Page 36 of The Prince's Secret Daughter
His grin widened. “The Lativa palace has an excellent publicity staff. I can direct them to get everything in place now, so that when we have the details, all they need to do is release everything to the world. That way, you won’t be the whistleblower, and the world will still find out that they aren’tgood people.” He moved closer. “The one that gets their story out into the world first is usually the winner in the publicity game.”
She eyed him with suspicion. “You really think that your employees are faster than Paul and Nathan? They have the ears of the most powerful people in the financial world.”
Raj rolled his eyes, pulling her closer. Helen knew that she should resist, but…he was just so damn charming with that smile and his glittering, dark eyes. Not to mention, his mouth that…well, she knew what that mouth could do. She remembered, in vivid detail, how that mouth could make her body quake.
Pulling her eyes away from his mouth, she lifted her gaze to his, then blushed. He knew what she was thinking. Or maybe he just suspected, but that was dangerous enough.
“First of all, Iamone of those powerful people in the financial world, Helen.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “You really don’t know who I am, do you?”
“I know that you’re name is Raj and you’re from…,” she paused, her mind whirling as she started to put the puzzle pieces together. “You’re from Lativa?” she whispered through numb lips. Because if he was from Lativa, then he might be…? “No!” she hissed, pulling out of his arms, or as far out of his arms that he’d allow.
“Yes,habibi,” he said with a soft, sexy chuckle. “I am head of the Sind-Al Investment Group, of which Dark Angel Investments is a subsidiary.” He pulled her back, his big, warm hands resting low on her hips. “I am also Prince Raj Al-Sintra, the economic minister for the country of Lativa. I manage my family’s money as well as the investments for my country.” Helowered his head, his lips hovering above hers. “So, when I say I am one of those powerful people that everyone listens to, I know what I’m talking about.”
“Oh!” she whispered, her voice choked by her shock. She’d heard him talk about Lativa, but these past few days had been so overwhelming, she hadn’t made the connection.
“So, will you trust me now?”
Helen looked around at the guards and the enormous space. He wasn’t just a prince. He was a member of the ruling family! Had he already told her that? It might have come up in conversation, but maybe she hadn’t processed just how powerful and wealthy Raj really was.
“They have it!” an excited voice announced. Angela came racing into the room, holding several movies. “Albert said they have the movies on the television and as these.” She paused and looked at her mother, then at the thin, colorful boxes in her hands. When she looked at her mother, she asked, “What are these?”
Helen laughed, relieved to have something to think about other than how out of her league Raj was. “Those are called DVDs, honey,” she told Angela, lifting one and opening the plastic box. “I haven’t seen one of these in a while.”
The butler, apparently appropriately named “Albert”, stood by the door and bowed stiffly. “The hotel maintains a large library of videos for the guests who don’t want to leave a digital footprint of their viewing preferences,” the man replied, his face completely blank.
Helen didn’t want to know why someone would want to view a movie without a digital record of it. The thought felt creepy. But she shrugged, dismissing it. She supposed that criminal organizations rented this space and needed to entertain their children too.
Before she could figure out any other reasons, Angela pulled Raj over to the sofa, yelling, “Come on, Momma!”
Helen watched as her…their…daughter snuggled onto the sofa, then waited expectantly for Raj to sit next to her. Even Raj was a bit startled by her immediate expectation. But he walked over to the sofa and sat down, then smiled when Angela immediately snuggled up against his side. Helen’s heart ached when Raj put his arm around the little darling. They both turned to look up at her. Helen suddenly realized that they expected her to sit down and watch the movies as well.
“I’m heading to my office to pick up some stuff,” she said, hiding her smile at the nervous look in Raj’s eyes when he realized he’d be alone watching princess movies with Angela. “You’ll be fine,” she whispered. Then she grinned and went into the bedroom to find her purse.
Chapter 31
Helen stepped off the elevator and looked around. The area was oddly quiet. Normally, there would be people walking around, gossiping as they headed for the restrooms or the elevator for lunch.
As she turned, the receptionist looked startled. Helen wasn’t sure if the young man’s reaction was due to her unexpected presence or because of the two guards that were shadowing her. They were two of Raj’s bodyguards that had been assigned to escort her to her office, then bring her straight back to the penthouse.
Helen was relieved to have them with her. Returning to this office felt…off.
Perhaps she should stop by Paul or Nathan’s office, just to say hello and tell them that she was resigning. She saw they were in Paul’s office and there was an unknown man in a tailored black suit with them. The man looked unhappy. He also looked vaguely familiar, but Helen assumed that he was just another investor that Paul was trying to reel in.
Turning away, she headed for her office. There, she packed up the pictures on her desk, shoving them into her purse. When she looked around, she found there weren’t any other items that she needed to collect. The office had been professionally decorated, and because she hadn’t been working for the company for long, she hadn’t had time to bring in many of her personal items.
“I think that’s it,” she said to the guards, who were watching both her and the hallway.
Chapter 32
Alfonse Giuseppe leaned forward, his sharp, calculating eyes narrowing as he stared across the desk at Paul Grishom. The air in the room felt heavy, almost suffocating. He had no time for weakness—no tolerance for failure. “What are you doing to get my property back?” His voice was low, a barely controlled storm simmering beneath the surface.
Alfonse studied Paul carefully, watching the man struggle to maintain composure. The tension was thick, palpable, and Alfonse couldn’t help but enjoy the sight of Paul’s nervousness. He saw the beads of sweat forming on Paul’s forehead, the subtle twitch of his hands.Good, Alfonse thought,let him feel the pressure. Paul was trying to mask his fear, but Alfonse had been in this game for far too long to be fooled by such things. He knew exactly what he was dealing with. Paul was just another man scrambling to stay afloat in a sea of his own mistakes.
Alfonse leaned back slightly in his chair, his gaze unwavering as he studied Paul’s every move. He knew that Paul, for all his bluster and calculated charm, was a man who had never fully grasped the gravity of their world. And now, with the weapons missing, it was clear that Paul was starting to feel the weight of his own failure. He could almost hear the man’s thoughts racing—trying to figure out how to fix this, how to pull himself back from the brink. But Alfonse was under no illusion. Paul was a small player in a much larger game, and when someone like Alfonse Giuseppe was involved, mistakes didn’t go unpunished.
“We’ll get it back immediately,” Paul said, his voice strained, laced with a feigned confidence that Alfonse found almost amusing. The man was trying to convince him, but the effort was pitiful. Alfonse could see right through him. This wasn’t about trust—it was about control. Paul had been trying to curry favor with Alfonse, offering favors, promising loyalty, but the truth was simple: Paul had messed up, and now he was desperate to keep his position intact. But desperation was something Alfonse thrived on. He relished the power it gave him. And right now, Paul had no idea just how much Alfonse was enjoying watching him squirm.
“You mentioned that you had the case in a secure location,” Alfonse observed coolly, his eyes never leaving Paul’s face. He watched every movement, every flicker of emotion, and Paul could feel his unease becoming more and more apparent. The sweat on the man’s upper lip wasn’t helping either.
