“Okay. You’re right. It wasn’t.”
“What did he want?” Theo repeats, his posture stiffening.
I scramble for a believable exit strategy. “He offered me a path to a permanent role in the London office,” I say. It’s a half truth that feels plausible enough to stick.
Theo’s expression tightens. “Are you considering it?”
“I... I don’t know.” The lie feels heavy.
“I’ve told you what it’s like here. It’s purgatory,” he says, placing his hands on my shoulders. His touch is warm and completely at odds with the cold dread his father left behind. “You’d be miserable, and I don’t want that for you. I’m being selfish, Kaori, but I want you in Orlando. I want you where I am.”
Hearing him say it—that he wants me in his life, not just his office—sends my pulse into a dizzying spin. No matter what I have to do, one thing is clear. “I’ll always choose us,” I answer. “I just need time to figure out what that looks like.”
He studies me for a long moment, searching my face. “All right,” he says finally. “Just... promise me you won’t let him corner you into something you don’t want.”
“I promise,” I whisper.
I keepmy head down the rest of the day, and thankfully, Theo’s father keeps his distance. Still, every time I catch sight of him across the conference room, I’m filled with another rush of anger and frustration.
When the clock finally strikes six, I’m released from Excelsior’s orbit and quickly make my way down to the lobby.
“Kaori, wait for me,” Theo says, striding across the lobby.
“You’re off on time tonight?”
“Surprise,” he says softly. He reaches for my hand, but stops himself just short, suddenly remembering where we are. He clears his throat. “I hope you’re hungry tonight. I was thinking we could get dinner in SoHo.”
My stomach drops. The universe is at it again. “Theo, I’m so sorry, but tonight’s theonenight I can’t go out with you. I’m meeting my friend Alice and her parents for dinner,” I explain.
“Oh.” He rubs the back of his neck. “Right. Of course.”
We stand there awkwardly for a beat. There’s only one solution I can see here. And it’s gonna be a heck of a way for him to find out.Surprise. I’m having dinner with the royal family.Well, let’s get this over with. “I just need to call them and let them know I’ll be bringing a guest with me?—”
“No, no,” he says, cutting me off with a small shake of his head. “I wouldn’t want to crash your evening. It’s fine, really. Don’t worry about it.”
Does he actually mean that? Or should I insist?
“I’m free,” Leon announces, materializing beside us.
Theo blinks slowly, his face going completely deadpan. “Brilliant.”
Leon narrows his eyes, scanning Theo’s expression for a beat. “Was that sarcasm?”
“Yes,” he says flatly, not making the slightest effort to dress it up.
“All right. Just checking. Because if you don’t want me for dinner, I can go find a lonely kebab place somewhere and?—
“No, I don’t mind the company.” Theo sighs, looking like he’s already preparing for the mental tax of a night with Leon. “I’d just...”
“Hoped Kaori would be there instead of me?” Leon grins, clapping him on the shoulder with enough force to make Theo stumble. “Look, I don’t take it personally, kiddo. I’d want Kaori over me too. But I promise I’m the best replacement you’re going to find on short notice.”
Theo exhales through his nose. “Joy.”
I murmur another apology and hurry toward the exit, where a black sedan is idling at the curb. As I slide into the back seat, Yamada-san takes his place in the front and immediately slides up the privacy partition. The moment we pull away from the curb, I begin the high-stakes,Princess Diaries–style transformation.
Whoever wrote that scene where Mia Thermopolis changes in the back of a limo while being tossed around clearly lived my life. Between the sharp turns and the London traffic, I’ve performed so many quick changes in moving vehicles that I could win a medal if it were an Olympic sport.
We make good time, arriving at 6:28 p.m. Alice is waiting for me at the Buckingham Palace service entrance, wearing jeans and a light-blue knit jumper that makes her eyes look turquoise. Her hair is in her usual half-up, half-down style.
