“Apparently, I’m the best Belleston has to offer in remaining unwed second sons that aren’t too young or too old.”
Liam raised his glass in a silent toast. “Welcome to the family.”
Fuck my life. This couldn’t really be happening.
Suddenly, I regretted the way I’d managed my life. I kept my personal life deeply private while projecting the perception of being squeaky clean by all outward appearances. That was coming back to bite me in the ass. Maybe I should have allowed the world to view me with disdain, throwing ignorant labels my way. Because now, it was all gone. My life would never be the same. Lucy would gain her freedom at the cost of mine.
Spiraling and stuck in limbo while Lucy decided my fate, I left Liam’s office. Nothing was official yet. Tonight might be my last chance to exhibit the control I craved. That control was at the root of who I was, how I centered myself. It was therapeutic. Without it, I may very well go insane. Especially if tied to Lucy for the rest of my life. That girl wouldn’t know how to obey an order if her life depended on it.
Chapter 4
Lucy
I couldn’t get tomy room fast enough, especially once I heard Amy calling out behind me. How could I explain that I’d blindly agreed to marry the one man I couldn’t stand? All for the sake of a job—a life—I loved.
An arranged marriage was bad enough. But with Preston? This was beyond the worst-case scenario. I could have handled one of the obscenely dull, over-confident men I grew up with. I could have laid there while they got their rocks off, and pretended to like it. Most guys would have been happy enough with the title upgrade this marriage would bring, allowing me to live my life without interference.
Not Preston.
Oh, no. He knew how to push every single button I had, even ones I didn’t know existed. It was like he got some kind of sick pleasure out of pissing me off.
He didn’t know shit about who I was, and I sure as hell didn’t want to get to know him. This would never work.
Bursting into the residence wing, my vision blurred as tears filled my eyes. My pride and dignity demanded that I stand my ground and refuse this marriage. But how could I just walk away from a chance at a life that had only been a pipe dream before today? His constant presence would taint my dream life—I’d never work in peace again. Maybe I could negotiate that he be allowed to resume his work for the Crown, citing its importance, to get him out of my hair.
Finally reaching the door to my private apartment, I turned the knob, rushing as fast as my feet would carry me toward my bedroom. My suite of rooms was directly across the hall from Liam and Amy’s and mirrored theirs exactly. Practically a house inside a palace, I had two thousand square feet all to myself, yet I was never alone. There was always someone hovering—housekeepers, maids, butlers, and footmen, to name a few—waiting for my next request like I couldn’t fend for myself at almost thirty. Even when I deadbolted my entryway door, secret passageways into my apartment allowed the staff to enter without disrupting our lives.
I couldn’t be the first royal to feel suffocated by this life, right?
Running up the stairs as fast as I could in heels, I threw myself on my bed, hugging a pillow to my chest as I curled into the fetal position. I tried pinching myself downstairs, and it hadn’t worked to wake me up from this nightmare, but how many movies had I seen where they were still in the dream, even when they felt like they woke up? This could be the opposite of that. I was just stuck, that was all. Closing my eyes, I wished it all away like the bad dream it was.
“Lucy?” Amy’s concerned voice was accompanied by a soft knock on my open door.
“Go away.” I couldn’t hide the hiccup from crying in the middle of those two simple words.
The bed dipped behind me, and I knew I was unsuccessful in gaining the solitude I so desperately required.
Her hand rubbed my bare arm soothingly, and she whispered, “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Just know I’m here for you. It’s what sisters do.”
Turning to face her, I was slightly shocked to find her lying in bed with me, her emerald-green eyes fixated on my watery ones. Was this what it was like to have sisters or even a best friend? Before Amy, Natalie was the closest thing to a sister I’d ever had. And while I loved her with my whole heart, she was constantly dealing with her own issues—she didn’t have the capacity to see beyond herself when she lived here, and I couldn’t blame her for that. Amy was her best friend and had dropped everything to move in with her when she needed help, and I could see why Natalie treasured their friendship. It was comforting to have someone in your corner with unwavering support. God bless Liam for bringing her fully into my life.
Wiping at what was surely a mess of mascara running down my cheeks, I sighed. “I’m sorry I yelled at Liam.”
Amy gave me an understanding smile. “He knows he isn’t the one you’re upset with.”
“He caught me at a bad time.” That was an understatement.
“This have anything to do with the man at the other end of the hallway?”
“I hate him.” It was the truth. No point in sugarcoating it.
“Hate’s a strong word. Who is he?”
God, I hated that I was even going to utter these words out loud. “He’s the asshole I’m going to marry.”
If I was going for shock value, I’d found it.
Amy’s brilliant jewel-toned eyes widened, and she gasped. “You’re getting married? Whoa. I think we need to back this up. Start from the beginning.” Amy sat up against my gray quiltedheadboard, and I mirrored her, still clutching my pillow closely for comfort.
