Of course he is.
She motions at my coat and I shrug it off, then awkwardly give it to her. I’m not used to people serving me, considering I was forced to fend for myself since I was sixteen.
Draping it over her arm, she starts down the corridor with moderate footsteps and I follow after her, trying not to gawk at the place.
Or more accurately, the palace.
Everything here is built to impress. From the high glass windows to the marble flooring and the golden vaulted ceiling. It’s like he receives royalty here. Hell, maybe he does.
This is just another drop in the ocean for how far apart Jonathan and I are.
He was born a king — literally. I was born to become invisible.
And I succeeded at it for eleven years. Until he ruined everything.
The woman stops in front of a set of double doors, nods, then leaves.
I suck in a deep, shaky breath and touch my watch.
You can do this, Aurora. You’ve gotten through worse.
I push the doors open and close them behind me before I finally raise my head.
Jonathan sits at the head of a grand table fit for all of H&H’s employees. No kidding. Does he receive the British Army in here, or something?
He’s wearing a white shirt, his sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing strong, veiny arms. He could snap me in half with those arms without even blinking.
The fact that he’s all alone reduces nothing of his majesty. He doesn’t appear lonely or even the least bit miserable. If anything, he looks every bit the tyrant king on his throne. If it were medieval times, Jonathan would be the type of monarch who orders the burning of an entire city so the others would learn a lesson and bend the knee for him.
“Well, well.” He places his elbows on the table and meets my gaze with his unreadable one. “Have you changed your mind, wild one?”
“I agree.”
“To what?”
“To the deal you offered.”
“Smart. Now sit down.”
He cuts a piece of whatever is in front of him, sure I’ll comply with his order. Jonathan pauses with the fork halfway to his mouth when I reach a hand to the zip at the side of my dress and yank it down.
The cloth pools around my feet and I stand almost naked in front of him. “Get it over with.”
12
Jonathan
Ever since I sat down for dinner, all I’ve been thinking about is how to bring Aurora to her knees.
It doesn’t matter what methods I have to use. She’s challenging me again and I’m not the type to be challenged.
Sending my driver back is a clear sign of her loathsome stubbornness. And I need to crush that stubbornness to smithereens.
So when she showed up on time on her own, I took a pause.
I don’t take pauses.
Still, here I am. Taking another pause as I stare at her pale bare skin. My gaze trails from the defiant expression on her face — no red lipstick today — to the jutting of her nose and the slight crease in her chin.