Page 23 of Royal Beast (Royals of the Underworld #1)

DARCY

A fter kissing Rose on the head, I head off to work, the argument with Kellan still fresh on my mind.

Every word he said was a painful reminder that this marriage is just a transaction.

I’ve been so stupid letting myself get too close.

Hoping for more was completely foolish, and last night was the harsh wake-up call I needed.

I’m not here to play house or to get my heart broken. I’m here for Rose.

As I reach the office, I square my shoulders and shut the door on every thought of him.

For her sake, I need to stay focused, stay strong.

It’s time to stop letting Kellan get under my skin.

This marriage is a means to an end, nothing more.

I’ve got work to do, and my energy is better spent on that than pining over a man who’s made it clear that he’ll never be mine.

And work, thankfully, isn’t lacking. As soon as I sit at my desk, I dive into the tasks ahead.

Emails, meeting notes, revisions, anything to keep my mind off the mess at home.

Around mid-morning, I get an email, the very email I’d been waiting on for weeks now.

This could be the break I need, the kind of news that could be the win I’ve been hoping for.

I scroll through the email feeling a hint of excitement beneath my carefully constructed wall. It's time to refocus, to find my strength in something I can count on.

Over the next few weeks, Kellan and I play our parts at each of his events. We arrive together, looking like the perfect couple, showing off dazzling smiles and acting like we’re deeply in love.

At Senator Burns’ fundraiser, I laugh at Kellan’s jokes, loop my arm through his, and beam at anyone watching. We look like we belong, as though we’re the picture of happiness.

Every now and then, I catch him watching me from the corner of his eye, his expression unreadable, but the second our gazes meet, he’s back to business, switching his focus to someone else with a polite nod.

I feel a strange ache tugging at me every time he does that.

It's like he’s physically there but mentally miles away, too far away to reach.

During one particularly dull moment in the evening, when we’re both nursing glasses of wine, I turn to him, trying to break the ice. “I didn’t know you were such a fan of the Senator’s education platform,” I murmur, keeping my tone light.

Kellan glances down at me, his blue eyes cool. “I thought we were on the same page about public appearances, Darcy,” he says smoothly. “But if you’d rather skip these events, by all means.”

“Oh, no, you’d be lost without me,” I say, matching his cool tone. We both wear smiles, though neither of us is truly smiling.

Then he looks away, his jaw clenched, and something tightens in my chest. It’s ridiculous to feel disappointed.

We both agreed to this arrangement, after all.

But sometimes, I can’t help but think back to those fleeting moments when it felt real, when it felt like he wanted more than just an arrangement.

Once we’re home, the distance between us becomes palpable. Kellan disappears into his study almost immediately, and I settle in the den with Rose, who’s curled up in my lap with her favorite storybook.

“Mama,” Rose whispers, looking up at me with her wide, trusting eyes. “Where’s Kellan? Why doesn’t he come with us to the park anymore?”

I pause, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Kellan’s very busy with work right now, honey,” I say softly, feeling a twist of guilt at the half-truth. “He wants to come with us. He just can’t.”

Rose looks down at her book, her little fingers tracing the edge of the page. “He used to come with us,” she says quietly. “I miss him.”

Her words cut deep, lingering as I tuck her into bed later that night.

As I watch her fall asleep, her tiny fist curled under her cheek, a pang of longing spreads through me.

I miss him, too. I miss the version of him I thought I was getting to know, the one who laughed with me, who cared about Rose, who felt like he belonged in our lives.

But I know better than to let myself fall for that hope again. So when I walk back down the hall, I pass by his closed study door without a second glance. We’re partners in public, strangers in private, and that’s all there is to it.

But sometimes, when I see him from across a crowded room or even just catch a glimpse of his reflection in a window, it feels like I see something but I’m not sure what it is. Is it longing? Regret? I try not to think about it, pushing those moments to the back of my mind.

Besides, I have more important things to focus on.

All my time and attention at work are now being taken up with this deal I’ve been working on for the last few weeks.

Callie Fitzgerald is a popular self-published author and her Travelers series has been making waves in the fiction community.

We’ve been courting her for months now and I finally secured a meeting with her.

The meeting went well and things are now being finalized.

My email dings and I check it, heart pounding in my chest. It looks like she’s just signed the final paperwork to be brought into Enchanted Dreams Publishing!

Landing Callie is a huge deal, a complete game-changer for us. Enchanted Dreams has been mostly children’s literature so far, with a couple of middle-school series here and there, but this is our first YA series to date.

I sit back in my chair, a thrill of pride settling in. I’d done it, despite the storm brewing in my personal life. This is something that’s mine, something Kellan can’t touch, can’t diminish.

I quickly type up an email to Miranda, the subject line in all caps. WE GOT HER!

I barely even manage to hit send before she bursts into my office, eyes wide and gleaming. “Darcy!” She practically bounces into the room, her smile so contagious that I can’t help but grin back. “I just got your email! This is huge! I’m so proud of you. Travelers of the Stars is ours!”

I nod, feeling the excitement wash over me again as Miranda wraps me in a tight hug. “It’s all finalized. Callie Fitzgerald is officially with us!”

Miranda steps back, her hands on my shoulders, beaming. “I knew you’d pull this off. You’ve been relentless, Darcy. You deserve to celebrate this.”

She glances at the time, then waves off my attempt to get back to work. “Dinner is on me tonight. You’re not getting out of it.”

I laugh, feeling a small weight lift from my shoulders. “Alright, alright. Dinner it is.”

Over appetizers, Miranda brings up a familiar topic. “So, when are you going to bring me that manuscript of yours, Darcy? You know I haven’t forgotten.”

I stiffen, my fork pausing mid-air. "It’s not going to happen, Miranda.” My words come out sharper than I intend, injecting an awkward silence into the celebration.

Miranda raises an eyebrow, taken aback. “Alright, alright, message received.” She gives me a careful look. “You doing okay?”

I sigh, feeling the walls I’ve been holding up beginning to crack. Before I realize it, I’m pouring out everything—the tension with Kellan, the missed date nights, the broken promises, and how I’d thought, just for a moment, that maybe things were changing between us.

“I was trying, Miranda,” I admit, swirling my water glass in agitation.

“I gave him a real chance, just like you suggested. For a while, it felt like we were building something. We had these moments together, with Rose, too, like a real family. Then he started pulling back, always busy with work. He would leave me hanging without so much as a text message.”

Miranda listens, nodding in understanding, her eyes soft with concern. “Did you talk to him?”

“He shut me down,” I say, my voice quavering despite my best efforts to stay calm. “Reminded me that this was just a convenient arrangement, a business deal. Like he hadn’t meant any of it.” I press my lips together, my chest tight. “I can’t lie, it hurt. So I pulled away, and now we barely speak.”

Miranda reaches across the table, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “Darcy, anyone would feel the same. You deserve better. Does he even have a good excuse for why he’s been acting this way?”

I hesitate, glancing down at my plate. “He’s under a lot of stress with… you know, his ‘work’.” I lift my eyes to meet hers, hoping the implication is clear enough. We both know what Kellan and his family are involved in.

Miranda raises an eyebrow thoughtfully, nodding as she digests that. “Well, if that’s the case, I might be able to help.”

I let out a laugh, thinking she’s joking, but Miranda’s expression remains steady, her lips lifting in a confident smile. “Oh, I’m serious, Darcy.”

I blink at her, stunned. “Miranda, are you saying you’d be able to do something about this?”

She smirks, sipping her wine before answering. “Believe it or not, I’ve been in business with powerful men for a long time, Darcy. They don’t scare me—and you’d be surprised at the contacts you can accumulate over the years.”

I shake my head, amazed. “So, what, you’re going to take on the big, bad men of the world now, too?”

Miranda chuckles, her eyes flashing with that knowing spark. “I’m not saying I’m about to storm in there myself, but I might know a few people who could give us some insight. And besides, no one messes with the people I care about.” Her voice is light, but I can tell she’s completely serious.

I glance around the restaurant, half expecting someone to overhear, though no one is paying us any attention.

“It’s… complicated,” I say quietly. “Kellan’s family has a lot of enemies, and I think their rivals are getting more aggressive.

It’s impacting their business, and he’s had to spend so much time on it.

It’s like he’s completely… checked out.” The pain slips into my voice, despite how hard I try to mask it.

Miranda’s gaze softens, and she reaches across the table again. “Then let me see what I can do. If nothing else, maybe I can pull some strings, get some answers.”

I nod slowly, a flicker of hope stirring in my chest. “Thank you, Miranda. I didn’t think anyone could… or even that anyone would even want to help.”

She squeezes my hand one last time, her voice gentle but firm. “Anything for you, Darcy. We’ll get through this. You’re not alone.”

As she leans back, I feel a weight lift just a little, her support reminding me that even in this mess, I still have people who care.

Miranda’s smile fades as my phone buzzes on the table. I glance down and see the nanny’s name on the screen, a pang of worry striking through me.

“Hello?”

There’s a pause on the other end before the nanny speaks, her voice quavering. “Darcy… we’re at the hospital with Rose. She had a bit of an accident.”

My heart clenches, and I sit up straighter. “The hospital? What happened? Is she?—”

“They’re taking good care of her,” she says quickly, but I can hear the tension in her voice. “I thought it was best to call you right away.”

My grip tightens on the phone as I force myself to stay calm. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

As I hang up, Miranda looks at me with concern. “Darcy, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Rose,” I say, my voice catching. “There was an accident, and she’s at the hospital.”

Miranda reaches for my hand, but I’m already standing, my mind racing. All I can think of is getting to Rose, hoping—praying—that she’s alright.