"Sir, I have reviewed the CCTV footage. The man who entered the elevator was simply there to deliver a bouquet," the security manager inford Sage. Katelyn and Flora listened, the tension finally leaving their shoulders.
"Oh. Then there is nothing to worry about," Sage stated, offering a reassuring glance to Katelyn.
"Still, ensure that no one unauthorized wanders the floors after hours," Katelyn added, her protective instincts lingering.
"I will keep that in mind, Madam," the manager replied with a respectful nod.
"Co, Flora," Katelyn suggested, turning back to her with a smile. "It’s late. Let us drop you ho."
"I wouldn’t want to trouble you," Flora refused gently. "I actually booked a cab a few minutes ago. It should be here any mont."
"Alright. Take care," Katelyn said, giving a final wave before walking away with Sage toward the parking lot.
Flora lingered for a mont, a small frown creasing her brow. Even with the security manager’s explanation, she couldn’t quite shake the cold prickle of unease that had settled in her chest. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she stepped out and waited at the main gate. When her cab pulled up, she climbed into the backseat.
Midway through the ride, her phone vibrated in her palm. Zayne’s na flashed across the screen. She answered imdiately, pressing the device to her ear.
"I am sorry, Flora. I was caught in a long conversation with one of the elders," Zayne’s voice ca through, sounding tired as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why did you call? Is everything okay?"
"Ah, it’s nothing," Flora answered, keeping her tone light despite the lingering phantom of the man in the elevator. "I just finished up at the office and thought I’d check in with you."
"Oh. You did well," Zayne replied. "I have been missing you," he added.
Flora smiled. Her fingers fiddled with the keychain hanging from the corner of her shoulder bag.
"I will call you once I reach ho. Bye," Flora said.
"I’ll wait," Zander said and hung up.
The smile from her lips vanished, and she looked out of the window, feeling restless again.
~~~~~
Jeniva stirred the pan, the spatula moving in rhythmic circles as she muttered under her breath. "I have caught the scents of Alphas before, but I have never felt their pheromones this intensely. What is happening to around Prince Dominick?"
"What are you cooking?" Dominick asked, his voice echoing as he strolled into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter, looking weary. "It’s getting late, and I’m famished."
"It isn’t ready just yet, Your Highness," Jeniva replied, glancing over her shoulder with a small, apologetic smile. "Why don’t you find sothing to occupy yourself for a little while longer?"
"Shall I help?" Dominick asked, rolling up his sleeves.
"Do you even know how to cook, Your Highness?" Jeniva mused, a playful skepticism in her voice.
"I do," he affird.
"Don’t tease . You’ve grown up surrounded by the luxuries of the palace," Jeniva remarked, watching him as he crossed the kitchen. Her eyes widened slightly when he pulled fresh packets of at from the refrigerator. "There’s no way you ever had to learn your way around a stove."
"I learned for soone," Dominick replied in a reflective tone. "Besides, you’re taking far too long with that vegetable broth," he complained, already beginning to prep an additional dish for their supper.
"For whom did you learn?" Jeniva asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Your mate?" She bit her tongue the mont the words left her mouth, the weight of his history hitting her. "I am so sorry," she whispered, her face flushing with regret.
Dominick didn’t say anything and focused on preparing Red Wine Braised dallions.
Jeniva recalled the news articles she ended up reading, where the hottest news was related to his divorce.
She looked into the pan; the broth was now beginning to boil. She put the lid over it and let it boil on the low fla.
"I heard the rumors about Prince Casaio and Princess Zilia reaching a breaking point, but I never truly believed them," Jeniva remarked, her voice softening as she watched him work. "When the truth about the Princess finally ca to light, it stunned the entire country. But what really caught off guard was the way the Prince stood by her through it all, despite everything."
Dominick’s hand stilled for a fraction of a second. "Are you implying I didn’t fight hard enough to save my own marriage?" he asked in an irked tone.
"No, not at all," Jeniva insisted, waving a hand to dismiss the thought. "I only ant that so threads, once they’re snapped, are nearly impossible to nd. Not every relationship is ant to be salvaged, no matter the effort."
"I was under the impression you were too buried in your work to care for palace gossip," Dominick muttered. He turned his attention back to the skillet, which was now shimring with heat. He drizzled in a circle of olive oil before tossing in a handful of minced garlic and onions.
He sautéed them till they turned golden brown. Finally, he added the small, hand-cut pieces of at and sizzled them with the red wine.
"Well, everyone in the office was discussing it. I couldn’t exactly turn my ears off," Jeniva murmured, her eyes following the steam rising from her pots. "I have ears to listen, after all, and the palace walls are thin when it cos to secrets."
"Pass the salt," Dominick commanded, his focus narrowed on the searing at. "And the black pepper."
She moved quickly, placing the grinders within his reach. As she did, she couldn’t help but notice the quiet strength in his hands, the way the veins in his forearms flexed as he worked. Satisfied that her own task was done, she switched off the fla under the broth, the liquid having finally reached the boil she was looking for.
Dominick stared into the skillet for a long mont. "I never imagined my marriage would actually break up," he said. "I had my entire future mapped out with June," Dominick confessed. "I wanted a life with her— kids, a family of my own. I failed to give her the wedding she dread of, and I couldn’t beco the husband or mate she truly needed."
He shook the skillet before turning off the fla. "I couldn’t bring myself to be selfish; I couldn’t fight my own brother apart for my own happiness. But as the days passed, I realized I didn’t actually know her at all. The bond we thought we were building was draped in lies. I didn’t want to understand her pain, or maybe I could have, if she hadn’t worked so hard to hide it from ."
Jeniva’s fingers curled instinctively at her sides as she listened. She realized then that because he was a prince, he was expected to be an unshakeable pillar, forced to bury his emotions under layers of royal protocol, and he had done so with perfection.
"Both June and I failed each other," Dominick continued, his gaze fixed on the steam rising from the pan. "I wish we hadn’t co to this point, but in hindsight, it was bound to happen. I am nothing like my brothers."
He let out a dry, hollow laugh that didn’t reach his eyes. "You know, I used to laugh at Gabriel. I mocked him for being so cold and distant before he found his mate. I truly believed he didn’t know how to love. But when my own life began to fracture, I realized I was the one who couldn’t keep my world from falling apart. Now, I just hate the very idea of having a mate. The bond is supposed to be a blessing, but for , it’s just a reminder of everything I couldn’t hold onto."
Sighing, he took out the ceramic plates. "Let’s just eat before the food gets cold."
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