A Love that Endures 2
Page 28
Of course, it’d all be worth it in the end. And soon she’d be able to shrug David off entirely and fry the bigger fish.
“Did David say anything about her?” Cassie asked, trying to rouse Katy at least a bit.
But Katy simply stared ahead.
Cassie was getting annoyed. She had gone far out of her way to get this story to the presses so quickly, and now Katy wasn’t even going to give her a good reaction? If only the princess knew that she was witnessing the culmination of months of work.
Cassie gave a gentle sigh. “Well, I guess he wouldn’t. To keep you from getting too suspicious.”
“He did tell me about her,” Katy finally answered.
“Oh?”
“He just said Yvette was an ex. That she was vindictive and jealous. That she might try to lie to hurt us,” Katy went on. Her tone and expression never changed from sad, boring nothingness.
“Well, I guess now we know why he said that. To make you doubt her when she did come forward.”
Poor, stupid David. He’s right, of course. Yvette is a vindictive bitch through and through. Probably why she was so willing to help me out for such a paltry sum.
Katy nodded. “I just don’t understand. Why would she come out with this now?”
“Well,” Cassie lied, “David did get quite the surge in fame after that photo scandal. Maybe she wanted to cash in on it—you know how it is. People will do anything for money.” Really, anything.
Katy closed her eyes. “And the evidence is that clear-cut? I mean . . . there couldn’t be some sort of mistake?”
Oh, this is too good.
“You can see the emails, if you want. But I don’t know if you want to, Katy. They’re pretty graphic.”
Cassie had made sure of that. When Yvette had sold her tell-all story about her affair with Princess Katerina’s Harvard fling to the press, Cassie had worked with her to fabricate some photo and textual evidence. They had even managed to get David’s “responses” sent from his official Harvard email address—responses that had contained some debaucherously imaginative rhetoric. It had been quite fun to plan and execute, actually. Under other circumstances, she could see herself being good friends with Yvette. They’d worked quite well together.
Katy looked down. “I feel like I have to.”
Cassie could barely suppress her grin now. Ah, the wonders of basic reverse psychology. She’d been hoping Katy would want to see the emails. She had it all prepared on her tablet for this very event!
She placed her tablet, with a seedy gossip blog post pulled up on its screen, gingerly in Katy’s hands and studied her face as she read. Cassie knew exactly what Katy was seeing. Cheesy lines right out of a smutty paperback novel, a tawdry story of how David lusted after Yvette and missed every inch of her—and just what he was going to do to her when he saw her. With deep satisfaction, she read one of “David’s” emails over her cousin’s shoulder: “I can’t wait to get you alone again and kiss every inch of you . . .”
After just a few seconds, Katy blushed a deep crimson and shoved the tablet back toward her.
What? Was he a little less passionate in his language with you, Princess?
“That’s enough,” Katy said softly. The redness of her face had faded to a color that could almost be described as green.
“I’m sorry, Katy,” Cassie replied dutifully. “I know how you feel—you shouldn’t have to go through reading all of that. I just can’t believe he was able to meet her in a Boston hotel last month. Can you imagine how much planning had to go into that, just for one night of infidelity?”
She’d been waiting so long to say this kind of thing. She couldn’t resist twisting the knife a bit more.
“He probably even texted you that he loved you that night and again the next morning. While Yvette was still there. What a bastard.”
“Do you have the pictures, too?” Katy breathed.
Better even than the letters, Cassie and Yvette had staged some absolutely damning evidence that was now plastered across magazines and websites: screenshots of security camera footage. Yvette entering the hotel, her long, dark hair streaming behind her, with David walking in closely thereafter: or rather, a man who looked impossibly like David from the back. Same build, same clothes. He’d even gotten his hair done to match.
Cassie nodded, feigning sympathy. She’d been feigning sympathy with Katy for so long that it wasn’t even hard, though her glee at how all this was going down was making it the most challenging acting she’d done in months. She pulled up the grainy, black-and-white pictures of Yvette and “David.” It really did look exactly like him. And she’d only had to pay the model in references!
Katy started to chew on her lip, her eyes blank and still. She looked almost catatonic. But, to her credit, only one lone, lost, pathetic tear slowly escaped her—and only when she’d been faced with the security camera footage itself. Maybe after getting “cheated on” so many times, she was finally toughening up. If so, good for her.
But Cassie doubted that. Katy had always been a lovesick little girl at heart, too beloved by her subjects and a revolving door of eligible bachelors to see reason. And with David, she’d been the most naïve and romantic of all. Despite only knowing the guy for a few months! But Katy always had been the type to believe in dumb things like true love and soulmates.
Which was why she’d make a terrible ruler. And why David was now doomed to rot in prison for a few years, thanks to some corrupt, easy-to-sway cops and his fortuitous visit to South America. And Cassie was going to get away with it scot-free, since by now all the evidence against her had been destroyed. No jury in the world would believe David’s insane ramblings now—even less so with all of these unsavory stories hitting the gossip mags.
“That’s him,” Katy said softly, staring down at the pictures.
Cassie nodded and put her tablet away, “rescuing” her cousin from the pain. “Maybe this explains why you couldn’t get through to him, Katy. He wasn’t who we thought. He was busy building up his business with his father and carrying on this side relationship with his ex. I’m so sorry, hon. It hurts me to see you this way.”
But it’ll hurt you much worse, in the end. You can bet on that.
“I think I need to be alone for a little while, Cass,” Katy said under her breath.
Cassie nodded in mock support. “Take all the time you need, Katy. And, of course, I’ll be here when you’re ready to talk. I’m so sorry you have to go through this. Again.”
Katy nodded and stood slowly, before walking dejectedly out of the parlor. Probably to go cry in a heap on her big, posh bed.
When she was gone, Cassie allowed herself a quiet chuckle. It really was too perfect. Not only did she have Katy fooled now, even the king and queen were eating out of her hand.
When they’d heard the news about Katy’s steamy photos leaking, they’d been furious with her. They accused her of contributing to their darling daughter’s American impurity. But Cassie had feigned surprise.
“It was David! He’s corrupted Katy. And now he must’ve sold her out, too!”
And those fools had bought it! As if David was cunning enough to make everything happen. It was Cassie who’d had to buy out a paparazzo and then send Katy’s coordinates to him. It was Cassie who had figured out that they could “work around” the copyright transfer by having the photographer lose the memory card, so that they could be sold without his involvement.
Not that Cassie or her fancy alias had needed the money. But it wasn’t about material things.
It was about the joys of watching her prim, perfect cousin fail. And in that way, she’d had to take a bit of a gamble with the photos being released in the first place. Because Katy had to get engaged for Cassie to get the title that her aunt and uncle had promised. And who would want to marry a tainted princess?
But, luckily for Cassie, she’d gotten to have her spot of fun. Because she knew the queen—that woman was so desperate to marry off her wayward child, she had alread
y secured some still-interested suitors. Katy would undoubtedly be picking from their lot soon, now that David was going to be put away and the princess’s rebellious spirit had finally been broken.
And once Katy was engaged, the king and queen would start treating Cassie like the great “friend to the crown” that she was. She’d finally get the respect and admiration that she deserved—as Duchess Cassandra of Lorria.
But little did they know, that just wasn’t enough anymore.
Cassie stood and began to walk through the long parlor. It had always been one of her favorite rooms in the royal summer home, mostly because it was lined with humongous portraits of Lorria’s past royals. When Cassie had just been the worthless young cousin of Lorria’s precious jewel, she’d strolled through the room and imagined what it would be like to see her portrait on those hallowed walls one day.
But now that she was older, it was all but guaranteed to become a reality.
She was lucky to live in a place like Lorria, after all. Lorria had that ever-so-convenient rule that stated that only a king and queen could rule. Unmarried people were ineligible. And that included widows and widowers.
Unluckily for the king and queen. Because once Cassie got her title, she planned to use it to find a suitor as soon as possible. After a whirlwind engagement and marriage, while Katy was still dragging her feet or making wedding plans during her own engagement, Cassie would be next in line to the throne since her parents were over the age limit for a coronation.
If something were to befall the king or queen, that was. And Cassie had a sneaking suspicion that something tragic would befall them.
And then Cassie would be the pitiful, overlooked cousin no more.
She’d be queen.
Ready for the final book?
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading the second installment of David and Katy’s trilogy. If it kept you turning the pages, please consider leaving a review! I’d be grateful :)
A Love that Endures 3 is the final book in their journey, and it releases July 30th, 2019.
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Thank you for following their story through to the end. I’ll do my very best to make it worthwhile.
Love,
Bella
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Read more by Bella Forrest
A LOVE THAT ENDURES TRILOGY
A Love that Endures
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3
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The Gender Plan (Book 6)
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THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK
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The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
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Venturers (Book 4)
Traitors (Book 5)
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Invaders (Book 7)
Stargazers (Book 8)
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Zero Hour (Book 6)
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A Shade of Blood (Book 2)
A Castle of Sand (Book 3)
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A Blaze of Sun (Book 5)
A Gate of Night (Book 6)
A Break of Day (Book 7)
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A Shade of Novak (Book 8)
A Bond of Blood (Book 9)
A Spell of Time (Book 10)
A Chase of Prey (Book 11)
A Shade of Doubt (Book 12)
A Turn of Tides (Book 13)
A Dawn of Strength (Book 14)
A Fall of Secrets (Book 15)
An End of Night (Book 16)
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A Wind of Change (Book 17)
A Trail of Echoes (Book 18)
A Soldier of Shadows (Book 19)
A Hero of Realms (Book 20)
A Vial of Life (Book 21)
A Fork of Paths (Book 22)
A Flight of Souls (Book 23)
A Bridge of Stars (Book 24)
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A World of New (Book 26)
A Web of Lies (Book 27)
A Touch of Truth (Book 28)
An Hour of Need (Book 29)
A Game of Risk (Book 30)
A Twist of Fates (Book 31)
A Day of Glory (Book 32)
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A Dawn of Guardians (Book 33)
A Sword of Chance (Book 34)
A Race of Trials (Book 35)
A King of Shadow (Book 36)
An Empire of Stones (Book 37)
A Power of Old (Book 38)
A Rip of Realms (Book 39)
A Throne of Fire (Book 40)
A Tide of War (Book 41)
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A House of Mysteries (Book 43)
A Tangle of Hearts (Book 44)
A Meet of Tribes (Book 45)
A Ride of Peril (Book 46)
A Passage of Threats (Book 47)
A Tip of Balance (Book 48)
A Shield of Glass (Book 49)
A Clash of Storms (Book 50)
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A Valley of Darkness (Book 52)
A Hunt of Fiends (Book 53)
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A Snare of Vengeance (Book 58)
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For an updated list of Bella’s books, please visit her website: www.bellaforrest.net
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