Protecting Her: A Romance Bundle

by Mia Ford

  28

  Milos

  I felt incredibly guilty as I stomped out of the room, knowing I had pulled the control right out from under Adriana. She just didn’t understand, and it was because she was so new, so green in this royal life. She wanted to be true and honest, which was something I admired so much about her, but she didn’t realize she could bury herself with that kind of transparency. Instead of wondering if our secret would ever be revealed, we would spend our lives defending our actions, fighting for our place in the Kingdom, and drowning in ridicule from the people we were supposed to be representing and leading. Adriana had been through so much in her life, even before I came into the picture. The last thing I wanted was for her to go through even more.

  I didn’t want a single soul to know of my beautiful Queen’s past, beyond the few who already knew. I was in no way ashamed of her, but I knew others would not understand and see the amazing human being she really was. They would immediately judge her and I based on how we met and where she worked. I knew this all too well because I had done that exact thing when picking Adriana to contract for the fake marriage. I had assumed that since she was a stripper, she lacked morality, class, and social equity, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I wanted people to see Adriana the way I did. I wanted them to see her kind heart, her enormous intellect, and her servitude for a country she only just met. With a past like hers looming over her, I didn’t see how people could look past it.

  Throughout my life, I have come to know the tabloids as if they were cast off cousins no one was happy to see. They knew me by first name, and I was pretty sure I had bought a few journalists drinks in some of my drunken tirades. I was pretty sure they were bummed when I turned over a new leaf, seeing as they wouldn’t have my dumbass self to post all over the front page. Their sales were plummeting, and if they got ahold of a story like this, they would have a field day.

  Not only would me and Adriana be called out for all of our past transgressions, my mother would be implicated in the whole thing. It would be hard for the public to believe that something like this could have happened right under the Queen’s nose without her knowing. From there, our children would never be able to sneeze wrong around the press without getting beat up and splashed all over the headlines. They will have to make choices as they grow that will determine their character, but the last thing I wanted to do was start them out behind the curve.

  As I walked into the meeting room where Brat was waiting for me, I rubbed my hands through my hair and grabbed a bottle of water. I shook my head and sat down at the table, watching Brat stare out at the gardens, lost in his own thoughts. Hearing the squeaking of the chair wheels, he turned around and grabbed the back of the chair.

  “So, what’s the scoop, boss?” he asked with a deep sigh.

  “I could really use a glass of whiskey right now,” I said, chuckling. “But I suppose this water will have to do.”

  “I promise when we get through this, we will both have a beer, on me,” he replied.

  “So, this is where we are,” I said, lowering my voice. “I cannot grant this guy his request. First of all, it would never fly, second of all, we know that he would never stop coming back with the same threat over and over again. So, that’s out.”

  “What does Adriana have to say about it?”

  “She thinks that transparency is the best option,” I replied shaking my head. “She wants to tell everyone the truth. I love her, but I am not going to let that happen. She doesn’t need any more grief after what she’s already been through.”

  “She’s a smart woman with a big heart,” Brat smiled. “She just doesn’t understand yet. You are the most fierce and loyal friend I know. I knew you’d never let her reveal her secret.”

  “Nope,” I replied. “So, what are our other options?”

  “Well, we could have the Caspian burned to the ground, all the files and paperwork with it,” he replied. “We’d make sure the girls were out of the apartment, make sure no civilians are hurt, and just get rid of the place. Then, if he came forward, it would be his word against ours. Everyone would think it was some kind of extortion act of a desperate mad man.”

  “True, but that could be tricky. What if one of the clients or the girls came forward and backed up that story? Either way, it would make waves that I really just don’t know if I want her to have to deal with. What else?”

  “The only other option is getting rid of Reg Everly completely,” Brat said, leaning back in his chair. “That doesn’t mean your secret is safe forever, but it means it’s safe from him. But man, these are really crazy ideas. I mean, these kinds of solution to the problem are worse than the problem itself. If we do any of this, it will become another secret we have to keep hidden from the world.”

  I nodded. “I know,” I replied. “And you know I hate violence, Brat. You know that this is not something I would even consider if it weren’t so important.”

  We sat in that meeting room for hours, throwing ideas back and forth to each other. I ordered a steady stream of coffee. I could tell it was an all-nighter. We only had until Monday afternoon to make our move, and it was already starting to get light outside again. I hadn’t heard a peep from Adriana and assumed she ended up going to bed without me.

  I sent one of the service people to check on her around five in the morning, and they reported that she was up and moving around but seemed okay. I hoped that what I said the day before didn’t upset her too much. I never liked letting her go to bed without me, after leaving her alone so many nights before, but this was vital to our survival as a family.

  I grabbed a donut off the tray of food by the counter and shoved it in my mouth. I needed some air. I was starting to feel hopeless. I walked over to the window and cracked it open, letting the approaching morning breeze hit me right in the face. Brat was at the table, jotting down different options, but in reality, we had pretty much tapped the reserve on ideas. I was starting to think, whether I liked it or not, taking Reg completely out of the picture might be the only way we got around this whole issue. My biggest problem with that, besides the obvious, was the slippery slope that would send us down. Not only would I face execution if I were implicated in a murder, but what would happen when the next person arrived, screaming he knew the secret? How many people would we end up killing just to hide our past?

  This was all starting to sound like a bad mafia storyline, and I couldn’t believe I’d even thought about resorting to violence. I thought about Adriana and the baby, safe and sound inside the castle walls, and the feeling of comfort that that gave me. What if all that was taken away? What if we were cast out of the castle to fend for ourselves? I would never forgive myself if anything happened to Adriana or our child. It was just too risky. I needed to get this situation under control and fast.

  I closed the window and started to pace the room, making plans in my head for an assassination of sorts. It would be simple, especially since Reg was nobody of high regard. But making sure all the details were set and secure was something that I absolutely had no idea how to do.

  I walked over and sat down next to Brat, grabbing a pen and piece of paper. I thought about all the things I would need to do to make Reg disappear, and I started to make a list. If I was going to go down this path, we would have to get started. The clock was already ticking, and it wasn’t going to slow down for anyone. I tapped my pen against my mouth as Brat leaned back and stretched his arms over his head. He looked down at my paper and jumped from his chair, grabbing the notepad from my hands and tossing it into the fireplace.

  “What are you thinking man?” Brat sounded shocked and appalled.

  “I got to do what I got to do,” I replied, straight-faced.

  “Okay, well before you go starting to assassinate people, hear me out,” he replied.

  I watched as he walked over and grabbed his notepad off the table, giving me a sideways look as he began to pace the floor. He scanned his finger down the lines and lines of
notes on the page. When he had gotten himself back together, he stopped in front of me like he was presenting to a board.

  “Here is what we can do,” he explained. “There is legal recourse we can take here. Blackmail is a crime, especially against the Royal Court. Now, if we brought in a few trusted advisors, they could build a legal defense against Reg, barring him from speaking about Adriana, and possibly giving him a good amount of jail time for blackmail.”

  “But what advisors could we bring on board that we trusted enough with that kind of information? I couldn’t be sure that it wouldn’t get leaked. And in the end, when all the court proceedings became public, so would her past. Either way, we would be exposing her, one way would just be controlled, while the other would be in Reg’s hands. Man, this seems impossible.”

  “It’s not impossible,” Brat said with frustration. “We have to try to deal with this in a way that doesn’t dig an even bigger hole for us.”

  I tossed the pen across the table and put my head down in my arms. I was exhausted. I hadn’t slept well in days, and I was so wildly out of it, I had actually considered murdering someone. There had to be away around this that didn’t include destroying my bride and my child in the process. No matter what Adriana said, I knew if the truth came out, she would be mortified, and possibly never forgive me. No matter what understanding we came to, I knew my past actions played a role in our future. I picked my head up as Brat’s phone vibrated against the table. He reached over and pressed the button, looking down at the screen. His eyes grew wide for a moment before he turned toward me. I lifted an eyebrow at his reaction and grabbed his phone from his hands. What could it possibly be now?

  “Wait, how do you work this thing?” I tilted the phone back and forth trying to see the video he pulled up.

  He grabbed it and set it up in front of us. As the screen popped back up, we watched as Adriana, dressed in a beautiful suit with perfect hair and perfect makeup, sat down on the couch in the Queen’s interview room. My mother was standing behind her and a journalist was to the left. I looked at Brat with panic, and he put his hand on my shoulder. She was getting ready to tell her story, and there was nothing I could do to stop her.

  29

  Adriana

  I knew it was a risk, and I knew Milos was probably going to be angry, but after he left the night before, I really thought about everything. When it came down to it, I knew I was right. I knew that if I could tell my story, if I could tell it from my perspective, I would be able to control it. Otherwise, either it was going to get leaked and I was going to humiliate myself, my husband, my child, and the Kingdom, or Milos was going to do something that really put him in danger. I didn’t even want to think about the lengths that man would go to protect me and our family. It was terrifying. So, I made the choice. I went to the Queen’s chambers and told her everything.

  I was so nervous, sitting there in front of her, watching and waiting for her disappointed look. I left out the part about the marriage contract, only because it wasn’t important, and I was pretty sure that Reg had no idea that part had happened. When I was done telling my story, she took a deep breath and sat silently, sipping her tea and thinking. It seemed like the longest five minutes of my life, waiting for her to either throw me to the wolves or agree to help me carry out my plan. Finally, she set her tea cup down on the table and leaned forward.

  “Adriana,” she began. “I knew all of this.”

  “What?” I said, flabbergasted.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t do a little research into the next Queen of Silesia?” she responded with a chuckle. “When it came down to it, I saw you for who you were. You are a kind-hearted, strong, intelligent woman that I believe will lead this country even further into greatness. I knew that this situation would come up eventually, and I assumed after watching my son leave in the worst disguise ever, that you would be knocking on my door soon enough.”

  “I’m sorry for lying to you,” I responded.

  “Water under the bridge my dear,” she said, patting my hand. “Let’s get this all squared away, shall we?”

  That is how I ended up here, sitting in the interview room, with clammy hands, too much makeup, and a very respectable skirt suit, waiting for the reporter to get there. I knew this was a dangerous gamble, and neither I, nor the Queen, knew how everyone was going to react. But I couldn’t live the rest of my life in fear, wondering when I was going to turn the corner and see my face on the cover of the tabloids. I also knew that I could not live with the idea of Milos having blood on his hands for “taking care of” the situation. This was the only choice I had, and I knew that no matter the outcome, it was the right one to make.

  The Queen seemed to know exactly what to do, who to call, and what to tell me to calm my nerves. Though I was pretty sure this exact thing had never happened before, I assumed the Queen was pretty used to putting out fires in the Kingdom, especially with Milos as her son. The journalist was a good friend of the Queen’s and had covered all the major stories in the castle since the Queen was younger. She had a kind smile and a professional air to her. I was reassured that she would do everything she could to make this information get out to the public as easy and gently as possible. I took a deep breath as she sat down across from me, trying to ignore the camera in my face. When we were live, I held my composure and waited for the tough questions.

  After introducing me to the viewers, she jumped right into it, pausing for a moment when the Queen entered the frame and sat next to me, grabbing my hand and nodding for her to continue. It was comforting having her by my side, and it was the first real time I had ever felt like I had a mother to support me. The interview itself was difficult to get through, having to reveal my deepest secrets to the world, but the reporter spun them into a positive light every time she had the opportunity. I could hear Milos’s voice on the other side of the door, but the guards were instructed to keep him out until we were finished. The reporter gave me a chance to address the audience, so I turned to the camera, still clutching the Queen’s hand, and took a deep breath.

  “As we go through life, we make decisions based on what we truly believe will be best at the time. Sometimes they really do turn out to be what we believe they will be, but sometimes, we look back with regret. I do not regret working hard, supporting myself, and my family, and doing what I needed to do to put food on the table and clothes on my back. What I do regret is not being honest with you, our beautiful patrons of Silesia, from the beginning. I've learned that no matter where you are in life, whether it be sitting next to the Queen, working in a factory, dancing, or farming, always hold truth, pride, and accountability to the highest standards. Thank you for hearing my story.”

  When I was finished, the Queen nodded to the reporter who had the cameraman focus in on her. I didn’t realize she was going to address the crowd, and I watched nervously as she straightened her crown. She smiled at the camera and cleared her throat.

  “When Adriana came to our castle, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. When I learned of this news, it did not diminish that excitement one bit. We love our future Queen with all our hearts, and I know that my husband would have stood by this young lady with pride and love. We here in Silesia will always hold Princess Adriana in the highest regard.”

  When she was done, she turned to me and pulled me in for a hug, holding on even after the cameras were shut off. I relaxed and embraced her back, thankful for her love and compassion. As she let go and the cameras rolled away, the doors swung open and Milos entered, holding his hands in front of him, a worried look on his face.

  “Why did you do that?” he asked, worry filling his voice. “Adriana, I told you that I would take care of this. Why would you purposely expose yourself like that? I have been doing everything I possibly can to avoid allowing you to feel even a pin drop of pain. I love you, and I have put you through enough, but then you go and inflict this pain upon yourself. I just don’t understand.”

  “Milos,” I said k
indly, taking his hand. “This was the only viable option. You may have had plans, but if you really looked at what you were planning, you would realize they were worse options than just shouting it from the town square. With the support of your mother, we were able to get ahead of a story that, no matter what you did, would have one day exploded into the media. However, choosing to go this route, I just took the power out of their hands and put it in the Kingdom’s hands. From here, we can only hope that our transparency and love for the people of Silesia will show through, and they will take kindly to my past and look forward to the future.”

  “I don’t think that is what you have done,” Milos replied. “I think you have just outed yourself to everyone and let them choose how they see you.”

  “They are going to choose how they see me, regardless of where the message comes from,” I replied softly. “But this way, they can see what lies in my heart, not just in my past.”

  “I think she might be right,” Brat said as he walked through the doors. “The story is trending on social media. People are loving how their future Queen not only had the courage to come forward with her story, but had a meager beginning just like them.”

  “I knew this would work,” the Queen said smiling. “But what does your old, crazy mother know?”

  “We should have come to her before,” I said. “She already knew where we met. She was waiting for us to come to her for help.”

  “Mother,” Milos said, walking over to her. “You knew, and you didn’t say anything?”

  “Sometimes, my job is to let you figure things out on your own,” she said, laughing. “This time, however, I’m glad you had Adriana to take the reins. I can only imagine what you two boys came up with.”