told her that? It might have come up in conversation, but maybe she hadn’t processed just how powerful and wealthy Raj really was.
“They have it!” an excited voice announced. Angela came racing into the room, holding several movies. “Albert said they have the movies on the television and as these.” She paused and looked at her mother, then at the thin, colorful boxes in her hands. When she looked at her mother, she asked, “What are these?”
Helen laughed, relieved to have something to think about other than how out of her league Raj was. “Those are called DVDs, honey,” she told Angela, lifting one and opening the plastic box. “I haven’t seen one of these in a while.”
The butler, apparently appropriately named “Albert”, stood by the door and bowed stiffly. “The hotel maintains a large library of videos for the guests who don’t want to leave a digital footprint of their viewing preferences,” the man replied, his face completely blank.
Helen didn’t want to know why someone would want to view a movie without a digital record of it. The thought felt creepy. But she shrugged, dismissing it. She supposed that criminal organizations rented this space and needed to entertain their children too.
Before she could figure out any other reasons, Angela pulled Raj over to the sofa, yelling, “Come on, Momma!”
Helen watched as her… their …daughter snuggled onto the sofa, then waited expectantly for Raj to sit next to her. Even Raj was a bit startled by her immediate expectation. But he walked over to the sofa and sat down, then smiled when Angela immediately snuggled up against his side. Helen’s heart ached when Raj put his arm around the little darling. They both turned to look up at her. Helen suddenly realized that they expected her to sit down and watch the movies as well.
“I’m heading to my office to pick up some stuff,” she said, hiding her smile at the nervous look in Raj’s eyes when he realized he’d be alone watching princess movies with Angela. “You’ll be fine,” she whispered. Then she grinned and went into the bedroom to find her purse.