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“You messed things up big time, Ellery Monson. My mum has a few questions for you, before you go through with a perfectly planned scheme to murder the king. Everyone will believe it with how you’ve bumbled and upset the royal family. Real tragedy, all of this, but we’ve lost Hattie Ballard as our scapegoat, and I blame you.”
Ellery could only stare at the man’s gun and cling to her phone, still buzzing in her hand.
Murder the king? She’d never hurt King Nolan, no matter what they threatened her with.
Did she dare answer Derek? How could she fight her way free without being shot? This had to be Treven Rindlesbacher, and she realized now what a huge mistake she’d made all the way around. She’d trusted Naomi and now she’d naively climbed into a car with her murderous son.
This man had no qualms about killing and framing other people for it.
Please help me know what to do, she prayed desperately.
She didn’t want to be killed herself, but she would not let this man hurt any of Derek’s family, and she would not let King Nolan be murdered next.
If she died in this car, at least the family she loved would stay safe. It was the least she could do after the nightmare she’d created for everyone.
Chapter Fifteen
Derek was confused and empty as Ellery walked out of the ballroom. He’d conquered ninja courses, given more than a hundred percent mentally and physically to win, and never felt this exhausted and depleted.
His family were all talking in small groups, trying to riddle out everything that had happened. Derek stood alone, watching everyone. Nobody looked at him like he was to blame or anything, but he felt it. He’d brought Ellery here. How could she have believed Naomi Rindlesbacher and the media who’d been fed lies by the Rindlesbachers?
Yet Derek had never brought up the truth about Hattie or confided in Ellery. Would she have gone to Naomi or believed and trusted him?
His dad broke away from speaking with Jensen, Chad, and T, and walked up to him. His blue eyes looked tortured, the way Derek felt.
“Son.” He put a hand on his arm. “I didn’t see this coming.”
“Neither did I.” He hung his head. “I’m sorry. Ray and Macey’s day is ruined. Steffan and Hattie are in danger again. Things with Henry are a mess. Kiera’s a mess.”
I’m a mess. He didn’t say that out loud.
“Everything is kind of a mess.” His dad lifted both hands. “That’s life sometimes. It’ll work out. Somehow.”
A few beats of silence passed. Derek didn’t know if it would work out. His dad’s relationship with Henry looked to be in serious peril, and what could happen if that spiraled out of control? Would their country and his family be overthrown? Was their close friend and prime minister really in league with the Rindlesbachers? Either that or they were blackmailing him. Nobody would be surprised if that were the case. Steffan and Hattie were in peril. The Rindlesbachers were evil and scheming as ever. What were they after? The crown or simply wanting his family to be as miserable as they were? He hated that all of them had to lie to Henry. That wasn’t his family. They’d been taught to be upright and honest, but protecting Hattie and Steffan had to come first.
What a mess.
His dad’s blue eyes became piercing. His dad. His anchor. The country’s anchor. He’d been so kind to Ellery when she’d wrecked that car. He’d imagined in his fantasy world his dad could be a surrogate father to Ellery. A father-in-law that would be there for her through thick and thin, just as Derek had planned to be as her love and someday as her husband.
Would any of those dreams ever happen?
“Do you love Ellery?”
His dad’s question shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did. Their country and his kingdom were in upheaval. His father’s closest friend had just squared off against him and shown his loyalty to the lying and traitorous Rindlesbachers. And his dad was concerned about Derek and Ellery.
Derek swallowed and nodded. “Yes, I do.”
“Then go hold her and work this all out.”
Derek’s heart leapt. Holding Ellery. That alone would make everything better.
“Nobody’s going to want her around after this.” He gestured at the beautiful wedding setting. It was ruined. Maybe they wouldn’t want him around either.
His family was strong and had been through worse. Losing Mum had been worse. T burned and Curt and Aliya almost killed and Hattie framed for murder had been almost as bad.
Somehow, his family would pull it together and nobody at the reception in the courtyard this evening would have a clue what went wrong. Well, Prime Minister Henry Shule and a few others would know, but the general public and the media wouldn’t.
“I don’t know about that,” his dad said. “You’ve got impressive siblings and sisters-in-law who have been through hard things too. They’ll figure out how to forgive and forget. We all love you. We want what’s best for you, and for Ellery.” He nudged him. “If she’s the right one, go get her. She was tricked by Naomi and she showed true remorse. She needs to know that you’re committed to her, that she matters to you.”
