Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 141385 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141385 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Sting.
The sound of her palm hitting my cheek registers moments after the sting spreads across my skin.
We both freeze.
I act first. I raise my hand to my cheek, taking a staggering step back from her. Her slap barely registers on the pain scale for me, but it’s just enough that my eyes instinctively water from the force of the impact.
The realisation of what she’s done flickers across her face rapidly. Her eyes widen, but before she can say a word, we’re separated. She’s dragged away from me and restrained by the guards that have been watching from a distance, and Faye rushes over, shouting.
“Get off her!”
“Those are royal guards, you prat,” Valentina drawls, pulling up the rear. “Cut it out before they grab you, too.” She hurries to me, her face the picture of perfect concern. “Oh, my gosh, Hattie! Are you all right?”
“I—I…” I look from her to Jasmine, wide-eyed, giving my best innocent show. “I was just apologising for keeping the engagement a secret. I didn’t know she had real feelings for him, and I—”
“Oh, hon.” She gently removes my hand from my face as I look to Sophia.
“Please, let her go. She’s my sister. I don’t hold it against her.”
Sophia’s lips thin even as Jasmine struggles against her hold. “Miss Sinclair, I’m afraid I can’t.”
“Please,” I whisper, but she doesn’t falter. “Then please just escort her out quietly, if you must do something. It’s my fault. She just made a mistake in the heat of the moment. I understand how she must be feeling right now, so please don’t hold it against her.”
Jasmine’s glare is so fierce it could slice down an entire army, but I’m so wrapped up in my wronged big sister act that it barely registers on my radar. I lean into Valentina as the store manager rushes over and is held back by another one of the guards, and Faye is desperately trying to talk some calm into my fuming half-sister.
“Very well. As you wish, Miss Harriet.” She gives Jasmine’s arm a tug. “Miss Sinclair, I suggest you follow me before your sister has a change of heart.”
“I—she…!” Jasmine stutters, pointing at me, but Sophia and the other guards usher her away before she can finish whatever it is she’s trying to say. There’s a crowd of people gathering outside the store, and she quickly dips her head and hides her face, but it’s too late.
Because Valentina whispers, “Got it,” in my ear as she fake consoles me.
Within a couple of hours, this will be everywhere.
“Miss Sinclair, I’m terribly sorry about this,” the manager says, approaching me while wringing her hands. “Would you and your friend please come with me? We have a private area you can shop in at the back away from prying eyes. We can also arrange for medical personnel to attend to you.”
“Thank you so much,” Valentina says. “Come on, Hattie. There are a lot of eyes around.”
I lean into her when she wraps her arm around me. “I won’t need a medical professional. Just something cool for my cheek, if you could, please.”
“Of course, of course.” She quickly motions for us to follow her, muttering something about a heavy discount as a formal apology. I can’t accept it per the rules of the Royal Family, but that doesn’t mean Valentina has to do the same.
She can go wild.
While she does that, I will smile.
And brace myself for the storm that’s coming.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX – HATTIE
That storm arrives with a bang of the door against the wall.
Actually, ‘storm’ is an understatement.
Finn is more of a cyclone at this very moment.
He stalks across the room and stops in front of the TV, staring down at me, his eyes blazing with anger.
I blink at him, shoving my hand into my bag of fizzy sweets. “You’re a fantastic door. Terrible window, though.”
He steps around the coffee table and grabs my chin, tilting my face this way and that. He examines every inch of my cheek and jaw by stroking and prodding his thumbs across it, and I frown.
“What are you doing?” I ask. “You’re interrupting my show.”
“She hit you.” He releases my face and pulls back, still staring at me with that rage bubbling beneath the surface. “She fucking hit you.”
“Oh, that.” I lean to the side so I can see the TV.
“‘Oh, that?’ That’s all you have to say?” He grabs the remote control from the table and points it towards the TV. The screen folds in on itself, going blank, and my jaw drops.
“Hey! I was watching that!”
“And now you’re talking to me.” His voice is low and dark with an edge that warns me not to dismiss him any further. “She. Hit. You.”
I put the sweets on the table, lick my fingers clean, and show him my cheek. “And I’m fine, see? There isn’t a mark on me. The manager at Lammens was very helpful.”