Chapter 21 #2
I wish I could ask them to call Theo. They’d probably have a better chance of getting through to him than I would.
But I’m the last person he’d want to speak to.
The look on his face when I told him the truth still plays on a loop in my mind—hurt, shock, betrayal.
I understand why he asked for space. I would’ve asked for the same.
But space doesn’t mean leaving him alone with everything.
I hope Leon’s managed to keep an eye on him.
“No. I’ll take care of calling people myself.”
The ambassador inclines his head, accepting the answer without pushing. “Very well. My staff is your staff. For now, I’ll have Ms. Ikeda escort you to your suite.”
He stands, signaling the end of the briefing. The others rise with him.
Ms. Ikeda approaches with a respectful bow. “If you’ll follow me, Your Highness.”
I sit on the queen-sized four-poster bed and turn on my phone. The screen is a frantic mosaic of notifications. Six missed calls. Nine texts. Three voicemails from Alice. Two voicemails and a text from Rei. One from Leon. And one from my father.
I ignore the chaos and call him first.
He answers on the first ring. “Kaori.” His voice is as calm as ever, even though I know he’s probably pacing his office.
“I’m safe,” I say quickly, the words rushing out before he can even ask. “I’m at the Embassy.”
There is a long, heavy pause on the other end. I can hear him finally stopping his pace. “I’m glad,” he says at last. “Promise me that you will remain there until the security office advises otherwise.”
“Yes, Papa.” I trace the intricate carving of the bedpost, grounding myself in the wood’s texture.
He exhales, a sound of pure exhaustion. “You frightened us, Kaori.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Do not apologize. None of this is your fault.” In the background, I hear the muffled, urgent tone of his secretary reminding him of a meeting with the Prime Minister.
“Go,” I urge him. “I’m fine. There isn’t anything else you can do for me right now.”
“I wish that wasn’t true.” He sighs, the weight of a thousand miles between us hanging in the air. “We will speak tonight. Text me when you are available.”
“I will.”
“I am glad you are safe. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The line clicks shut. I stay there for a moment, the phone pressed to my chest, taking several deep breaths. Hearing his voice was the anchor I needed to keep from drifting away in the storm.
Next, I send a message to Leon.
Kaori
Hi, Dad. I’m safe. I made it to the Japanese Embassy. Please fill me in on everything that happened once I left when you can.
As the text sends, I move on to my other messages.
I listen to Alice’s messages next: “Kaori. Oh my gosh. Are you alive? I just saw the alerts on my mobile. Call me as soon as you get this!”
The recording cuts off abruptly, followed immediately by the next one. “Why aren’t you picking up? Please tell me you’re okay. I don’t care where you are, I’ll come get you myself if I have to—just answer!”
The third one is softer, the panic replaced by a grim seriousness. “Kaori, I saw the second story. This sounds really, really bad. I know you’d never do what they’re saying. Art is on standby to help. Just call me.”
I swallow hard, a lump forming in my throat, and play Rei’s first voicemail.
“Onee-chan?” My little sister’s voice trembles. “Are you safe? Papa hasn’t said anything to me yet, but the news is blowing up on my phone. Were you . . . were you actually dragged out of a building in London?” She hesitates, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Please call me.”
In the background, I hear the faint, melodic chime of her boarding-school bell. She’s in Wales, and she’s supposed to be worrying about her classes and spending time with her boyfriend, not an international scandal involving her sister.
I scroll through the notifications one last time. Still nothing from Theo.
I quickly dial Rei back, but it goes to voicemail. “Hi, Rei, I’m fine, I promise. It’s a long story, but I’ll fill you in tonight after your classes are done. Don’t worry about me—focus on your studies.”
Next, I hit Alice’s contact. She picks up before the first ring even finishes.
“Kaori?” she breathes, her voice thick with relief. “Please tell me you’re safe.”
“I’m at the Japanese Embassy.” The words finally feel real now that I’ve said them aloud.
“Thank goodness.” I hear her exhale, a long, ragged sound. “You have no idea how freaked out I was. When the alerts started popping up on my phone, it was like a horrible case of déjà vu.”
I wince, remembering how brutally the press has treated Alice in the past. Photos of her still sell for a premium.
While the more reputable outlets and her family have an unspoken agreement to leave her alone on the King’s College campus, there are still some paparazzi willing to cross lines for a quick payday.
“I was in good hands the entire time,” I reassure her. “My protection officers were always nearby. And even if they hadn’t been, my coworker Leon would’ve made sure nothing happened to me.”
“That man is a national treasure,” Alice declares. “I owe him a fruit basket. Or a knighthood. Actually, he can have both.”
Despite the weight in my chest, a tiny laugh escapes me. “He’s American, so the knighthood might be a bit of a stretch, but he’ll definitely appreciate the fruit.”
She laughs with me, but her tone quickly sobers. “I’m so glad you’re safe. That’s the priority.” There’s a pause, then she leans into her best “tell-all” voice. “Now, what actually happened? The real version.”
I pull my knees up, leaning back against the tall carved headboard.
“After talking to you and Art last night, I made a plan. I was going to tell Theo everything over dinner. But things went haywire. Mr. Harris cornered me, and then the only chance I had to tell Theo was when I was leaving in the elevator. I wanted him to hear everything from me.”
Alice makes an impatient noise. “And? Don’t leave a girl hanging. How’d he react?”
“As could be expected, considering the circumstances.”
“Kaori!” Alice whines. “That tells me nothing! Was he angry? Did he break your heart? Accept it? Give me something.”
“All of the above,” I say in a voice barely above a whisper. “He didn’t break up with me. But he didn’t exactly say he wants us to stay together, either.”
“Meaning?”
“The ball is in his court. It’s a waiting game. I . . . I think he’ll reach out to me when he’s ready to talk. If he ever is.”
“Trust me, there’s no if. It’ll be a when.” Alice is quiet for a moment. “Did I ever tell you the full messy story about how Art and I finally got together?”
“I only know the basics—that Art was put on leave after you two were caught.” I take a shaky breath, clutching the phone tighter. “Tell me the rest. I need to believe a forbidden romance can actually have a happy ending.”
“Okay, but don’t laugh. It sounds like a rejected Hallmark script.”
“Should I get some popcorn?”
I can practically feel Alice shooting daggers at me through the line. “No,” she deadpans.
Alice launches into a highlight reel of her most questionable life choices—giving her entire security detail the slip, accidentally starting a row in a coffee shop, and spending hours hiding under her duvet in mortified self-reflection—only to realize Art literally couldn’t contact her even if he wanted to.
“In the end,” she finishes, “it took his father physically dragging us into the same room—well, a stable, actually—to force us to sort things out.”
“Alice, I love you, but what’s the takeaway here? Should I find a stable?”
“I do have a point, I promise.”
“And it’s . . .?”
“Sometimes people just need a moment to breathe. When they go quiet, it isn’t always because they’ve stopped caring. It’s because they don’t trust themselves to say the right thing yet.” She pauses. “Does that help at all?”
I hesitate, looking at the silent, dark corners of the suite. “Not really. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Her voice softens, losing its teasing edge. “I just want you to know you’re not alone. Art and I are firmly in your corner, Kaori. No matter what.”
“I appreciate that,” I say quietly.
“What are you going to do now?” she asks.
I sit up straighter. “I’m done playing defense. Mr. Harris might have fired me, but he doesn’t own the company. I’m calling HR in Orlando to file a formal complaint. I won’t let him get away with blackmail and trying to ruin Theo.”
“Have I ever mentioned you’re my hero?”
I shake my head, even though she can’t see it.
“I’m no hero, Alice. I’ve spent my entire life being told to stay quiet.
To find the middle ground. You know how it is.
Princesses aren’t supposed to make waves.
We’re supposed to smooth them over.” A bitter, shaky breath escapes me.
“But I’m finished being polite. I’m not going to sit here in silence while that man ruins lives for sport. ”
“That,” she says firmly, “is exactly what a hero sounds like.”
My cheeks burn. I’m grateful she can’t see me. “No comment.”
Alice laughs softly. “Get some rest, okay? I’ll be at my flat studying if you need anything at all.”
We hang up, and the silence of the room rushes back in. I set my phone on the nightstand, but before the screen can even go dark, a new alert pulses across the glass.
UPDATE: EXCELSIOR COO CLAIMS “SHE WASN’T ACTING ALONE.” THEODORE RIVERTON PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE.
A cold dread settles in my stomach. He isn’t done.