She was being an idiot. More of one than he deserved.
Frustrated, she ruthlessly tore open the envelope, the paper splitting open in jagged tatters. Inside, there was a single sheet of paper with the same slanting, masculine handwriting. She steeled herself, ignoring the twist of her stomach, and read the short message.
Serenity,
I hope you will understand that I am fully aware of the pain this letter may cause you. I am sorrier for that than you may believe.
You may have heard of my betrothal to Lydia Koettis, the daughter of our prime minister. I will say no more and trust in your memory from our past conversations to fill in the rest of what I want you to know about that.
To be brief, Lydia has asked me to reach out to you about designing her wedding dress. She is a fan of your work and is very insistent that she doesn’t want anyone else to make her gown. I don’t expect you to agree, but I was obligated to ask.
Regardless of your decision, please know that I hope you are well and happy. And know that I have not forgotten a moment of our time together, though I often wish I could.
Alex
Serenity sat staring at it in shock. “Hah! As if I would. How dare he ask me!” She crumpled the paper into a wad and hurled it against the wall, incensed that doing so didn’t assuage her need for violence. If only she could get ahold of him instead, she would… she would…
“What did he ask you?” Jade asked, her voice cautious but sympathetic.
“Remember that lady who keeps sending requests for me to design her wedding gown? The high-maintenance one who thinks that the number of people following her on Instagram entitles her to my time and attention?”
“Sounds like a lot of our clients.”
Any other time, Serenity would have laughed at that, but at the moment, she was too mad. “Her name was Lydia. It has to be the same one. And it turns out that she’s Alex’s fiancée!”
“No!”
“Yes. And he actually wrote to ask me to design her dress. How cruel can he be?”
Jade shook her head. “He would marry someone like that. Proves that I was right about him. He’s an idiot, and you’re better off without him.”
Serenity didn’t answer. She remembered what her life had been like before meeting him—a constant, relentless push to build a successful design career while feeling more and more alone. Then Alex––or Alexios, she supposed––had stumbled into her life at a charity dinner, and for a time, all her empty places had filled with magic.
Jade had been a witness to many of their interactions, since Alex had often come to the studio. She was a surprisingly quiet person for someone whose physical appearance was so loud— something Serenity was always working with her on—but she’d made her opinions on a certain Prince Charming very clear.
The silence in the room was too full of Serenity’s heartache. Jade broke it with forced enthusiasm. “Look at this velvet. It’s so soft that it’s like you aren’t even touching it. And such a deep purple. Wouldn’t this be incredible for the fall collection?” She brought the fabric over and held it out to Serenity.
Serenity ran her shaking fingers over it, feeling the silky pile. The mottled color pattern left from Jade’s fingertips blurred as tears formed in her eyes. But she had finished crying over Alex months ago. She wouldn’t fall apart again.
Taking the fabric, she unfolded it and let it fall open. She tested the weight and drape of it in her hands, falling in love with it. Flashes of ideas sparked in her mind, things she could do make with it.
“What else is in there?”
Jade smiled and turned back to dig in the box again. But even as they dug through the cotton voiles and linens and wool suiting, Serenity remained painfully aware of the crumpled letter across the room.
Lost in obsession over the fabric, compounded by her emotional state, Serenity forgot about her sandwich until her stomach rumbled. “Would you mind putting up swatches of the ones we liked on the bulletin board?” she asked Jade. “I need to eat, and we both need to get going. We have a busy day tomorrow. Ben says there are a half a dozen patterns ready for review and some muslin fittings to be done.”
“Turns out that’s the least of our problems,” a masculine voice said from across the room.
Serenity turned. Ben Martin strode across the gleaming black-tile floor towards the two women. As her creative director, he came and went in the studio, so she wasn’t surprised to see him. The look on his face, however, caught her attention.
“What’s wrong?”
He didn’t answer, just turned on the little television over one of the layout tables. As a commercial played, he said, “Daniel Travers was released from prison today.”
Serenity stared at him, desperately hoping she hadn’t just heard him say what she thought she’d heard. It was too soon. She should have had another five years before she had to worry about that.
Never, not if she lived a thousand years, would she forget the night she’d gone late to her boss’s studio to pick up a sketchbook she’d left there earlier in the day. With her head full of design ideas, she’d used her key and gone inside. But as she’d moved over to her work table, she’d stopped abruptly as her eye caught sight of bare feet hanging over the edge of the couch in the client lounge.
“Who’s there?” she’d called, unaware of the danger she’d been in.
When she hadn’t gotten an answer, she’d gone over to see for herself and found one of Travers’s new models, only seventeen years old, passed out on the couch, naked. There was a scattering of glasses and alcohol and drugs on the coffee table next to her, her arm dangled limply down to the plush area rug, and her mouth hung open. Frantic, Serenity had dropped down onto her knees to check for a pulse. It was faint, but there.
“What are you doing here?”
The sight of Daniel Travers looming over her, a tight, dangerous glint in his eyes would never leave her memory, nor would the sound of his voice as he’d warned her to leave and keep quiet if she didn’t want anything unfortunate to happen to her—and if she ever wanted to work in the fashion industry again.
And she’d run, panic deciding her action for her. But despite his threat, she had immediately called the police and watched from a dark doorway across the street as first the police and then an ambulance had arrived.
She’d had police protection up until the trial and during it because of Travers’s threats, but she’d always known the day would come when she’d have to face a life with the man free to come after her. There was a reason why she took a self-defense class every week––to keep her reflexes sharp and the moves instinctive. But that didn’t mean she was ready to face this.
“Please, no.”
Ben’s worried eyes swept over her face. “It’s going to be okay.”
She looked at him, trying to find strength in his words. But though Ben was a young, strong, dynamic sort of man…nothing could quiet the memory of Travers’s threats in her mind.
When the news came on again, the evening anchor launched right into the story. A picture of Daniel Travers came up on the screen behind the anchor, one taken from all those years ago. He was wearing an elegant tuxedo, his grey hair slicked back and both arms around a scantily dressed model. The wide smile on his face made her sick.
“We’ve just received word that Daniel Travers, the world-renowned fashion icon and designer, has been released from prison. Travers has been serving a ten-year sentence for the distribution of narcotics to minors and various counts of fraud. Travers’s lawyers state that he was released on probation due to good behavior and the completion of a rehabilitation program. The fashion world will be watching eagerly to see if he intends to resume his work as a designer.”
Jade had come over to watch with her, and Serenity realized that her assistant and friend had an arm around her shoulders. She hadn’t even noticed it. She just felt numb.
“Do you think he’ll leave me alone?” she asked.
Shaking her head, Jade sighed. “I don’t
know. But he’d better. Coming after you would be crazy stupid.”
“I don’t think he’d care. You should have seen the way he looked at me when I testified against him in court. Hatred doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
“We’ll increase our security here,” Ben said. “And it’s not like you’re a nobody anymore. You have tons of friends in the industry, and your name is almost as big as his was before everything went down. There’s power in that, and he’ll know it.”
Serenity shivered and rubbed at the chill bumps on her arms. “I might have friends, but he has more. And most of them owe him favors. You know the kinds of things I’ve had to deal with in this industry because I snitched.”
Jade squeezed her in a sideways hug. “You make it sound like the mob.”
“Certain people aren’t much different than mob bosses when it comes right down to it. And Daniel Travers is one of them.”
“Seriously?” Jade asked, glaring at the television. “He’s holding a press conference?”
Serenity wasn’t surprised. Daniel loved publicity of any kind. She just didn’t know if she could stomach watching it.
Ben turned the volume up in time for one of the reporters to ask Travers if he intended to start designing again.
“Certainly,” he said. “I don’t consider my time away wasted. I had plenty of time to focus on my work, so I’m going to hit the ground running.”
Nauseated at the sound of his voice, Serenity pulled out a chair and sat down. But she couldn’t look away. His face was more lined than Serenity remembered, his hair grayer. But his voice was just as she remembered it, the echoes of it visiting her nightmares much too frequently. She clenched her teeth against the panic swamping her.
“Do you think you’ll have a hard time breaking into the industry again with your reputation?” another reporter asked.
Daniel smirked. “No. The fashion world needs me. I’ll be welcomed back with open arms.”
Jade shook her head, her eyes fierce. “I’m sure he will be. It’s a fickle industry.”
Then one of the reporters asked a question that made Serenity sit straighter and clench her hands.
“Do you hold a grudge against Serenity Wade for reporting against you?”
“I owe Miss Wade a debt,” Daniel said in a silky tone. “Of gratitude,” he added, in a much less sincere voice. “Because of her I had a chance to clean up my life. I hope to connect with her very soon.”
“That––” Jade began, but Serenity interrupted her.
“I have to go.”
“Where?” Ben asked, turning off the television and dropping the remote onto the table.
“I don’t know. Somewhere else. Out of New York. You heard him. He’s coming for me.” She stood restlessly and went to pick up her phone from the table where she’d left it, but her hands were shaking too much to use it. She didn’t know what she was doing with it anyway. “But where? Where can I go?”
Jade pulled at her lip piercing with her teeth, a sure sign she was concentrating on something. “Cristonia.”
Serenity turned to look at her in shock. “What?”
Without saying another word, Jade went over and picked up the wadded-up letter. She carried it to Serenity and dropped it into her hand. “It’s the perfect excuse so you don’t look like you’re scared or running. And who has better security than a royal family?”
Jade made some very good points. Impossible-to-deny points. And in truth, Serenity’s first crazy, frantic thought had been to call Alex. But she couldn’t.
Or could she?
“But I can’t stay there forever, so what’s the point?”
“You know how long it can take to design and make a wedding dress like that,” Jade pointed out. “You can stretch it out for months while we figure something else out.”
Months around Alex and his fiancée?
But also months away from the constant threat of Daniel Travers. It was actually a pretty easy choice.
“Will you go with me?” she asked Jade. “Ben can handle everything here, and I’ll need someone to help me.”
“Of course,” Ben said, nodding.
Jade didn’t hesitate either. “You know I will.”
Serenity couldn’t believe she was actually planning this. But being around Alex and his Lydia couldn’t be nearly as frightening as waiting for Travers to track her down and take his revenge.
“Okay. If we’re going to do this, we’re doing it now. Can you two pack up what we’ll need over there? I’ll arrange flights for us and get the earliest flight they have.”
Chapter Three
Usually a hard work out session with his trainer was enough to work out every trace of stress or tension, but Alexios didn’t find that relief today. Even with his mind focused sharply on the task at hand, every muscle in his body taut and poised for action, a knot of tangled emotions still clung tight, distracting him. During his days serving in his country’s navy, he’d faced brutal physical training, but he’d thrived on it, appreciating the physical control it made him feel when he owned so little of the rest of his life and destiny. Since leaving the navy, he’d become lax in his workouts, but over the last few months, he’d gone at them again with a vengeance.
Since New York, a voice in the back of his mind whispered. He shoved it away.
Joseph, his trainer, stepped back with the kick pad, forcing him to take a break. “You’re bloodthirsty today.”
Alexios braced his fists at his hips and tipped his head back to catch his breath. “Just stressed.”
“More than usual, I’d say. Want to go again?”
But Alexios was done. It wasn’t doing him any good. He still couldn’t think of anything but her and the insult he’d just sent her. “No. But thanks for putting up with me.”
“Any time, sir.”
Angry with himself for his lack of control, he left to shower and dress for the day. Perhaps a long drive along the shoreline highway and a long walk on a deserted beach would be the best way to spend the day—and spare others from his foul humor.
She would have read the letter by now. He thought back to every word he’d written and how he’d agonized over them. The worst part was knowing she wouldn’t respond and he would never know her reactions. Which, of course, was probably better for him, but apparently, he had a twisted desire for torture, because he would still rather know.
His thoughts drifted again to that night. He’d attended the charity ball not because it was hosted by the mayor of New York, but because it benefitted a foundation he supported for the resettlement of war refugees. It was just supposed to be a typical patronage event. He hadn’t expected his world to be knocked off its axis.
There were hundreds of beautiful, glamorous women at that event, and not one of them was even memorable. Until he made a klutz of himself. If he had stepped on anyone else’s skirt and ripped it, he doubted they would have been as gracious and forgiving about it as Serenity had been. Her grace and humor in the awkward situation had grabbed his attention. The chemistry between them had been undeniable and had only grown stronger over the following days.
When he got to his private quarters on the western side of the palace, he kicked off his shoes and began stripping down for the shower. As he pulled his sweat-soaked shirt off his head, his phone vibrated on his desk across the room. He glared at it, considered letting it go to voicemail, and then decided to at least see who it was. But when he saw New York as the name of the contact, he froze, desperate to answer it, but his fingers stiffened at his side, unable to reach out and touch the phone. It rang again before he finally broke free from his shock and hit the button to put her on speaker.
“Serenity?”
“You sound surprised to hear from me.”
Her voice filled the air around him, transporting him from his sunny room to a concrete stoop slicked with rain under an overcast sky and looming skyscrapers. “I admit that I am.”
“Didn’t think I’d respond, did you?�
�
“No.”
“Then you’re going to be even more surprised.”
“Why?”
“I’m taking the job.”
Alexios paced in front of the window that overlooked the formal garden. “Taking it? But…why?” None of this was computing. There was something here that he was missing completely. A warning nudged the back of his mind, but he cared very little about what actual reason had prompted her to agree to the painful job. “That is…great. I assume you’ll need to meet with Lydia. Do we need to come to New York, or can we fly you here—”
“I’m already here. I’m at the airport in Laxos.”
He nearly dropped his phone. Fortunately, no one was there to see him slack-jawed and witless. “Serenity, what is going on?”
“Look, I had a narrow window of time to fit in this job, so I came right away. I can’t do anything without measurements and talking to the bride. We’ll need to stay long enough for the early fittings. Anyway, I was going to rent a car, but I realized that I probably couldn’t just pull up to the palace and convince them to let me in, so you’d better send a car for me.”
He laughed, because really, what else could he do? It was just like Serenity to unsettle everything. She was the kind of woman who made things happen. “I’ll send one now. I’d come myself, but I don’t want to cause a disturbance at the airport.”
“You mean you don’t want to be seen picking up a woman who isn’t your fiancée.”
Alexios clenched his jaw a second. “Yes.”
“I understand perfectly. I know how careful of appearances you are.”
There it was, the thorn of bitterness he’d been expecting. “When you get here, you and I are going to have a chat.”
After a few long seconds, Serenity answered, “No doubt we will. By the way, I’ve brought my assistant, and we’ll need a workroom of some kind. That is, if we can stay there. If not, I’ll get a hotel, but…”
Alexios closed his eyes. No, he wanted to keep her as close as possible. He really was a glutton for punishment. “Of course you’ll stay at the palace. And you can have anything you need. See you soon.”
Saved by the Prince Page 2