Bonus Chapter Rodrick Alistair Gastrell MacQuoid
I’m not surprised when Jazmina storms into my office, her twelve-inch heels striking the floor like a warning.
“You think you’re so clever, don’t you, Duke? You must be celebrating for managing to scare off every single one of my suitors.”
“Are you talking about the bankrupt CEO who invited you on a boat trip? I did you a favor. The bank’s taking it from him in five days.”
“What?”
“You heard me. You have terrible taste in friends, princess.”
“What exactly are you implying with that emphasis on friends? That’s all they’ve ever been.”
“I know. You’re a virgin—and if I have anything to say about it, you’ll stay that way.”
“I never planned on losing my virginity. I intend to get married like this. I just wanted to have a little fun.”
I don’t want to go down that road. Putting the word virginity and the golden beauty standing in front of me in the same sentence is dangerous.
“You were about to go out on a boat with a man you barely know, Jazmina. Out at sea, he could drug you and God knows what else.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“You can’t do anything. And speaking of security, how did you get past them without being announced?”
“It wasn’t hard.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “I just had to show them this.”
Only now do I notice the newspaper in her hand.
I walk toward her, not sure I even want to read it—my instincts tell me she’s up to something. But nothing prepares me for what’s written there.
“Princess Jazmina Faheem of Rheadur gives an exclusive interview about her engagement to billionaire Rodrick Alistair Gastrell MacQuoid, Duke of Kindubh…”
“Let’s see who gets the last laugh now, Your Grace. You can kiss your nights out goodbye until I’m done with this—and I’m in no rush. You’re officially engaged. If I can’t have fun, neither can you.”
I take a deep breath, because the urge to strangle her is overwhelming.
“You have no idea what you’ve just done.”
“Of course I do. I’ve ruined your romantic prospects for the next three months, at least.”
“No, Jazmina. You’ve just bound yourself to me—irrevocably. In my family, once an engagement is publicly announced, it carries the weight of a contract.”
As if to confirm my words, the phone rings. But it’s not my family calling—it’s one of my closest friends, Sheikh Kaled… who also happens to be her brother.
I turn the screen toward her, and she goes pale.
“You wanted the freedom to do whatever you pleased? Get ready, princess. From now on, you’re mine.”