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“Your mother doesn’t know jewelry as well as I do.”
“Maybe I should have gone to our jewelry vault and picked up an antique instead. My grandmother’s ring was nice enough.”
Atticus scowled. “She wants nothing to do with your family. Don’t make her wear jewelry that belonged to your father’s mother.”
I peered curiously at him. “And why does she want nothing to do with us, exactly? What do you know?”
I still didn’t understand it. Christine had a good life here. Before she left, Christine was the Crown’s darling. Everyone loved her, adored her, wanted her. I had to make sure every sufferable asshole at the royal academy kept their distance. Why the hell would she want to leave all of that?
“You don’t think she ran away for fun, do you?” Atticus replied, his tone stiff.
His answer frustrated me. What did he know? “I think you know more than you’re letting on. Tell me.”
“And watch you burn the kingdom to the ground? Never. You’re too reckless. Too impulsive. If Christine wanted you to know, she’d tell you.”
“But how do you know?”
Atticus smiled. “I know everything that happens in this kingdom. Every filthy, dirty thing.”
Filthy? Dirty? “What happened to Christine?” The hair on the back of my neck stood on edge.
“She ran away. And then she became a force to be reckoned with.” Atticus smiled when we pulled up to a posh shop downtown.
I wanted to ask him what the hell that meant, but we were out of time. I’d force the answer out of him though.
Christine’s disappearance was a mystery, and it was damn time I got to the bottom of it.
Atticus’s family had plenty of legitimate businesses to launder their money, and the high-end jewelry store was one of them. It just fueled the illusion that they were rich, upstanding citizens.
But I knew the truth.
In frustration, I looked at the sidewalk and let out a groan. There were paparazzi already parked out front, ready to take my photo. Just another part of this experience that was ruined by my role. It didn’t take me long to realize that Atticus had arranged this. His family owned this jewelry store, after all. It was an effective publicity campaign. When we were together, there was always a positive response to the media coverage. In part, this was the reason why his parents were able to gain the trust of the royal family.
“Time to put on a show for your fans,” he said with a casual smile.
“Bloody hell,” I groaned, dreading it.
As soon as we stepped out of the limo, we started walking toward the door. I learned long ago not to linger when cameras were flashing. If I gave them too much of an opportunity, I’d say something stupid and have to deal with the fallout. Squeals and shouts assaulted me. My security team crowded me while pushing through the hordes of people screaming questions and allegations at me.
“August, would you like to comment about the night of your father’s funeral? It’s been reported that you were out partying at a club,” someone shouted. I forced myself not to smile. So the fuck what? I wanted to celebrate and forget for a little while. The royal publicist had a field day with that one.
“August, do you have any comments about the rumors of an engagement?” someone else asked.
Another paparazzi shoved to the front and tapped my shoulder as I passed. “Is it Gabriella Star? The model we saw you—uh—kissing last month?”
Kissing was a quaint way of saying I ate her pussy out in a hotel elevator. Gabriella was nothing but an amusing companion to pass the time with. “No. Sorry, fellas. I can’t chat today. I’ve got an engagement ring to pick out.” I winked at the camera and followed Atticus inside. His family would be pleased. It wouldn’t be long before all the newspapers would have DuPont’s Jewelry store in their headlines.
“Welcome to DuPont’s Jewelers,” a woman with oversized tits and a cheerful smile greeted us the second we entered. She was short, the right height to give a clear indication of how she’d look on her knees. There was nothing wrong with her appearance. Through her thick long lashes, she looked up at me and bit her lip. Chaser of crowns. How painfully predictable.
I took a moment to observe her, wondering if it would be worth the miniscule effort it would take to bring her back to my bed. It would have been the perfect revenge. If Christine wanted to fuck Leo, then I could have my fun, too.
But…
I couldn’t quite convince myself that was a good idea. And I couldn’t help but compare her to Christine. She didn’t look as angelic. As fierce. As…heartbreakingly beautiful.
In the past, I would have been hard as a rock for this kind of girl, but she didn’t do anything for me. Not a damn thing. I even stared for a moment longer, willing my cock to do a happy jig at the sight of her thick legs and grabbable ass.
“You’re such a prick,” Atticus said while rolling his eyes. “You’re here to buy an engagement ring, and you’re already eye-fucking my employee.”
