Bought by the billionaire prince

Chapter4

The Crown Beneath the Bed

"You have something to conceal. And I can't ignore it because I'm too intrigued.

Scott Audrey stood in front of the tall black door, which didn't look like it belonged in a Manhattan apartment but rather in a science fiction film. Her body was scanned by a blue light. There's no need to knock. There was no sound as the door slid open.

She muttered to herself, "Creepy," and went inside.Jules Bastian was waiting already.Wearing slacks and a black sweater, he stood at the edge of the entryway. He still managed to look like a king or queen. Her first clue should have come from that fact alone.

Scott, however, wasn't looking at him. In the area surrounding her, they were drinking.Accents of gold glistened from the corners. Her booted feet gleamed off the black marble floors. The far side of the space had a massive glass wall that painted the skyline of Manhattan.

The silence was too much. As if no one had ever laughed at it.Her voice was bright but tinged with uneasiness as she turned slowly. You don't live in an apartment, all right. You reside in the lair of a Bond villain.His mouth quirked. "It's not a date."

Her head was c****d. "All right. since I forgot to pack alcohol. However, I did apply mascara. Thus, it is still a date in theory."Noted," he replied, his gaze lingering a bit longer than normal as it swept over her face.He left. Her heart was beating more quickly than she wanted to acknowledge as she followed.

The kitchen was quiet, streamlined, and nearly sterile. It appeared to be a showroom rather than a dining establishment. Naturally, Jules moved with accuracy, arranging the food as if she were a personal chef. The potatoes, steak, and greens are all perfectly balanced. Not a single element is out of place.

As she sat down on one of the tall leather stools, she reiterated, "This isn't a date, but it sure tastes like one."It wasn't a date, I said. I didn't say that my food isn't good.

She chewed into it. "I don't want to know what you do for friends if this is how you treat your enemies."Jules didn't chuckle. He didn't appear chilly, though. Simply put, cautious.They didn't talk as they ate. stillness that buzzed with things neither of them could say, not unpleasant stillness.Scott surveyed the area. tidy. well-prepared. polished.

Overly polished. "Do you know what's missing from this place?" she asked."What?""Life. character. A mess. There are no magnets on your refrigerator at all."I have a personality.""Where? What about in your walk-in closet?"No. within the safe.She chuckled. He wasn't grinning, though, when she turned to face him.

Then she saw it: something sticking out from beneath a slender console table that ran the length of the wall. There was a piece of crimson velvet, half concealed and crushed as if it had been pushed there in a haste.

Her interest grew.She got up.She was not stopped by Jules."Interesting," she remarked."I understand."Kneeling, she pulled the velvet loose.The object was a box.Old, robust, and elaborate.Her heart pounded as she hesitated for a moment.Next, she turned the latch.There was a crown within.Jeweled, gold, and silent.Actual.Like the ones you saw at royal weddings and in history books. Not a prop. Not phonies. Not jewelry for a costume.

She gasped.Before she could hear him, she sensed his presence behind her.Her voice broke. "What is this?"His expression remained the same. However, his eyes spoke for themselves.She made up a chuckle. A movie thing, isn't it? Prop?Jules remained silent. didn't blinked. He gazed at her so intently that she thought her skin may come off.

"Scott, drop it," he murmured quietly.The space became chilly.She closed the box. With caution. Gently. As if it were about to blow up.She didn't look at him when she stood up. She had a dry throat.She said, "You said this wasn't a date." "However, it feels like I entered the final scene of a really dramatic fairy tale."

"Fairy tales," Jules declared. "Just secrets."She gave him a stern look. "Yours?""Every one of them."Her appetite gone, she returned to the kitchen island and picked at her plate.Now there was more quiet."Are you... a prince or something?" she inquired.His fork hesitated."At least something," he said.In the pause between them, her chuckle sounded incorrect.He was not amused.Her smile vanished. Jules, I'm kidding. You are free to chuckle.He looked her in the eye. "You laugh too much with your eyes."

She gazed. And don't laugh at all, yours.They looked at each other. In the silence, a storm."I'm not attempting to engage in combat," she muttered."You fight all the time.""Because you're constantly hiding."He felt something flinch.However, he did not respond.The quiet dragged on once more. The gentle jazz melody playing in the background seemed to fill the void left by their statements.

At last, Scott got up. "I appreciate the dinner."Jules trailed behind her to the exit.She grabbed the handle. He took her hand.She stopped breathing.His voice was low as he questioned, "Why do you keep pushing?"Her chest rose and fell quickly as she turned. "Because you continue to draw me in."He took a step forward.The door struck her back.

He reached for her waist.Her heart pounded.His gaze grew gloomy.She could feel the heat of his breath because their faces were so near.She muttered, "Jules.""I shouldn't.""But you'd like to."His mouth lingered close to hers. Only a breath away.She said, "Do it."However, he retreated. The jaw tightened. As if he had just lost a battle with himself.

"No."Like a razor, the word plummeted.Stunned, she gazed at him. I was hurt. Perplexed."Good night, Scott."He pulled the door open.She left without saying anything.Her chest burnt outside. It was painful.Why was she so desperate for a kiss?

She detested him.Did she not?Jules went back inside to the velvet box.I opened it.gazed at the headpiece.He had been cautioned by Raina.Scott Audrey poses a threat.However, he had no fear of what she would do to him.What he was already prepared to give her scared him.

His cell rang.Teddy's message.They are now inquiring about her. You must make a decision.His fingers clenched around the table's edge.The light shone on the crown.And he felt more burdene

d than ever by the weight of his future.