Loving my Forbidden Prince

Past the destination.

I jolted, immediately pasting a wide smile on my face. While she sauntered gracefully towards us, Julia and I exchanged a quick, knowing glance … a silent agreement that the conversation would have to end here. I didn’t want Irina anywhere near Julia’s desk.

“I was beginning to think you’d completely abandoned your schedule,” She drawled in a chic American accent.

“I'm sorry Ms. Irina," I said quickly, keeping my voice as cheerful as I could muster. “I was delayed by traffic,”

“Hmm.” She gave Julia a polite wave before turning back to me. “We have a lot to discuss,” she said, making a turn in the direction of the elevator. “We’ll talk on the way to the office,”

“Yes ma'am,” I answered politely, following her every step.

“You have two meetings with clients tomorrow and Friday,” she continued briskly as her red ponytail bounced in my face with every step. By the time we reached the elevator, I was exhausted with the fact that she had greeted half the floor with her usual chorus of “Hiiiii” and “You look gorgeous!”

Once the elevator doors closed behind us, her tone sharpened.

“You need to be careful with Julia,” she warned. “She sticks her nose in everybody’s business.”

“I know,” I murmured, nodding my head.

But what I really understood was that if Julia had figured out I spent that night with the Prince of Denmark, then there was a huge chance Nina knew about it as well. No wonder she's been all snappy at me this week. I hadn’t meant to keep anything from her, but I also hadn’t told the Prince to rate me instead of her. And Ms Irina was too hungry for a promotion, and was definitely not letting that opportunity slip through her fingers.

In a few minutes, we were in our office. It had Ms Irina's work area, a walk-in closet, a small sitting area propped up with plush sofas and a glass table, and a large mahogany bookshelf. It was in the early days of November, and winter was gradually setting in, but Ms Irina was addicted to high levels of air conditioning. The chilly air from the vents seared through my bones, and I shuddered silently beneath my coat, wrapping it tighter over my body.

“Our battle paid off,” She beamed brightly at me as I sat across her desk. “You are officially a five-star holder,”

I was thrilled by the news because it meant more money, a huge upgrade, and a new promotion. But my excitement died down as I realised that my friendship with Nina was at stake.

“And Nina?” I asked quietly.

“Well,” she said, leaning back as she sipped water from a glass. “Her team couldn't argue much in the board meeting, as what their partner did was completely illegal, enough to get anyone fired if she were a normal person like you,”

I stared at her in silence. I should’ve kept pretending to be Nina that night. Ms Irina must’ve seen the lines of worried concern visible on my face, because her voice became softer, as if trying to reassure me.

“Look, it all came out when the client insisted on giving you the five-star rating. I know you’ve been covering for her clients for a while, and she’s been taking the credit. She's a record holder for five consecutive five-star ratings every year. A true friend would be happy for you, not fighting you.”

“Okay,” I breathed out, feeling weak in my knees.

My head throbbed from Julia's warning, Irina's updates and now Nina’s issues.

I decided I’d talk to Julia after work, and afterwards stop by Nina’s penthouse in Beverly Hills. I needed to change my clothes and, hopefully, find a way to make peace with her.

*

After four long hours of intense prepping for my upcoming client meetings, reviewing my new contract for my promotion, and handling all the extra responsibilities that came with being an escort, Ms Irina finally decided to call it a day. I waited until I was sure she was gone before I bolted to the reception area. But to my surprise, Julia wasn’t at her desk. Her things were still there, which meant she had probably just stepped out. I waited for thirty minutes, but she was a no-show. There was no sign of her.

A feeling of frustration and unease welled up in me as I glanced at my watch. It was almost 8 p.m, and I lived all the way in Westlake, which was nearly a two-hour trip from the agency, especially since I had to stop by Nina’s place first. I scribbled down Julia’s phone number and booked a cab to Beverly Hills.

As I stepped out into the busy street, my phone rang. It was Michael. I picked it up.

“Hey,”

“Was starting to think your coven of witches wouldn't close on time,” he joked, then his tone shifted. “Are you coming home tonight?”

“Of course, we’ve got school tomorrow,” I responded, my eyes scanning the streets for the cab I booked.

“What's for dinner?”

“You mean mom isn't home yet?” I asked, frowning.

“She was, but none of us were home. She left a note on the fridge,” he said sounding worried, then with an inch of disgust. “There are tons of canned soups in the freezer,”

“Bloody hell,” I muttered just as I spotted a cab approaching me. I raised my hand, and it pulled up in front of me.

“Ingrid?” my brother pushed impatiently.

I opened the cab door as I spoke. “Defrost the cans, I'll grab pasta and pizza on my way home,”

His mood lifted instantly. “What are we celebrating?”

“Oh shut up,” I rolled my eyes as I slid into the vehicle and closed the door gently behind me. The cab's interior smelled faintly of old, overworn leather. Eww.

“I'll be waiting,” he said cheerfully, before hanging up.

“Wait—” I squealed, but it was too late. I wanted to ask him about the note Mom had left behind. Apart from my issues, Mom has been oddly scarce lately. I hadn’t seen her with my own eyes in over a week. My brother claimed he saw her briefly yesterday, but he was too clueless to ask the right questions.

A terrible thought had begun to take root in my mind that Mom was hiding something big or major from us. Maybe she’d lost her job and was doing everything she could to keep us from falling apart and destabilising. If that was the case, I could help a little from my savings. With my recent promotion, I could work things out for a while. I was offered a mini vacation in Malibu, but I had personally requested Ms Irina to monetise the offer after I realised how much this vacation would cost. Seventy thousand dollars was no joke.

My thoughts drifted back to Julia's warning, and the dreadful feeling that I'd suppressed all afternoon clawed its way back up to my chest. What did they want? Who were they? I was never competing for him, if that was what they thought. It had been one secret, meaningless night that would've cost me my job. I was just a girl trying to get into college.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice we had passed the Beverly Hills neighbourhood. This was the exact destination I’d booked online. How could the driver miss it?

“Excuse me sir?” I called out, the irritation very clear in my voice. “We were supposed to stop in Beverly Hills?”

Oddly, there was no response. Instead, the car accelerated in speed. The hairs behind my neck stood up.

“Excuse me sir?!” I shouted this time, in panic. With my heart slamming against my ribcage, I reached forward and smacked my hand against the driver's shoulder. What I discovered made my blood run cold.