Page 12 of Royal Sin

“Anna.”

“I know, I know.” I sighed, abandoning the expensive earrings for something simpler. “But it’s not just about that anymore. He’s...different. Challenging. When I’m with him, I feel like he actually sees me.”

“Just be careful,” Serena said after a pause. “Men like that—powerful men—they’re used to getting what they want. They don’t give up control easily.”

She would know all about powerful men. Her brother ruled with an iron fist. He controlled every aspect of her life, but part of me was hoping that my rebellion would spark a similar drive in my friend. I wanted her free—partially for my own selfish reasons. And partially because Serena deserved to live a life she wanted.

“Just don’t lose yourself in trying to prove a point to your parents,” Serena continued.

I slipped in the simple pearl studs, studying my reflection. The woman looking back at me seemed different somehow—more alive, less polished. “I won’t. I promise.”

The alarm on my phone beeped, sending a jolt through me. “Time to go. Don’t want to be late.”

“Call me tomorrow with all the details,” Serena insisted before hanging up.

I took one last look in the mirror, smoothing down the emerald-green dress that hugged my curves without being too obvious. Tonight was dinner at a place of his choosing—a step up in intimacy that both thrilled and terrified me.

The grand staircase of my family home seemed endless as I descended, hoping not to run into my parents. No such luck. My father emerged from his study.

“How are things with the merger?” I asked, hoping he would talk to me for a change now that my mother wasn’t around.

He looked up from his phone and frowned. “Terrible.”

“What happened?” I insisted.

If I drove fast, I wouldn’t be late.

“A dirty businessman undercut me.” He continued walking to the garage.

I padded after him. “Who?”

With an exasperate sigh, my father paused only long enough to give me a hard look. “Collin McDougal hired Baldwin Acquisitions to do his dirty work. They bought Parkland Press right out from under me.”

“Collin McDougal and…Baldwin Acquisitions?” I gasped.

“Oh, you don’t know who they are,” my father snapped. “Just don’t go gossiping with your silly little friends. Can’t have their parents finding out. This is business, and it’s none of yours.”

A heavy thud landed on my chest, and it felt as though an iron grip squeezed the breath from my lungs, leaving me gasping and struggling to inhale.

I gave my father a little wave and let him leave. I needed a few minutes to gather myself again.

“Well, I wanted someone my parents would hate….” It looked like I had picked the perfect specimen.

There would be no future with Leonard, but that had never been the plan.

As I opened the door, my heart stuttered. Why it reacted that way, I didn’t know.

I remembered the way Leonard looked at me, how he'd pushed me to think deeper about my writing, how he'd made me feelseen for perhaps the first time in my life. Not as Annaliese Hertz the heiress, not as a daughter with obligations, but as Anna.

“This changes nothing,” I whispered to myself, starting the engine. “It’s just complicated.”

As I drove through the city toward the address, my father’s words echoed in my mind. Baldwin Acquisitions. The very company that had just thwarted my family’s business plans. Of all the men in the city, I had to pick this one.

My grip tightened on the steering wheel. This complicated everything—and yet somehow made it more perfect. Leonard wasn’t just new money or someone with a questionable reputation. He was actively working against my family’s interests. My parents wouldn’t just disapprove; they would be furious.

A small, rebellious part of me thrilled at this revelation. But another part, the part that had begun to genuinely enjoy Leonard's company, felt a twinge of unease. What would happen when he discovered who I really was?

Well, by then the damage would be done.

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