3. Luca

CHAPTER 3

LUCA

I leave the conference room with long strides, fighting the urge to turn around and go back in — but not for the interview.

Instead, I want to spend more time with that captivating journalist. More time drinking in her brown, doe-like eyes. More time having her study me with that scrutinizing gaze…

Yes, I understand that if only I had acquiesced and gone along with the interview, I would have gotten more time with Hailey. But the whole thing felt like a charade, utterly pointless. I couldn’t stand sitting in there humiliating myself any further.

Shaking my head, I try to focus on the task at hand — avoiding my father. He’s somewhere in this hotel, and if I see him right now I might explode. So I set off briskly down a random hallway, keeping my eyes peeled for guards.

Of course I run straight into my father as I round the corner. He frowns, bushy grey eyebrows drawing together.

“Shouldn’t you be in that interview, Luca?” he asks, tone dripping with disapproval.

I sigh, shoving my hands in my pockets. “It wasn’t going anywhere. She just wanted to talk about my becoming king and what I like to do for hobbies.”

My father’s scowl deepens. “As she should. You’ll be king someday, yet you refuse to take your duties seriously.”

Anger bubbles up in me. “How am I supposed to take them seriously when you won’t even let me sit in on the council meetings?” I demand. “I want real responsibilities, not just waving to crowds.”

“You’re not ready!” he snaps.

I scoff and shake my head. “You set that interview up because you wanted to distract me, didn’t you? You wanted me to feel like I was actually doing something for once, so that I would stop asking you to give me some real responsibilities.”

My father’s face remains impassive, giving nothing away. But I know him too well. I know the way his eyes twitch slightly to the left — a tell of his discomfort. “Luca, that isn’t true.”

“You’re lying,” I spit out, my words echoing through the long corridor.

There’s a small moment of silence as we stand off, father and son lost in a power struggle. Then, his gaze hardens.

“That’s enough, Luca,” he says sternly. “You’re behaving like a child.”

“A child? You’re the one treating me like a child!” The words burst from my lips before I can stop them.

“Then stop acting like one,” he retorts, with an amount of control that makes me hate him.

It’s not the first time we’ve locked horns, but something about this time feels more momentous, like we’re both finally speaking the things that we’ve wanted to say for years.

“I’m thirty.” I slap my hand with the other one. “I have a degree in business from one of the best schools in the world. I’ve grown up watching you make deals and make peace. What else could I possibly have to learn?”

My voice is higher than I want it to be. I don’t want to shout, but it’s getting harder and harder to slow this maelstrom down.

“Your… mother…” His upper lip trembles.

Oh, no. Not the “your mother” card.

She died when I was so young that I don’t even remember her. Father doesn’t talk about her much, but even after all these years, he clearly reveres her. He never married again; to my knowledge, he never even dated another woman again.

Because no one could compare to her.

It’s romantic, really. Except for when that reverence gets in the way of my life.

“She didn’t want you to be pushed into the crown,” Father says. “She asked me to keep you out of it for as long as possible.”

I shake my head. “What? Why?”

“Because it’s an all-encompassing commitment, Son. She knew that, and she wanted you to enjoy your youth for as long as you could.”

“Then why am I here?” I grip the roots of my hair in frustration. “You asked me to come.”

“True. You need to see some of what I do. Your preparations to be king cannot wait until twenty years from now.”

I don’t get it. He’s trying to prepare me to be king, and yet he also doesn’t want to trust me with anything important.

“Do you think I can’t do it?” I stare flatly at him, anger boiling beneath my skin.

“Do what?” His eyebrows knit together, but he knows what I’m talking about — and he knows that I know it.

“Be king.” My voice cracks. “You think I’m not good enough, don’t you?”

We glare at each other, at an impasse. I know I’m a disappointment to him, but I wish he’d just give me a chance to prove myself.

I’m about to stalk off when I notice the journalist at the end of the hall, watching us with wide eyes. Great. She’s heard everything. Just what I need — more bad press.

“I’ll see you at dinner.” My father turns around and walks off, leaving my heart to crack in two.

Suddenly, he stops walking and looks over his shoulder, though his eyes don’t meet mine. “You are not a disappointment, Son. You never could be.”

That wrings my chest, though I don’t exactly know why. He walks away without another word, and I storm over to the woman, irritation simmering.

“Is that what you wanted?” I ask sharply. “A scoop on how the crown prince doesn’t want to be king?”

She holds up her hands, eyes still wide. “No, no, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I was just looking for a bathroom. I got tea on my skirt when I… I spilled…”

“The tea?” I scoff, and then — in an unexpected moment — we’re both smiling at each other.

“Isn’t that what journalists do?” she says, grinning.

“Apparently you’re the best there is.”

“Not really.” She sighs. “I’m about to walk back to my office without a story.”

I rake a hand through my hair, the mention of our failed interview bringing back my frustration. “Well, now you’ve got plenty of material for your story. ‘Prince Luca Is Immature Child, Disappoints Nation.’”

To my surprise, she shakes her head. “I won’t write any of that. Look, why don’t you let me show you around the city this afternoon? Get out of the hotel for a bit. In return, I’ll write a glowing piece about how dedicated you are to connecting with the people. Maybe, once your father reads that, he’ll see you in a new light.”

I blink, caught off guard by her offer. She gazes at me steadily, and I find myself noticing how her brown eyes sparkle, how the sunlight catches on her wavy chestnut hair. Spending the day with a beautiful woman does sound better than being cooped up here.

“You want to show me around, Ms. Warren?” I ask slowly.

She nods, a small smile playing on her lips. “Please, call me Hailey. I know all the best places. I’ll plan an amazing itinerary if you let me.”

I can’t help but grin, intrigued. Maybe this interview isn’t a total wash after all.

I raise an eyebrow, playing along. “Okay, then, impress me. What’s on this amazing itinerary of yours?”

Hailey’s face lights up. She ticks off places on her fingers as she talks. “First, we’ll go to the farmers market and try all the fresh pastries and fruit. Then we can walk through Central Park, and I’ll show you the pond with the sailboats and Bethesda Fountain. Oh! We should also stop by the museum and take in some history and culture. Ooh, and I know where to get the best pizza in the whole city. Do you like pizza?”

She pauses for a breath, looking at me expectantly. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and I laugh.

“Okay, okay, that actually does sound like fun,” I admit. “And yes, I do like pizza. Who doesn’t?”

Hailey smiles brightly. “Right?”

I nod, my earlier frustration melting away. Maybe I’ve been too quick to dismiss Hailey. She seems genuinely interested in showing me a nice time, and if she writes a great story about me, that could get my country’s people on my side. And once I have more citizens supporting me for something other than my six-pack or expensive smile, perhaps that will convince my father to give me real duties.

“Shall we get going, then?” I ask, offering her my arm in an exaggerated royal gesture.

Hailey laughs and takes my arm. “Let’s do this.”

I feel lighter already as we walk down the hallway together. A day spent with a lovely lady and no one managing my every move? Sign me up.

We round the corner, arm in arm and chatting easily, and I spot a group of suited royal guards headed our way.

Crap . If they see me trying to sneak out, they’ll drag me right back to my father.

Without thinking, I grab Hailey’s hand and yank open the nearest door, pulling us both inside. It’s a storage closet, tiny and cramped with shelves and boxes.

Hailey stumbles into me with a little “oh!” and I catch her around the waist. We stand frozen like that, chest to chest in the dark closet. I’m very aware of her body pressed against mine, soft and warm. She smells really nice too, like vanilla and jasmine.

My heart is pounding wildly, but I don’t know why. I’ve been this close to many women, many times, and yet… there’s something different about right now.

My arms are still around her and I can’t seem to make them let go. Hailey looks up at me with those big doe eyes, surprise and something else in her expression.

The sound of footsteps fades past the closet. The guards are gone, but we remain locked in this intimate embrace. The air feels electric. Hailey’s lips part slightly as her breathing quickens. Without thinking, I start to lean in…

No. What am I doing? I release her abruptly and turn away. “Uh, we—we should go. Coast is clear now.”

I open the closet door and step out, feeling dazed. Hailey follows behind me, straightening her clothes.

She gives me a tentative smile and nods down the hall. “This way. Come on. I know a back route we can take. It’s where they let the press in for conferences.”

I let her lead, trying to shake off the intoxicating effect being so close to her caused. It’s odd. I barely know this girl.

But still… I sneak a glance at her as we slip out of the hotel, appreciating her confident walk and her soft profile. Maybe I’d like to get to know her better after all.