CHAPTER 10
Back into the hotel lobby, the princess froze when she saw Ned waiting for her. As he hurried toward her, Benson immediately blocked his path.
“Benson, please. I need to explain,” Ned pleaded.
“It’s okay, Benson, I can handle this,” the princess said as she stepped around Benson. She steeled her heart as she faced Ned and willed herself to breathe and stay calm. She was thankful all her years of royal training had kicked in. As a result, she could appear outwardly composed and in control, when inside she was losing it.
“Izzy, I’ve been calling you and texting you…”
“Don’t call me Izzy,” the princess said in an icy voice. “Only my close friends and family call me Izzy.”
Ned looked hurt but rushed to continue. “Are you okay? I’ve been worried about you.” When he tried to take her hand, she backed away from him.
“Am I okay?” the princess asked almost choking on the words. “Are you really asking me that? My photograph and name are everywhere. How could I possibly be okay?”
“I didn’t do this,” Ned started, but the princess stepped toward him.
“Stop, just stop.” She knew how easily she could be charmed by him. He’d fooled her once. She wasn’t about to let it happen again. “I don’t want to hear excuses. I only want to know how this happened.”
Benson looked around. “We can’t do this here. People are starting to stare. Princess, go up to the suite, and I’ll bring Ned up in a few minutes. Go. Hurry.”
The princess knew Benson was right but hesitated.
Benson sighed. “Don’t worry, I will not chase him away as much as I would like to.”
“Okay,” the princess said. “Because I need to talk to him and get this over with.” She hurried toward the elevator.
Anxious, Ned turns to Benson. “I swear, Benson, I didn’t do this.”
Benson held up his hand to stop him. “Save it for the princess.”
***
Waiting for Benson and Ned, the princess paced back and forth in front of the fireplace. She willed herself to stay calm, cool, and collected. She couldn’t let her emotions take over. “You can do this. Be strong,” she whispered, giving herself a much needed pep talk. She needed a clear head to ask Ned all the questions swirling around in her head. But at the end of the day she knew only one question mattered, and she couldn’t let herself get sidetracked.
When the suite door opened, she felt a rush of nerves. Her hands started to shake. She clasped them together so tight the knuckles on her fingers turned white. Regal, proud, she stared straight ahead as Benson entered followed by Ned.
“Thank you, Benson,” the princess said. “You can go.”
Benson hesitated. Clearly, he didn’t want to go anywhere.
“This won’t take long,” the princess said.
“I’ll be right outside the door,” Benson replied. He gave Ned a warning look as he shut the door behind him.
When they were finally alone, Ned let out a sigh of relief. “Wow, he’s really upset with me. I’m surprised he didn’t take me to a guillotine instead of bringing me to you.”
The princess locked eyes with him. “You think this is funny?” Her voice was as cold as her gaze.
Ned’s smile faded. “No, of course not. I’m sorry. I make jokes when I’m nervous.” Ned sat down on the couch. “Can we sit and talk?”
“I prefer to stand,” the princess said as she stared down at him. She was proud of herself because her voice sounded ten times stronger than she felt. “And you won’t be staying long.”
Ned jumped up. “I understand that you’re mad. I can explain…”
The princess’s laugh was filled with sarcasm. “I’m sure you have a story ready to tell, after all you’re a master storyteller. It’s what you do for a living. I’m going to save us a lot of time and energy. I only need you to answer one question.”
“Anything,” Ned said.
The princess walked over to the coffee table and picked up one of the many newspapers with her picture in it. She locked eyes with Ned as she slowly walked toward him. “And please tell me the truth. You owe me at least that.”
Ned nodded. “Yes, of course. I have nothing to hide.”
Now that the moment had come, she felt her heart race. She held up the tabloid. “There is a quote from you that everyone in the press is using, something you said to Simone…”
“Wait…” Ned interrupted, looking frantic.
The princess started reading the quote. “Simone says you told her, and I quote, ‘Having a princess on the payroll can only help sell our movie. I’m only spending time with her, so she thinks we’re using her suggestions, but we’re only really using her for the PR.”
An uncomfortable silence filled the room. The only thing you could hear was the fire crackling. The princess held her breath. With all her heart, she wanted Ned to deny this quote and tell her it was just another lie the media made up. But when she looked into Ned’s eyes and saw the shame and regret, her heart broke all over again.
“So, it’s true?” she whispered in shock.
Ned stepped toward her, but the princess backed away. “Did you say this?”
“Yes,” he finally said quietly. His shoulder’s slumped. “Yes, I said that.”
She walked over to the table and picked up the black baseball hat he’d given her. She silently handed it to him.
“Wait…” Ned started but stopped when she walked to the door and opened it and found Benson anxiously waiting. She didn’t meet Benson’s inquiring stare. She couldn’t. “Please see Ned out. We have nothing more to talk about.” She left the suite and never looked back.