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“I love when you tell me how hard you’re going to fuck me,” I yelled, eyeing the paparazzi.
Our eyes locked, the flashing of cameras reflecting in his glare, and then Theo gripped my wrist, yanking me out of their view into the ornate hall. I let him tug me down the hallway, our footsteps echoing.
The exterior of Crowne Hall was famous for its inky black shingles and castle-like spires; inside it was pearly white with gold trim. It was a darkly romantic aesthetic, black railings and white, matte walls with intricately cut molding, the occasional gilded accoutrement, and the inescapable smell of salt air.
“Grandpa will fire you when he sees the photos,” I said with a smile, masking my hurt in triumph.
I couldn’t let him know how much power he still had.
Theo drew his thumb across his lush bottom lip, dragging it out in a distracting way, before ending on an exhale.
“Spoiled little princess… you know better. House paparazzi don’t publish anything without written approval.”
Hurt welled in my chest.
Where was my Theo? Did he ever exist? This heavy-lidded, gaunt, square-jawed imposter was just like everyone else now, seeing only my scars.
His pale eyes narrowed. “You have a party to get ready for, Ms. Crowne.”
He said my name with such venom it slid inside my blood and burned; then he grabbed my arm, tugging me toward my wing.
Gemma’s birthday party had been planned months before, but I couldn’t help but wonder, Would I meet my fiancé tonight?
“I can—” I yanked myself free. “I can walk.”
My chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, and his eyes dropped to the movement before sliding back up my neck. There was no heat in his gaze, just ice, and it burned in a different, more painful way. He raised a brow, slightly tilting his head toward the wing. I summoned all of my imperial, God-given Crowne right to raise my chin, and I walked past him.
Even though everything in me wanted to crumble.
Especially as I felt him behind me, like a hot, heavy shadow.
Theo Hound wasn’t like the other bodyguards in my grandfather’s employ. Once upon a time, he was mine. We were just teenagers then, but I found Theo. I kept Theo. I almost gave him my heart, but like everyone else, he chose my sister.
