Page 177 of The Royal Art of Revenge

Alec quickly covers what they’ve missed, then continues. “They broke up because Jasmine was, unsurprisingly, unwilling to tell anyone they were seeing each other. She thought it would harm her chances of marrying Finn.”

“She never had any,” Beatrix says, watching Annette’s fingers fly across her keyboard.

“Yes, well, it seems Zachary told everyone anyway, but nobody believed him. They had no contact after that until… Ah, it seems she reached out to him a couple of weeks ago. After the incident at Lammens, according to his messages.”

“You already have his messages? What the hell kind of mobster are you?” Valentina stares at him.

“A posh one,” he replies dryly, making me fight back a laugh.

Finn looks at me questioningly, but I shake my head in response.

“There’s a transfer of ten thousand to his bank account dated a few days after their initial contact.” Alec’s words are slow and measured. “And… ah, I can’t skim these messages quickly enough to get the important details. There’s a lot of mundane bullshit in there.”

“Move.” Valentina sits next to him and brings the computer in front of her. Her eyes flit back and forth as she takes control of the mouse. “He told her he saw you when he was kidnapped back when they were dating. She didn’t believe him then. He questioned why she’s changed her mind, and she said you humiliated her and need to pay. He demanded fifty grand in exchange for it. He should have asked for more, the idiot.” She tuts. “They came up with this story together, but it wasn’t fully planned. They rushed it because of Aveline’s… what did you call it? Side quest?”

I nod. “So, they had a half-baked plan, and instead of riding it out, they brought it forward because of something that was nothing to do with me.”

Finn rubs my shoulders. “Don’t worry. We can pass all this to law enforcement.”

Valentina turns at that. “This isn’t admissible as evidence.”

“You’re right,” I reply quietly. “But they won’t use that as evidence.”

She presses her lips together. “You’re just using it as a tip-off, so they know where to look.”

“Exactly,” Alec replies.

“Their last messages are him being concerned the story hasn’t broken and Jasmine demanding proof he went to the press. She’s panicking it’s not being reported and he’s panicking that she’s going to double-cross him and not pay him.”

Alec takes his computer back. “How did you read that so quickly?”

“Magic,” she quips. “So, where does this guy live, and how quickly do we go and make him shit his pants?”

Beatrix looks up and blinks at her.

I doubt that’s a sentence she ever thought she’d hear in her presence.

“That depends.” Alec casts his gaze at each of us before finally settling on the Queen. “On how many blind eyes the people in this room wish to turn.”

“On this occasion,” Beatrix says dryly. “None.”

“Aw, you’re ruining my fun, Your Majesty.” He turns to me, a playful glint in his eye. “Are you sure Harriet can’t convince you to loosen up a little?”

I roll my eyes. “She’s right, and you know it. As much as I’d love to go there and tear him a new one, it’s too risky. This story will be too big, and we have to keep a clean nose.”

“Shame,” Oscar muses. “I was hoping I’d get to see you whip a knife out of nowhere like Finn and Alec did.”

Everyone looks at me.

I rub the back of my neck and look at Valentina. “I’ll teach you.”

Beatrix clears her throat.

“No,” Finn says. “Mother, you do not need to know how to produce a knife from your sleeve.”

“On the contrary,” she replies. “It occurs to me that it may be a very helpful skill for me to have.”

I’m inclined to agree with her.