Page 17 of Marrying a Prince

Marianna stood and made her way into the kitchen. "I'll ask, but I can't promise anything."

"Is she coming?" Marianna heard her dad ask.

"She can't promise anything," her mom responded.

Marianna glanced at the clock, and her heat picked up speed. It was already eight. She needed to call the hospital to put in her notice and get to the hotel by nine.

"I gotta go. I'll call you later."

"Don't forget your parents," her mom called out, but Marianna had already hung up before she could respond.

Grabbing a yogurt from the fridge, she scarfed it down as she made her way into the bathroom and started the shower. The last thing she wanted to do was tick off her fake future in-laws.

Chapter Six

"And this is when you and I went to Paris," Gisella said as she sat next to Leo, scrolling through pictures on her phone.

Leo was pretending to act surprised that he was in the pictures. Faking amnesia was hard. He wanted to push her away, but he wasn't supposed to have any feelings toward her, so he allowed her to continue to sidle up next to him.

"Wow, that's amazing. It's me," he said, pointing to his pained expression in the photo.

"Yes, of course. You and I were—are—in love." Gisella glanced up at him with wide eyes.

Leo wanted to puke, but instead he just shook his head. "I don't…remember."

Her expression turned serious. "You will."

He just nodded, but deep down, he wanted to ask her what she meant by that.

Thankfully, there was a knock on his door, so he stood and made his way over. Filippo had been walking over as well, but Leo wasn't going to give up this chance to get away from Gisella. He opened the door to see Marianna standing on the other side. She was pulling a suitcase behind her.

"Hey," she said, tucking some hair behind her ear.

He couldn't help but smile at her. With all the craziness of his morning, seeing her brought happiness to him. "I'm glad you came back."

A pink hue tinted her cheeks. "Of course I came back." She leaned in closer. "You and I are in this together. And don't forget, you're going to help me with my problem."

He chuckled. "That's right. You and Mr. Slimy Doctor."

Mrs. DeLuca appeared behind him. "Marianna, glad you could join us this morning," she said in a condescending tone

Leo saw Marianna's expression falter. He parted his lips to express his frustration to his mother, but Mariana stepped forward and spoke first.

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness. I was speaking with my parents this morning and then needed to pack."

Leo glanced behind him to see his mother quirk an eyebrow. She had that no-nonsense look she got when she was frustrated. He was going to have to speak to her in private about the way she was treating Mariana. Calling her out on it in front of everyone was not the best move for him to make. So he gave Mariana an encouraging smile and stepped out of the way.

"We have some papers for you to sign," his mother said as Mariana stepped into the suite.

Mariana nodded. "Of course. Anything you need."

Leo watched as Mariana followed after his mother. He was going to need to talk to her as well. She needed to remember that she was engaged to a prince. If she kept being so accommodating, people were going to walk all over her. And then the thought that she was his fiancée settled in his mind.

Even though he'd only known her for a few days, he was beginning to like her. She was so much better than any other woman he'd been forced to associate with. The women who dated a prince back home were spoiled. It was nice to be around someone who was down to earth.

Leo followed his mother and Marianna into the small kitchenette. His mother waved them to the table, indicating that she wanted Mariana to sit. After she was situated, Mr. Carlson, the family lawyer, appeared from the bathroom.

"We just have a few papers you need to sign," his mother said as she nodded toward Mr. Carlson, who took a seat next to Marianna.

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