Page 126 of Rivals

“You win,” she whispered, too softly for Daphne to hear. Not that it mattered. Daphne already knew she was the victor.

Blinking back tears, Nina hurried down the hall before Jeff could see her.

By the time she descended the front steps of the hospital, a few reporters had gathered near the entrance. Word of Beatrice’s accident must have finally leaked. There was a collective intake of breath as Nina pushed open the main double doors, but when they saw her, they all glanced away in disappointment. They’d probably been expecting a member of the palace’s PR team.

Then one of them called out, “Hey! Aren’t you Samantha’s friend, the one who dated Prince Jeff?”

The cameras rose into the air, their metallic clicks multiplying like the drone of wasps.

And suddenly they were all shouting questions at her:Where is Samantha? Is it true that Beatrice is on life support and Jeff is king? Was the car crash really an accident, or did someone try to murder the queen?

“The only thing I know for sure is that it’s all changing,” Nina said, her words tight with a raw, hot emotion. She refused to let herself cry in front of the cameras.

“What’schanging?” a reporter called out.

“Everything.” Nina hurried down the last few steps, then glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. But when it’s all over and the dust has settled, this country will never be the same again.”