Chapter 16
Sixteen
As I wait, I pull out my phone and read a text from Rei.
Rei
We still meeting this weekend?
Kaori
That’s the plan.
Rei
*Grinning emoji* I can’t wait.
Then it’s Alice’s turn.
Alice
I hope you have a good excuse for blowing off dinner. Art made a Sunday roast, matcha ice cream, and a Dutch apple pie. You’re seriously missing out.
She attaches a photo of three delicious-looking dishes.
Kaori
I’ll make it up to you and Art. I promise. Theo asked me last minute to hang out with him and I couldn’t say no.
Alice
Well, I guess that’s okay. I want to hear all about it on Thursday!
Kaori
You got it.
I finish typing and click Send. Theo steps out of the nearest elevator. He’s thrown a checkered scarf and charcoal-gray overcoat on, looking every inch a male model. “Hungry?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“Good. I have big plans for you.”
My pulse does a tap dance. Big plans . . . what does that mean? Is he going to play tour guide tonight?
I can’t help but steal a glance at the London Eye glowing in the distance, its giant wheel reflecting off the dark surface of the Thames. If he really is playing the tourist angle, I secretly hope we end up somewhere like that.
I can already see it—the two of us tucked away in a private pod, the city sprawling beneath us like a map of light, and maybe, if the stars align, enjoying another kiss.
We walk out the revolving doors together. I expect him to head right, toward the Anchor, the pub right off the South Bank Tube Station. But he heads to the left.
“Dinner is that way.” He smirks, chin ticking toward the opposite direction.
“We’re not headed to the Anchor?”
“No.” He suppresses a grimace. “It’s an overpriced tourist trap for what you get.”
“So we’re going somewhere else.”
“Somewhere much better,” he says.
I knew it! You may think you’re being secretive, Theo Riverton, but I’ve got your number. You’re taking me on a date!
He lifts an arm and whistles two sharp notes. A black cab noses out of the line and straight up to us. Theo’s hand finds the small of my back and ushers me into the vehicle. He shuts the door behind him with a soft thunk.
“Where to?” the driver asks over his shoulder.
Sliding in beside me, Theo pulls his phone from his pocket, scrolls, and turns the screen toward the front. “Here,” he says. The driver nods, shifts into gear, and the city starts to move again around us.
I angle toward him. “You’re being secretive.”
“I prefer the term ‘mysterious,’” he counters, resting his arm along the seat back, grinning like a cat who’s been given tuna water.
“And you won’t tell me anything else, will you?”
“No.”
I shake my head and turn to the window, watching the South Bank offices slide past in the reflection. After a day like today, we deserve a night to ourselves.
The presentation itself went off without a hitch. Every chart aligned, and each graph supported the models we’d fought to fix over the weekend. Theo had an answer for all the questions thrown at him. Even the ones his father asked.
He defended his team and took responsibility for every decision. But it was obvious what was happening. Mr. Harris wasn’t looking for answers. He was looking for cracks. And when he didn’t find any, he conceded defeat and finished with a perfunctory thank-you.
I wanted to jump in and tell the man how Theo hadn’t slept in days and refused to give up until he’d saved the project. But I didn’t. It would’ve done more harm than good. Men like Mr. Harris only care about numbers and the end result. Never the people behind them.
I sneak a glance at Theo. He’s leaning his head against the window. His tie is loosened. I take in the weary slope of his shoulders, the exhaustion etched into the lines around his closed eyes. He’s trying so hard to look composed, but I can see the strain beneath.
“You’re thinking about work again,” I say.
He hums. “You make it sound like a crime.”
“It is. Technically.” I fold my arms. “You’re supposed to be off the clock.”
“I’m salaried. I’m never off the clock,” he says, opening his eyes. “But if there were an exception, being in London would be it.” Then his gaze shifts back to me, and the corners of his mouth soften. “But tonight, I really am trying to shut it all off.”
I reach over and rest a gentle hand on his knee. The fabric of his slacks is cool, but I can feel the tension in the muscle beneath.
“When I’m back in Orlando next week, I’ll start to delegate more. Anya’s doing a cracking job in my place right now. I should’ve trusted her with more of what’s on my plate sooner.”
I watch him for a moment, the question that’s been simmering all day finally bubbling to the surface. “Why do you let your father push you like this, Theo?” I ask softly. “Why haven’t you gone to a company where you’d actually be free of him?”
He glances out the window, looking out at the darkened River Thames. “I promised my grandmother I’d keep an eye on my father.”
His lips twist into a faint, weary smile that doesn’t hold any humor.
“But I’ve done a poor job of it. He’s too ambitious.
He’s run the company into the ground to pay for it.
” He drags a hand over his face. “If things keep going the way they are, Excelsior Parks will be bankrupt within a year. My grandfather would be rolling in his grave if he could see what’s happened. ”
The words knock the breath out of me. “What does he have to do with all this?”
Theo sighs, eyes distant. “He founded Excelsior.”
My heart twists. I thought it was bad enough he was trying to hold together something that was already breaking, but hearing that Excelsior Parks is his grandfather’s legacy makes it ten times worse.
“You haven’t done a rotten job, Theo. You’ve gone above and beyond,” I say quietly. “Have you spoken to your grandmother about it?”
“I can’t.” He looks over at me, eyes tired but steady now. “Hearing about my father’s choices upsets her too much. I don’t want to burden her further—not after everything she’s already lost.”
If what he says is true—if Excelsior is actually spiraling—then Mr. Harris’ earlier comment about me being influential with the Tanaka Group suddenly makes a horrible kind of sense.
A partnership with Tanaka wouldn’t just be a win.
It would be the capital injection that keeps the company afloat.
It could be the answer to everything Theo’s been fighting for.
And yet, the idea of helping Mr. Harris makes me physically ill. Saving Excelsior would mean handing a victory to the man who treats his own son like a failing asset. I’d be strengthening the very person who’s been tearing Theo down and making his life a living hell.
The cab slows. “Here we are, sir,” the driver says, pulling to a smooth stop.
I glance out the window. An airfield stretches out ahead of us, the tarmac gleaming under floodlights.
A low hum of engines fills the night air as a private jet taxis in the distance, its lights blinking in rhythm.
Near the far end of the runway, a sleek black helicopter sits waiting, its rotors glinting faintly beneath the floodlights.
My brows knit together. “What are we doing at an airport?”
“Catching our ride to dinner,” Theo says smugly.
I didn’t think he’d manage to leave me speechless, but here we are.
Cold air rushes in as he steps out and circles around to open my door. The scent of jet fuel mingles with the crisp night breeze. He offers me his hand, the faintest spark running through me when our fingers brush. I’m at a loss for words. All that comes out is a few strained sounds.
He looks at me, eyes bright with something that feels dangerously close to mischief. “Come on, Kaori,” he says. “You’ve seen London from the ground. Time to see it properly.”
Kaori
Sato-san, I just wanted to warn you that I may be a little harder to track, but I promise I’m safe.
Sato
Your highness?
Kaori
I’m about to step onto a helicopter.
Sato
Princess, please! Wait until I arrive. I should at least inspect the aircraft and verify the pilot’s credentials.
Kaori
Too late, we’re already airborne. I’ll share my location though. That way you can still track me.
The Princess Sorahino has shared her location with you.
I add a moment later:
Kaori
I won’t say anything to the IHA about the “lapse in security” if you don’t.
Sato
As you wish, ma’am.
The cabin hums with a steady vibration as the helicopter lifts off.
Through the curved glass, London unfurls beneath us.
Its streets glow in threads of gold. The Thames carves a silver path straight through its heart.
I’ve seen the city in photographs, in paintings, in films, but from up here, it feels magical.
Theo sits beside me. His shoulder brushes against mine every time the aircraft banks slightly, sending a small jolt zipping up my arm. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before we have enough electricity to power the helicopter.
He leans forward, pointing out the landmarks below. “That’s the London Eye just there, and Tower Bridge beyond it,” he says, his voice crackling through the headset.
I follow his finger. “It’s even more beautiful than I remember,” I murmur.
He glances over, and even through the dim blue glow of the cabin, I can see his faint smile. “That’s the thing about London. She’s always beautiful, but you don’t always see it right away.”
“She, huh?” I tease, tilting my head toward him. “Should I be jealous?”
He chuckles, the sound vibrating in my ears through the comms. “There’s no competition, Kaori. You’re safe.”
We fly farther east, and he gestures again. “We’re approaching Greenwich now. That’s the Royal Observatory up there.”
I press closer to the window, eyes wide. “So that’s where time starts,” I whisper. “The Prime Meridian.”
“That’s the one,” he says.