Page 155 of The Royal Art of Revenge

“It’s not. We both know that.” I run my hands through my hair, pulling it all back from my face. “It’s just that stupid little part of me that hopes he’ll come around. I know he never will, and I know some of that is my fault for going about our relationship the way I did, but…” I trail off and sigh, letting my hands fall to my lap. “I need to get up. I’m not doing anything but rot here.”

Finn stands up and holds out his hands. “What do you need? Shower? Bath? Food?”

I put my hands in his and let him pull me up. “A hug.”

“A hug?” He laughs, then tugs me towards him. “Well, that’s easy.”

I fall against his firm body, wrapping my arms around his waist. His arms circle me as I rest my cheek against his chest and close my eyes to focus on the steady beating of his heart.

And for a moment, I just breathe. I let myself rest in his embrace, savouring the familiar rhythm of his heartbeat against my cheek.

Right now, this is all I need.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR – HATTIE

It’s amazing how, in twenty-four hours, everything can change.

Twenty-four hours ago, I was sitting in the dining room at my father’s house, eating a silent, uncomfortable meal with a family that has never truly been mine.

And now, I’m sitting at a table with Finn, Oscar, and Alec, hearing stories that make Finn groan and Alec smile wickedly. Stories of them from years gone by, of climbing trees and stuffy parties ten-year-old boys had no interest being at.

I’m regaled by tales of Oscar breaking his arm and Alec accidentally letting his mother’s dog run free in public. Of Finn almost tripping during his first public engagement as a preteen. Of their hilarious normal teen years behind closed doors, away from prying public eyes. Of university escapades that would make a grandmother blush.

And this… I understand. This is what family is. It’s being accepted, being included, being loved for who you are. In this place, there’s no judgement. Not one of these three men brings up my missing years. They aren’t interested in the qualities I might not possess. They don’t care if I’m not perfect. They don’t care for things they could use against me.

Instead, they’ve invited me into their family. They’ve brought me into their world without question, accepting both the good and not-so-good sides of me. They don’t question me, they don’t doubt me, they don’t fear me, they don’t underestimate me.

They just accept me.

And it is the strangest feeling.

I don’t have to prove myself to any of them. I simply am. I can just be.

It’s the same with Beatrix and Louis, even Rowan. Nobody expects anything of me. It’s an acceptance I’ve never really experienced, and to an extent, it feels as if I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve to be loved or cared for like this. I don’t deserve this acceptance. I don’t deserve this family.

Yet… I have it.

It’s mine.

And I want to be worthy of it.

I want to cherish it. I want to nurture it. Protect it.

Oscar’s phone pings, and he reaches across the table for it. “Oh. Interesting.”

“What is?” I ask.

“Your father.” He looks over at me, his lips tugging to one side. “He’s trying to get access to the palace to speak to you, but Aunt Beatrix won’t permit it. He’s concerned about you, apparently.”

“So concerned that it’s taken him all day to reach out?” I tilt my head to the side. “Bullshit. What does he really want?”

“If I had to guess,” Alec said slowly, grabbing his own phone and tilting the screen towards himself. He swipes, leaving us all waiting, and taps a few times before putting it back down and looking at us all with a smile. “He wants to know why ACN Industries withdrew their investments this afternoon and what your connections to them are.”

Finn snaps his head around. “You didn’t.”

“Who and what is ACN Industries and what does that have to do with me?” I flick my attention between them all. “Is that you?”

Alec’s smile never falters. “I can’t tell you that.”