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Everyone nodded in sympathy, having heard the same thing from the other girls as well. They had thought it a ridiculous story at the start, but by the time P.A. #3 had left the company, everyone at the executive floor had been forced to change their minds.

For whatever reason, their billionaire boss now despised his own surname.

“It must be why Serenity quit as well,” Andrea said thoughtfully as she and Rachel returned to their station.

“But shealwayscalls himMr. de Konigh,”her friend argued.

Andrea rolled her eyes. “Silly, it’s not that. Can’t you see? Serenity isShane Raleigh’s half-sister.The boss and his on-off girlfriend must have had a fight, and that’s why he fired Serenity, and now he doesn’t want anything that reminds him of the Raleigh sisters.”

****

“YOU LOOK APPALLING, Willem.” The words, coming from his open laptop, greeted Willem as soon as he slid inside his limousine. Upon hearing them, he immediately glanced at his chauffeur, but the older man studiously avoided Willem’s gaze as he closed the passenger door.

Martin had been frightened into betraying him again,Willem thought grimly. He really should have a word with his chauffeur soon.

“Did you hear what I said?” the voice from the laptop demanded.

Turning to face the laptop, he said blandly, “A pleasant afternoon to you, too, Your Majesty.” He had been dodging her video calls for days, but he should have known Wilhemina wasn’t one to take the hint that he hadn’t wanted to talk to her.

The Queen of Contini only smiled. “Ah, no ‘grandmother’ for me. Youarein a testy mood again.”

Her grandson’s face softened a bit. “I am,” he acknowledged wryly, “but never with you,oma.”

If the exchange between grandmother and grandson had been made public, the world would have been in shock. When in company, the queen and Willem were civil but distant with each other, a deliberate choice to conceal just how important the role Willem played in handling de Konigh matters.

Only those who had worked in the palace long enough knew the truth, and that was that Willem was only second to the queen herself with the amount of power and authority he exercised over all members of the de Konigh clan.

“Women problems, no doubt,” Wilhemina murmured.

Willem wasn’t fooled by his grandmother’s tone. “Donotinterfere, Your Majesty.” He had no doubt that the queen had already made it her business to find out everything between him and Serenity, who she had always expressed fondness for.

“Ah. So you admit that thereisa problem.”

“Oma.” His voice was soft.

She raised her hand in a placating gesture. “Yes, yes, I understand. I shall not meddle.” The twinkle in her eyes faded, and concern lined her voice when she said, “I just want to make sure you are okay, dear.”

“I am.” He changed the subject. “I spoke with Gabe last night, by the way.I don’t believe he’s coming back anytime soon.” As the Crown Prince’s only legitimate son, Gabe was third in line to the throne, and local press had begun to question his prolonged absence from the kingdom.

Wilhemina was quiet for a moment. “We do not need to force him to come back yet,” she said finally, and with her words she let Willem know she was allowing herself to be sidetracked. With this grandson of hers, any interference from her would be considered a slight, an insult to his independence. And after everything he had suffered as a child, Wilhemina knew that she would rather hurt herself than make Willem feel weak again.

When it was time to end the video call, Willem made an effort to sound more his normal self as he bid the queen farewell. “I’ll see you soon,oma.”

“Of course.” But he could see with the way worry still shadowed her faded blue eyes that he had failed. Willem tiredly closed his eyes as he leaned back against his seat.

His life was a fucking mess, and even the queen – who was thousands of miles away – knew this.

Something had to fucking give, but what?

His mobile phone buzzed in his pocket, and after a moment, Willem resignedly took his phone out.

It was a text message from Serenity’s older sister.

****

“YOU LOOK HORRIBLE,”Melanie said by way of greeting when her stepdaughter entered the dining room. She had hoped to draw blood, but as always, her words seemed to fall on deaf ears, with Serenity only smiling wanly as she took her usual place at the table.

Bitch,she thought. She knew that most people thought of her stepdaughter asWillem Jr.,and the implication that Serenity was asperfectas the Dutch billionaire irked Melanie to no end.