Jim hit the keyboard in frustration and kicked my chair at me as he rose, a furious expression on his face. “Of course the goddamn prince wouldfigure it out.”
I froze. He knew I was royalty?
“How the hell do you think you can just play at being poor, play at being normal people? Like you know what it is to struggle, to scrape by, to beg?” he spat. “You poor royals, with all your wealth and your power.”
I was speechless. From day one, I’d sensed he didn’t like me, but this went much deeper. He hated me. Truly hated me. Nothing I said would disprove his point. Iwaswealthy—even my casual outfits weren’t cheap, by human standards. And while I wasn’t trying to play at being poor, Iwashere trying on a normal life. But what did he think he’d gain by sabotaging the renovation?
I didn’t dare turn my back on him when the door clicked open mid-rant.
He railed at royals looking down on normal people like his family. “They take and take and take. Putting us on the streets. Seizing our possessions to build their fancy, over-the-top, upgraded-to-the-ninth rental opportunities, while spoiled little princes like you just pop into this hotel whenever they like and steal our jobs like it’s a game.”
I felt for him, for his family. He shouldn’t have had to suffer like that. “I’m sorry,” I tried, though I didn’t know how to help him.
“His highness is sorry,” Jim spat, disdain dripping from his words. “As if anyone cares what a Niren prince thinks.”
Someone gasped behind me. I dared a quick glance. Sam stood in the doorway, his mouth hanging open, a confused expression in his eyes.
My stomach dropped. “I…”
Jim cackled. “Oh, he didn’t tell you? Of course he didn’t. He thought he could just pretend.”
Frazzled, I searched for the right words to explain I hadn't meant to hide who I was from Sam. The way he looked at me, hiseyes wide, questioning, made me feel exposed, raw. My system faltered, my energy stuttered, and I had trouble processing, coping. I sagged against the wall and grabbed for the nearest socket for support. Energy had always been a constant in my life.
Instead of bringing comfort, it zapped me and knocked me off balance. I hit the edge of the chair with a dullthud. The edges of my vision faded out for a moment.
Jim grinned as he stalked toward me.
Fear gripped me.
But then Sam placed himself between me and Jim.
“What the hell did you do?”
That wasn’t Sam’s voice. It was Layla. I recognized her pants.
“Put him in my office. Get Andrea to check him out and have someone call Rick.”
“And leave you alone?” Sam asked as he kneeled next to me.
The concern in his face and the way he straightened my skirt over my tapered legs touched me—as if he knew I wouldn’t want attention drawn to being different.
Layla snorted. “I can handle him. You make sure Adri’s okay.”
Sam didn’t say anything as he picked me up and carried me down the corridor, across the lobby, and into Layla’s office. He lowered me gently onto a couch and kissed my forehead.
And then he left.
Chapter Eighteen
SAM
kissed a prince
Istormed out of the hotel, my thoughts swirling like coffee beans in a grinder. My heart had skipped a beat when Adri fell to the floor, but all I could think was how that kid had sabotaged the renovation.
It wasn’t until I reached the fountain that I remembered his words. Adri was a prince?
It couldn’t be real. Could it?
