The ceremony was in Rayasian. So, when the chancellor suddenly stepped back from Raif and lowered the crown, Ann couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Kalila’s head turned suddenly, and she stared at Raif. At the same time, the men of the honor guard began speaking to one another. Someone stepped between Raif and the chancellor who was still holding the crown in his hands.
“What the heck?” Darby muttered.
“I think that’s Tariq,” said Ann, squinting at the frustratingly small image.
“Do you think maybe he’s sick? Like a heart attack?”
“He’s a pretty healthy guy,” Ann responded. “And nobody seems to be panicking. It’s like they’ve suddenly decided to hold a meeting.”
The video stopped. Ann clicked her mouse, hoping to get more, but the play bar zipped to the end and stopped.
“Well, that’s bizarre,” said Darby.
Bizarre didn’t begin to cover it. Ann wanted to shout at the screen in frustration.
“Do another search,” Darby advised. “Maybe there’s another video.”
Ann returned to the search engine, typing in Rayas and coronation.
The hits that came up were mostly articles rather than videos. “Coronation Interrupted,” “Valhan Palace Issues Statement,” and “Speculation of Abdication.”
Ann and Darby gaped at the screen.
“Abdication?” Darby asked in awe.
“You know what the tabloids are like,” Ann felt compelled to put in, even though her stomach was beginning to churn.
There was no way in the world that Raif would do anything detrimental to Rayas. He loved his country far too dearly to harm it. But something was definitely wrong. She clicked on the “Valhan Palace Issues Statement” article, hoping to get the official story.
The intercom buzzed.
“You get it,” she said to Darby, watching while the article started to load.
Darby headed for the speaker. “Hello?”
“Ann?” asked a deep, accented male voice.
Ann’s heart contracted. She whirled around.
“Ann?” Raif’s voice came again.
“Is it him?” Darby hissed.
Ann nodded helplessly.
“Come in,” said Darby.
“Don’t,” Ann shouted.
But it was too late, Darby had already pressed the front door’s unlock button.
“Why did you do that?” Ann demanded, coming to her feet.
“Do you want to get changed?” asked Darby, scanning Ann’s outfit. “Quick, go wash your face and put something else on. I’ll stall him.”
“No, I don’t want to change.” Ann didn’t want to impress Raif. She wanted to learn how to live without Raif. And she couldn’t do that if he was standing in her apartment.
“At least you can get the straight scoop,” Darby reasoned, hand on the front door handle as she waited for Raif’s knock.
“Why would he come here?” Ann struggled to stay calm. “Do you think anybody would have seen him?” Ann craned her neck, gazing out the window, praying there were no reporters on the street.
“It might be the obvious,” said Darby.
“What obvious?”
Darby gave her a look that questioned her intellect. “He came here to tell you he gave up his kingdom.”
Everything inside Ann went still. “That’s not the obvious. That’s ridiculous.”
Never mind that she’d played with the idea more than once while she was in Rayas. But it was a crazy fantasy, and Raif was an incredibly stable man.
He only managed one knock before Darby swung open the door.
The sight of Darby seemed to take him aback. “I’m looking for Ann Richardson.”
Darby turned to look at Ann, and Raif followed her gaze.
He smiled then, and Ann thought her insides might melt. A million questions surged in her mind, and a rush of hormones roared through her system. She had made absolutely no progress whatsoever in getting over him.
“What happened?” she blurted out.
He looked to Darby. “Do you mind?”
“I’m outta here,” Darby quickly put in, moving through the doorway. She turned and grinned. “Much as I’m dying, absolutely dying to find out what’s going on. You better call me,” she ordered Ann.
“I’ll call,” Ann promised, her gaze never leaving Raif. He was the sexiest man alive. Despite everything, she was incredibly glad to see him. But he had no business whatsoever showing up here.
The door closed behind Darby.
“What happened?” Ann repeated. “I saw something on the internet, you, the chancellor, the Grand Hall. But then everything stopped.”
He took a few paces toward her. “I’m happy to see you, too, Ann.”
“I am not happy to see you.” They’d been through all this. They’d made the tough choice. They’d said their goodbyes. “Why are you here? Your people need you, Raif.”
“My people can wait.”
“For what?”
He moved closer. “I stopped the coronation.”
Her stomach clenched. She didn’t want to ask why. She didn’t want to know why. This could only end badly for everyone. She swallowed. “Why?”
“Because I can’t do it without you, Ann.”
“No.” Her knees went weak.
Raif quickly grasped her arms to steady her. “I gave the chancellor an offer he couldn’t refuse. And I wasn’t bluffing.”
“No,” she repeated, voice gravelly, shaking her head in denial. “You can’t, Raif. You can’t.”
Rayas was everything to him.
“Marry me, Ann.”
This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be happening. She had to be asleep in her bed. Maybe it was still last night. Maybe she hadn’t woken up yet, hadn’t found the video.
She waited, but nothing happened.
She pinched herself, but nothing happened.
She searched her mind for an argument to sway him, some words that would help him put things in perspective. She grasped at an idea. “Do you want to sleep with me again? Is that it? Because we could—”
He frowned. “This isn’t about sleeping with you, Ann.”
“The sex was really good,” she rattled on. “Don’t you think it was good? It’s probably just the sex.”
“I want to marry you.”
“That’s not possible.” A fling was one thing. They could come back from a fling. But, once he came to his senses, which he most certainly would, there was no way to undo a marriage. Not in Rayas. Kalila had been clear about that.
“Why not?” he asked in a perfectly reasonable tone.
She struggled not to yell at him for being so obtuse. “Because you’re a crown prince. You’re about to be a king.” She gestured helplessly at her computer monitor. “You know, just as soon as they finish the YouTube video.”
“The chancellor has agreed,” said Raif.
She gave her head a wild shake. “No. I can’t. I live here in New York. You live over there. I have a life. You have... I mean, wow, do you ever have a life.”
“I know it’s a lot to take on.”
“No, you don’t. You can’t even imagine. You’ve never been normal, Raif. And you don’t want me. Not really. Deep down inside, you want the young Rayasian virgin with the brown eyes and the dark hair.”
“I don’t,” he told her with conviction.
“You do.”
“I’m letting Kalila marry Niles.”
That got Ann’s attention. “Really?”
“Really.”
She found herself cracking an involuntary smile. “That’s wonderful. She’s an amazing woman, Raif.”
“I know she’s an amazing woman. But I only told you that to prove you don’t have to be Rayasian to marry into our royal family. Kalila’s setting the precedent.”
“It’s not the same thing.”
“It’s exactly the same thing.” Raif clenched his jaw then sighed. “Fine. Don’t answer me n
ow. Take some time to think about it. But know that you’re messing with everything I dreamed about all the way across the Atlantic.”
“I’m not going to change my mind,” she warned him. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. They were playing with some really serious stuff here, and one of them had to keep their head out of the clouds.
Raif’s expression relaxed and he leaned slowly forward to kiss her hairline. “I’ll give you some time and space to take it all in. I’ll go away for a few hours.”
“A few hours?”
“Think about it, Ann.”
Even though she had no intention of changing her mind, a few hours didn’t seem like much time to contemplate your entire life.
“I’ll come back,” he finished.
“Be careful. Don’t talk to reporters.”
Raif grinned. “I’ll be fine. Jordan will take good care of me.”
“Jordan’s here?”
“Yes. So is Tariq.”
“Really?” She reflexively glanced around Raif, wondering if Tariq was lurking in the hall.
“Hey, don’t act like you’re more interested in seeing Tariq than me.”
“I like Tariq.”
“You love me.”
“Raif, this is crazy. And I mean that literally.”
“It’s not crazy. And I’m not crazy. And you need to think about this.” He kissed her mouth this time, gently, fleetingly. “I’m going to leave you alone. Don’t you dare try to run away.”
“I wouldn’t—” Okay, maybe she might.
“I have men watching the street.”
“You do not.”
“I do. They won’t let me travel with less than a hundred people. I honestly don’t know what to do with them all.”
“This isn’t a joke, Raif.”
“No. It isn’t a joke. I understand it’s a big decision.”
“I can’t be what you want me to be.”
He smiled at her then, and her heart tripped all over itself. “I want you to be you.”
He took a step back, then another, and another, until he let himself out of her apartment.
“No, you don’t,” she whispered to the closed door.
He didn’t want her to be Ann Richardson. He wanted her to be the queen of Rayas. She didn’t have the first idea of how to be a queen. She didn’t know Rayasian customs or protocol. She couldn’t even speak the language.
For a moment, she did think about running away. Running away and hiding until Raif got over this ridiculous notion. But that would be a cop-out, and it would just postpone the inevitable. She had to be tough and stand her ground. She’d pretend to think about it for a few hours. Then she’d tell him no, send him away from her, fully and finally.
The thought made her cold, and she started to shake. She curled up on the couch, wrapping her arms around herself.
A short time later, Darby knocked on the door, and it was all Ann could do to walk over and fling it open.
To her astonishment, it wasn’t Darby standing in the hall. It was an older man, a man she vaguely recognized. She’d seen him in photographs, but she’d never met him in person.
“Rutherford Waverly?” she asked, uncertainty combining with the trembling in her voice.
“Ann.” He smiled in a way that made her feel as if they were old friends.
She glanced both ways down her hall. “I don’t understand.”
What was he doing here? Though once the chairman of the Waverly’s board, Rutherford had been a silent, shadowy figure as long as Ann had been employed by the company. She certainly never expected him to know where she lived, never mind show up at her doorstep.
“Do you have a minute?” he asked, his tone polite, quite formal. “There’s something we need to discuss.”
She couldn’t help but wonder if he knew about Raif. He must be aware of the Gold Heart scandal. Did he know she’d gone to Rayas? Did he think they were having an affair?
She shook herself back to life. “Of course, Mr. Waverly.”
“Rutherford, please.” He stepped into her apartment, taking it all in.
She wished she’d taken the time to vacuum and dust since coming home. Then she suddenly remembered she was still in her pajamas.
“Please, sit down,” she offered, moving a couple of magazines off the couch. “I’m sorry about the mess. Let me go change.”
“No need.” He waved her off. “Unexpected company needs to take what they get. I am sorry to intrude. But what I have to say can’t wait.”
He stood poised, expectant, obviously waiting for her to sit down. So, she perched on the edge of an armchair.
He sat down on the couch. “I’m afraid I bring unsettling news.”
Ann actually fought the urge to smile. Rutherford had no idea the act he was following. There was nothing in the world that could top Raif’s visit for unsettling.
“Waverly’s is holding an emergency board meeting as we speak.”
Okay, that was a pretty close second. For the board to convene on December 22nd, the issue had to be significant. Ann normally participated in board meetings, and she hadn’t heard anything about this one.
“Is it because of Kendra?” she asked.
Ann hadn’t fired her assistant, and she’d offered to testify on Kendra’s behalf if the police decided to press charges. It was true that Kendra had stolen secrets from Waverly’s. But she’d only done it because she had feared for her sister’s life. Ann didn’t honestly know what she would do if one of her own family members were threatened.
“They’re voting on firing you,” said Rutherford.
Ann swallowed, realizing she’d become too cavalier about her job security. “Any specific reason?”
“On balance, your fitness as a leader.”
Ann stood. “I see.” She crossed restlessly to the window. “Do you happen to know who will win?”
“As much as I can tell, you’ll lose by one vote.”
Ann wrapped her mind around that. She’d feared it might happen for several months now. But her fear had been greatly diminished when Raif had confirmed the authenticity of Roark’s Gold Heart. It had diminished again when Dalton had been arrested.
“Unless,” said Rutherford.
Ann turned.
There was a glint in his eyes and an impish smile on his aging face.
“Unless?” she prompted.
“Unless you might be interested in moseying on down to the board meeting.”
“To plead my case?” Ann wasn’t sure what she could possibly say that would change anyone’s mind. Everyone knew the facts.
Rutherford shook his head. “To watch me exercise my ex-officio right to vote.”
It took her a moment to understand. “You’d vote in my favor?”
“Absolutely.”
Ann was confused.
“What’s in it for you?” she dared to ask, uncomfortable with not understanding the entire situation.
“I like you,” he said simply. “I like Edwina and the others that support you. And I’m not at all fond of those who are working against you. Waverly’s is stronger with you at the helm, Ann Richardson. You’ve worked hard. You’ve accomplished a lot for the shareholders. Your reward for that shouldn’t be to have the board show you the door.”
Emotions that were simmering close to the surface threatened to spill over. Ann’s throat closed in.
“Thank you” was all she could manage.
Rutherford came to his feet. “So, do you want to humor an old man and have some fun?”
“Yes. I do.”
“For that, you might want to change your clothes.”
* * *
Watching Rutherford at the board meeting had been a treat for Ann. From the second he’d walked in, to the moment he informed the members he was planning to vote in Ann’s favor, he’d had their undivided attention. Some members, like Edwina, were clearly thrilled to see him back. Others were clearly angry at his interference. But he’d pulled it off with aplomb.
Darby had obviously been waiting, because the minute Ann walked by her door, she rushed out, falling into step in the hallway.
“What happened?” she demanded. “Where did you go?”
“Waverly’s,” Ann answered, reaching into her purse for her keys. It took her a moment to find them, and she resisted the urge to curse. She had no patience for this.
“What about Raif?” Darby asked.
“Raif left.”
“Why?”
Ann twisted the key in the dead bolt. “He wanted to give me some time.”
“Some time to go to Waverly’s?”
Ann pushed open the door. She wanted to talk, but she didn’t want to talk. She wished Darby would leave. Then again, she was incredibly glad Darby was here.
“Ann?” Darby prompted.
“Some time to decide whether or not to marry him.”
Darby stopped dead in her tracks.
Ann closed the door.
“Yeah.” She agreed with Darby’s shocked reaction. “That’s pretty much what I said, too.”
“But, that’s wonderful,” Darby sputtered.
“Wonderful? Wonderful? How is it wonderful?”
“He loves you.”
“I already knew that.”
“And he wants you to be his wife, to be his...” Darby clamped her mouth closed.
“You can say it,” Ann drawled. But then she halted, focusing on an unfamiliar package sitting on her coffee table. “What’s that?”
Darby moved up beside her. “It looks like a present.”
The flat, rectangular package was wrapped in gold paper, with shiny purple ribbon and a sparkling bow.
“Where did it come from?” Ann looked suspiciously at Darby.
“Not from me,” she affirmed. “I only knocked on your door while you were gone. I didn’t come inside.”
Ann dropped her purse and circled the table. She didn’t like this. Dalton might be locked up, but with all the strangeness in her life lately, she didn’t trust the package for one second.
“Do you think it might explode?” she asked out loud.
“It’s a present, not a bomb.”
A Golden Betrayal Page 17