Page 6 of Happily Ever After

Besides, Valerian Mirabaud was Raphael’s father. That family resemblance was obvious. Their eyes were a distinct, dark gray like storm clouds, and Valerian looked exactly like Raphael would in forty years or so. He was a handsome man, though cold.

But that possibility was something she wanted to rule out on every front and in every single way, so it was good to know.

Pierre opened his eyes andstared at the ceiling, musing. “Legally, you have no relationship with Alina, correct?”

“I married her father. I’m her stepmother,” she told him. “And I say she should go to her designated guardian.” Alina would probably know and recognize her previous nanny Suze Meier, Flicka hoped. Her heart broke at the thought of Alina thinking that Flicka was handing her off to strangers, but the child wouldbe safer on a different continent.

Pierre flicked his hand in the air, brushing that away. “I don’t think being a stepparent confers legal rights, and besides, that marriage was not legally binding. A Monegasque court invalidated the Nevada divorce. We are still married and always have been. We don’t want you to be accused of bigamy.”

Flicka didn’t argue. That was Pierre’s rationale for whyhe was still the heir apparent to the princely, Catholic throne of Monaco. If they had been legally divorced, he wouldn’t be eligible for the throne. In many ways, Monaco was a deeply conservative, Catholic country.

In other ways, it was a casino and a European beach.

But she had been married to her Raphael, her Dieter, herLieblingwächter,if only for a few days, and her heart was an emptycavern in her chest. She tightened her fist around her wedding ring.

Besides, she didn’t want to argue about bigamy with Pierre Grimaldi. One of those ballpoint pens just inches away from her fingertips might end up in his throat.

He asked, “What about the bodyguard’s wife? You said they couldn’t have children, but she is the child’s legal, adoptive mother. Shouldn’t Alina go to her?”

“Hisex-wife,” Flicka clarified. “And she is Alina’s biological mother, not adoptive. She gave up all her parental rights in the divorce.”

Pierre frowned. “That’s odd.”

Raphael had told Flicka not to let Gretchen take Alina, no matter what. “Raphael said she wasn’t the type to be a mother. He said that Wulf should raise her, if anything happened to him.”

“So, there’s no impediment to Alina stayinghere with you. We don’t know if her father is dead, and if he is, we don’t formally know his wishes.”

“I told you that a copy of his will is in Geneva. Someone could go to the Mirabauds’ house and ask for it. Quentin could go and be back by tomorrow.”

Quentin Sault didn’t flinch. He continued to stare at the wall behind Flicka’s head.

Pierre shook his head. “The child knows you. She feels safewith you. If we asked her, she would want to stay with you, I’m sure.”

“Alina is not even two years old. Her wishes would not be considered in a court. Even if Raphael is incapacitated or merely inconvenienced, he would want Wulfram to take her in the interim,” she argued.

“Yes, well, I still think it’s very odd a bodyguard would designate a prince as his child’s guardian unless the child hada hidden biological relationship with that prince. I’m sorry, Flicka. I know exactly why you want Alina out of Monaco. She’ll have to stay here with us, at least until you and I are established and settled. No matter what the outcome, she won’t be in the line of succession, of course.”

“Of course,” Flicka echoed.

He grimaced as if he didn’t like what he had to say. “And of course, our agreementspecifies that this kind of thing will not happen again.”

Because Pierre now owned her body.“Of course not.”

“Look, I want to be agreeable about this. I want us to be business partners, if we can’t be anything else. If that’s all you want, I understand.”

She smiled even though she was gritting her teeth. “Anything more is impossible.”

“I hold out hope that we can become friends.”

Any answerthat Flicka would have made would have been devastatingly sarcastic, so she refrained.

Pierre said, “In the meantime, let us be businesslike. You agreed to the terms of the contract, and so we shall begin immediately. I should like you to become pregnant with an heir for Monaco as soon as possible.”

Horror.“I understand.”

“When we are confident you are carrying an heir, when the pregnancyhas progressed beyond the third month or so, we will be able to relax restrictions on your movements and communication. Until then, you should remain in the palace, and we’ll give you a schedule. You can have a phone and access to your email and social media at that time. We’ll have someone approve your posts and emails before they go through, of course.”

So she couldn’t scream for help.