A Royal Rival
1014 Words
Livvy glided up, kissing my cheek. I smelled her perfume, familiar and intoxicating. Alex took her hand and brushed his lips across it.
"Livvy, stunning as always. I was just getting to know your new husband. I must say, you have excellent taste." He winked at me.
"Well I won't monopolize him," Livvy giggled. "I'll let you gentlemen chat."
As she swanned off, the prince turned to me with an eager expression. "Now Damien, tell me how you and Livvy met!"
I flushed, scrambling for an answer. Somehow 'I married her for the trust fund' didn't seem appropriate.
"It was arranged by our families," I said finally. "But sometimes arrangements work out for the best." I thought of our moonlit honeymoon tryst.
"I'm thrilled to see Livvy so happy," Alex said. "She deserves the world."
There was an unmistakable note of longing in his voice. I struggled to maintain a polite smile.
"Forgive me, but you two seem quite...familiar," I said carefully.
Alex laughed. "Known each other since childhood. We were always close growing up. Some thought we'd wed one day, but fate had other plans."
My jaw clenched. Other plans indeed.
"In fact, now that Livvy is spoken for, my parents are pressuring me to find a bride," he continued. "Perhaps I'll take a page from your book and try an arranged match."
I gritted my teeth. The prince's attitude was positively galling. But I couldn't lose my composure.
We made stilted small talk until Livvy rejoined us. She and Alex reminisced about summers spent together long ago. He made her laugh in a way I never could. Witnessing their easy rapport, I felt our connection fading.
This wasn't about business anymore. Losing Livvy's affection scared me more than losing the trust fund. I had to act fast.
I feigned a headache and Livvy offered to take me home early. As we waited for the car, I pulled her into an alleyway.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, hazel eyes wide.
"I just needed a moment alone with my wife," I murmured. I brought my mouth down on hers hungrily. She responded with equal fervor, her body pressed tightly to mine. I felt dizzy.
When we finally broke apart, Livvy caressed my face. "What's gotten into you tonight?"
"Nothing, nothing...I just missed you," I said breathlessly.
She smiled. "Let's get you home."
Lying in bed that night, Livvy slept soundly beside me. I envied her tranquility. My mind raced with doubt.
Livvy and the prince obviously had history I could never compete with. If she still loved him, our marriage was a ticking time bomb. I had to neutralize the threat.
But Alexander was untouchable now. Killing a prince came with consequences too severe even for me. No, I needed a new strategy, one that ensured Livvy stayed loyal to me.
I recalled the alleyway kiss and the passion that still simmered between us. Perhaps all was not lost. But I couldn't rely on passion alone.
There had to be a way to guarantee Livvy would choose me over Alexander. I would find it, no matter the cost. She was my wife, and I wasn't letting go without a fight.
I drifted off, resolved to visit an old friend the next day. Someone with particular skills for delicate problems like these. Underhanded as it may be, with her help, Livvy would stay right where she belonged.
My dreams turned to Livvy's smiling face as I held her in my arms. But behind her, I saw Alexander lurking in the shadows, waiting to steal her away.
A sense of uneasy dread lingered as I woke. Today, I had work to do.
POV of the drug lord:
After a restless night, I woke with a singular focus - I needed to erase Prince Alexander from my wife's heart, no matter the tactics required. Livvy still slept soundly as I slipped out of bed and prepared to visit an old friend from my enterprise's shadowy days.
Madame Renard was known for two skills: poison and potions. I drove to her ramshackle cottage on the edge of the city, my hands clenching the wheel.
She answered the door in a threadbare dressing gown, her graying hair wild around her wizened face.
"Mr. West. What an unexpected pleasure," she crooned.
"Madame Renard. I require your special talents."
Her eyes glinted knowingly as she waved me inside. The cottage smelled of herbs and musty old magic.
Settling into a moth-eaten armchair, I wasted no time. "I need you to concoct a potion that will ensure my wife only has eyes for me. That will erase any lingering...affection for old flames."
Madame Renard raised one thin brow. "Trouble in paradise already, Mr. West? Potion brewing is dangerous business. Meddling with love never ends well."
I slammed my fist down, rattling the tea cups.
"I don't pay you for ethics lessons. Can you brew it or not?" I demanded.
She held my gaze coolly. "Of course. But the ingredients will be...exotic. Expect a high price."
I tossed a thick roll of cash onto the table. "Start brewing."
Madame Renard pocketed the money with a grin, revealing blackened teeth. "Young love. Always so impatient."
I left the cottage, my nerves on edge. But soon Livvy would be mine, in heart as well as legality.
At home, I found Livvy sipping coffee on the veranda. She smiled brightly as I sat down.
"Sorry I rushed out early. Had an important errand," I said, pouring myself a mug.
"Anything exciting?"
I waved dismissively. "Boring financial matters."
We chatted aimlessly, but my responses were distracted. I kept replaying images of Livvy dancing with the prince, their easy affection. Soon, I reassured myself. Soon the potion will fix everything.
"Oh, I nearly forgot!" Livvy exclaimed. "Prince Alexander invited us sailing today - won't that be fun?"
My mug froze halfway to my lips. Sailing? With Livvy and the smitten prince confined on a boat for hours? Over my dead body.
But refusal would raise Livvy's suspicions. I forced a smile.
"Of course, darling. I can hardly wait."
- Writer
