The Proposal Problem: A Billionaire Royal Hangover Romance

by Natalie Knight

  "Roger? You there, man? Yeah, it's Leo. Listen, I'm looking for Sienna and that William guy. Did they change their meeting location?"

  "No, Leo. Actually, William called and canceled the whole agreement. He said he found a better offer."

  Somebody better than Sienna? I don’t believe it.

  "What? He canceled?" The dread in my stomach grows.

  "Yes, this afternoon, and I haven't heard from Sienna since."

  "Okay, thanks."

  I slam down the phone and go into a total panic. This can't be happening. I should never have let her walk down alone. Where the fuck is she?

  Now I know the bad feeling I’ve had isn’t for nothing. Something is very wrong about this situation.

  I do another check of the lounge. Maybe she arrived late? I peek inside and see there's still no Sienna. Even though I knew that’s what I’d find.

  I go all over the casino's main floor, checking restaurants and gambling tables. I know in my gut that she’s not going to be here, but I have to explore every possibility.

  I go out to the front and ask all the doormen if they've seen her. No one has. She's not anywhere.

  I'm in such a crazed frenzy to find her that I call the last person I would ever think to ask for help.

  "Jax? It's me. You gotta get over here quick."

  "I don't know why you're calling me, Leo. You know how I feel about you. I don't want to see or talk to you again as long as you're dating my sister."

  Goddammit, this motherfucker and his outrageous ideas about Sienna and me.

  "Wait! Don't hang up."

  He's angry as he says, "You're the reason I'm in this mess of being blackmailed in the first place. Why should I talk to you?"

  "Listen to me, Jax. I'm worried about Sienna."

  This makes him pause. "Why, what's going on?"

  I'm frantically searching the main floor as I speak to him. "Sienna's not here. We had things ready to take down whoever is blackmailing you. She was supposed to meet a client here tonight, only he never showed up, and neither did she."

  "What? You mean you put her directly in the line of danger and now you can't find her? What the fuck, Leo? Can you not comprehend how dangerous this is? You should never have set her up like that."

  I fucking know this. The last thing I need is a lecture.

  All I need from Jax is a little backup. His words don't faze me, though, because a thousand more terrifying thoughts are rushing through my mind.

  I'm trying not to picture the worst, but as I see no sign of her throughout the whole casino, it's kind of hard to do otherwise.

  "I don't need this, Jax. Either get over here to help me or not, but stop being such an ass."

  "Fine. I'll be there in ten minutes."

  I know it’s bad if I have to call that asshole for help. I'm getting more and more frantic, grabbing every woman that even vaguely looks like her to see if it is in fact Sienna.

  None of them are.

  There are tourists milling about everywhere, and I can't get through them all fast enough. How am I supposed to find her in this sea of people? Especially as they enter and exit the building in such vast numbers.

  I search frantically for a while longer. People look at me like I'm crazy, and who knows, maybe I am. I will literally go fucking crazy if I don't find her soon.

  I finally head back to my office to meet Jax, checking all the faces as I go. I'm asking people if they've seen her. I'm running into all the shops and bars and exhibits.

  There are too many people. She could be anywhere.

  I'll need a team to help me find her at this rate. Hell, I'll close down the entire casino if I have to. I'll go through every single hotel room in the place if need be. I won’t let anyone leave the premises, seal of the building. I’ll do whatever it fucking takes.

  At the back of the building, all is quiet in my office. I sink into my chair and impatiently wait for Jax to show up.

  33

  Leo

  I'm going out of my fucking mind. I call Sienna's phone over and over again but it goes straight to voicemail.

  I feel powerless and yet I know I'm all she has. I'm the only one that knows she's gone missing. I need to come up with a plan of action. I have to mobilize all the security forces that I can.

  "I'm here." Jax walks into my office.

  "Fucking finally."

  "Don't give me shit when you're the one who lost my sister."

  He's right. I hate to admit it but he's fucking right. I lost her. I didn't take care of her. This is all my fault.

  "Hey," I say. "Are you here to help me or hurt me?"

  He pushes an envelope across my desk.

  "What's this?"

  "It's another blackmail letter," he says. "Except it's not only that. He's asking for a ransom this time."

  I read over the letter and it appears to be from one man. He's absolutely fucking insane talking about the Reid family and his obsession with Sienna. He says he was merely out for blackmail money but has changed his mind and now he wants a ransom.

  It only cements my gravest thoughts. She's been taken. It's not a mistake.

  All my searching and efforts to find her were done in vain because all the while she's been in the hands of this delusional captor. I imagine how scared she must be and what's being done to her.

  It's my worst nightmare being played out in real life.

  "This can't be happening. It just can't," I mutter to no one.

  And then my cynicism and despair melt away as I realize this is a call to action. I have to save her.

  She's probably waiting for me to show up and I won't abandon her now. I will never do that again.

  So no matter what it takes, I will find and save her and prove to her that she never has to worry about being hurt by me again. We just have to get there in time.

  "This guy is fucking crazy," I say to Jax.

  "Yeah, he's hell bent on destroying my family because we closed down that mine. He's off his rocker for sure."

  I’m enraged. All I see is red, and I imagine tearing through every inch of this building until I find her.

  "We have to go. We can’t waste any more time. We have to save her now."

  I'm already up and pulling on my jacket. Though where I'm going, I don't really know. I plan to go somewhere, though, and to do something. Jax calls me on this.

  "You can't be rash about it, Leo. You need to sit here and devise an actual plan, otherwise you're just wasting time. You can't go into this blindly."

  His calm composure pisses me off. Doesn't he care about his sister? Isn't he angry enough to run out that door and to find her?

  "The fuck I can't. I’ll do whatever I want. I love her."

  There's a pause as he digests this.

  "What did you just say?" He's pissed. I can tell.

  My mind is racing, and I don't have time for this bullshit with Jax.

  "I said I love her. Now get that through your thick fucking skull and come help me find her."

  He gets up and starts pacing the office.

  "I told you, Leo, to stay away from her forever. How dare you think you love her. It will never happen under my watch."

  If he really believes he can threaten me and keep me away from her again, he's gravely mistaken. I listened to him once before and it's my biggest regret in life. I will never make that mistake again.

  He's got to be crazy to think I'd stay away from her now. And I tell him as much.

  "You think I care what you want? This isn't about you. It's about Sienna and me, and we're in love and there's not a goddamn thing you can do to change that."

  Jax gets right up in my face. "If you think you can touch her then you have it all wrong. I will use all of my resources to take her away from you. You'll never set eyes on her again. I warned you once, and that was it. You know that I don't approve."

  How is he even thinking of this total fucking nonsense when we should be out finding her together?

  I see Leo
for who he is now. His true colors are coming out more than ever before.

  He's just an overly protective asshole brother, and whatever he says, I shouldn't listen.

  This is Sienna's life, and if she wants me to go away I will. But until then, I'm going to worship the fucking ground she walks on despite what Jax says.

  I should never have listened to him in the first place. His threats are tainted with some really fucking twisted sense of brotherly responsibility, and even if he hid her at the ends of the earth, I’d find her.

  Just like I’ll find her now.

  "I left her once because I trusted you, Jax. You wrecked me and you destroyed her. Neither of us ever got over loving each other, and why you'd want to stand in the way of that I don't know. But one thing's for damn sure. I will never leave her again, got that?"

  He seems surprised that I'm standing up to him now. When we were younger he got me away from Sienna by making me think that I wasn't good enough for her. I've spent years building myself up trying to prove otherwise.

  And now I'm a man of ridiculous wealth and power.

  It took me this long but I finally believe in myself. And I believe in Sienna enough to know we'll make it through. He won’t stop us again. Not this time.

  "I'll tear you down," he says, but his confidence isn’t there this time.

  "No, you won't, Jax. Because you love Sienna and you want her to be happy. I make her happy. You need to see that now."

  He looks at me, all macho anger and posturing.

  "We're just wasting time," I say. "Every fucking second that slips by is one closer to Sienna getting hurt. Don't you want to formulate a plan to find her? Don't you care about her enough to put all this drama aside and make sure she's safe?"

  At long last, he agrees. "Fine. Let's figure something out."

  Finally. Shit. The dude has taken this to limit of reason.

  We sit down at my desk. He's talked me out of making rash decisions and I've talked him out of standing in the way of Sienna's happiness. We may yet work as a team. Maybe

  Together we combine our collective assets to make a plan. With our connections, the security footage, and our own personal protection officers, we make headway in determining exactly where Sienna is and how to free her.

  34

  Sienna

  I'm feeling more worried with each passing moment. It's obvious that William is totally unhinged.

  Being in the hands of an insane person is terrifying because I have no idea what he'll do with each passing moment. He's simultaneously ranting and raving about how he's in love with me and how much he hates my family.

  It's hard to get the story straight and I'm starting to worry that I'll be killed in the crossfire of his tormented mind.

  If he were a sane, sober person, at least I might have a better idea of if I'll live or die, but as it is there's no telling.

  His greasy black hair flops over his face and his suit is crinkled. He looks like a very deranged version of the person I met last night. I had no idea then that he was so crazy, and I wonder how he kept his wits about him for even one evening.

  My instinct says to pacify him. I have no idea if anyone realizes I'm gone or how long I’ll have to placate him. I think if I pretend to return his affections, maybe I can gain some influence and convince him to untie me.

  "William," I say. "Why am I tied up? I thought tonight you were going to meet me at Unique and we could finally be together."

  He looks at me warily. "You did not. You would never have gone home with me."

  "Yes, baby." I nearly choke on the word, but I'll say and do anything to save my own life. "I just needed you to get that contract out of the way with my boss and then I thought we were going to go somewhere, you know, together."

  "You're lying,” he screams. “You could never love a guy like me."

  I take a minute to consider my options and then say, "That's what I thought too at first. But then after I met you last night, you were all I could think about. Didn't you feel the same way?"

  I've got him confused now. He shakes his sweaty head and tugs on his hair in a frenzied gesture.

  "You mean you wanted to be with me?"

  "That's right. Still do. But I don't like being tied up, so come release me and then we can get more comfortable."

  "No!" he yells. "It's not true. You’re trying to trick me. I know you have a boyfriend."

  I flinch at his manic switch from confused to insane.

  I force a smile. "Oh, but you pale in comparison to him."

  "I don't believe you, you lying bitch!"

  I'm starting to lose him, and that means I'm starting to lose myself. I could be dead in an instant if I don't get a handle on him.

  "William, please believe me.” My voice shakes as tears threaten to spill down my cheeks. “I broke up with Leo today. My bags are packed ready to run away with you."

  "Really?" Tears stream down his face now.

  His mood is more mercurial than anything I've ever seen. I'm wishing now I'd gone into Psychology rather than Finance so that I could know how to talk him down from this ledge.

  And to my utter horror, I see the flash of steel that indicates a gun as he reaches into his jacket for a tissue to wipe his sweating brow and tear-stained cheeks.

  Oh my God.

  It's all over.

  These are my last moments. In a state of complacent calm, I accept my fate. Maybe it's the wrong reaction, but I just keep staring at the streams of sunlight as they come in through the window.

  I think about how beautiful life is and how I need to appreciate these last moments of beauty. I hear myself breathing as if in slow motion. And then the most extraordinary thing happens.

  "Sienna! Sienna are you in there?"

  Leo? Am I imagining it? Am I actually already dead? Or maybe just unconscious and dreaming.

  Then I hear the pounding on the door and I snap back to reality.

  It is Leo! He’s come for me.

  "Leo! He has a gun!" I yell hoping to keep him from coming in.

  Please God, let it be me that dies and not him.

  He came for me, but he's a moment too late. William grabs my hair and pushes the gun up to my temple.

  "Please, William,” I sob. “Please don't do this. Think of the life you could have. My brother will still pay you. Just put the gun down. Please, put the gun down."

  I'm full out crying now. I'm about to be shot. Leo will walk in and I'll be dead. I'm crying out of fear and I'm crying because he's just a minute too late to save me.

  Everything we could’ve had was right within our reach. And now, because of this crazed maniac, it’s all going to be taken from me.

  Then another paralyzing thought hits me. What if William kills him, too?

  And it will all have been my fault. If only I'd listened and never insisted on being an escort, this tragedy wouldn't be happening.

  "Please, Leo,” I beg, “just go! He's got a gun to my head."

  Just then, as if on cue, the door bursts open. A crew of security guards surrounds us. And then there's Leo.

  For a brief moment I think maybe I've died and this is a dream of how I wish it had all gone.

  "Let her go," he says. He’s firm but cautious with William.

  He tosses a bag of money towards him, and it distracts William enough to give the security team their chance.

  They tackle him to the ground and a shot's fired. It bounces off the ceiling, but thank God it doesn't hurt anyone.

  Leo stalks toward William and crushes his wrist with one booted heel, forcing the psycho to drop his gun.

  And then it's all over.

  The police arrive and drag William off to jail.

  Leo gently unties me. I'm in a shocked daze as he puts my arms around his neck and lifts me up.

  "I'll never let you touch the ground again. All I want is for you to be safe. I'm so sorry, baby." He kisses me gently, as though a kiss could ever make up for what's transpired, what I’ve caused.<
br />
  I blame myself for everything.

  "Leo, I'm so sorry. He just grabbed me. I never meant for any of this to happen. I was so scared. I thought I was going to die. I thought you'd find me dead and..."

  "Shh, baby. It's okay. It's over now. It's all over."

  "But it's my fault," I say as he wipes the tears away.

  "It's not your fault, baby. None of this is."

  "Can you forgive me?"

  "For what baby? You're perfect. And now we're together."

  And then I see my brother over his shoulder.

  "What is Jax doing here?"

  "He helped me. He helped organize everything. I couldn't have done it without his help."

  "You mean you guys worked together?" I ask incredulously.

  He laughs. "Pretty unbelievable, right?"

  I want him to take me home to the penthouse and to fuck my brains out to make me forget this whole night, to remember that I'm alive, to give me reassurance that everything will be okay.

  And I know he wants the same thing...to connect, to know that this is real. We haven't had any time to celebrate, But we can’t just yet. Right now, the place is a flurry of activity with policemen everywhere, and it looks like we won't be getting out of here anytime soon.

  35

  Sienna

  Finally, late into the evening, the cops set us free. I’ve given them all I can. My body is exhausted, and despite being back in Leo's arms, having a brush with death is no laughing matter.

  I feel spent and not in a good way.

  "Can we just go home so I can take a shower?" I ask him.

  "Of course, baby."

  He takes me back up to the penthouse and has extra security stand outside the doors just to make me feel safe. The threat is over, we know, but until the cops have investigated all the angles it makes me feel more at ease knowing they are armed guards just outside the door.

  I immediately pull my clothes off and trash them. I never want to see that outfit again. I walk naked through the penthouse into the shower. Once inside, I curl up into a little ball on the floor and let the shower rain over me.