Page 50 of The Princess and the Fraud

“Long-distance is… hard.”

“You seemed to take it well.” She snorted a little, focused on her food. “I had to practically force you to go out and see him, remember? You went, like, seven months without seeing him and I had to convince you to surprise your boyfriend.”

My teeth grazed the corner of my lip. She was right. When she’d first proposed the idea to surprise him a few weeks after the start of the semester, the thought had actually made me sick. It’d been more of an inconvenience than anything else. I hadn’twantedto see him.Was that love?

“Even though my brother broke your heart, you know you can always talk about it with me, right?” Caroline went on. “I’m always down to roast him.”

I smiled, but it was only surface level. “Can you just… can you give me a heads up before he gets into town? I’d… rather not be blindsided.”

“Swear. Now I have a question for you.” Caroline readjusted her crossed legs, leaning her elbows onto the coffee table. The cheap thing wobbled beneath her sudden weight, her gaze sharp. “When did you get so close to Aaron Astor?”

“Me? I—I’m not.” I straightened my spine, giving my head a shake. I could almost feel the wine slosh inside me. “I’m definitely not.”

“I saw you two yesterday,” Caroline said, and for a brief, horrifying moment, I thought she meant she’d seen us at the piano after the party. “Him catching you on that ladder when Fiona ran into it. I saw your face, too, when he was going allhot piano playeron those keys. You were totally into him.”

My skin flushed, a traitorous reaction. “I was into themusic. Not him. He’s—psh.” The scoff was loud; too loud. “He’s so arrogant and egotistical and stuck-up.Meintohim?”

Distantly, I remembered how, yesterday, I’d told myself to be careful of the over-denial, knowing Caroline would latch onto it. Now, with too much wine in my system, that went out the window.

“Aaron acts like the world spins just for him, and I swear to God, it makes me want to kick him off his stupid little pedestal. He might’ve dumped the drinks on himself last time, but if I get the chance again, I’ll do it on purpose.”

“Wow, that’s too far,” Caroline said with a snort.

“And another thing!” I jerked back until my spine hit the couch. “HimusingFiona for her money? What’s he going to do once they get married—get a divorce? He’s not stupid enough to think they won’t do a prenup, right? He’s going to tie himself to her forlifefor an endless supply of Gilfman suits? Besides, isn’t that fraud? Marrying someone who thinks you’re rich when you’re not?”

Caroline sniffed. “Well, thereissomething called financial misrepresentation, but it’s kind of a gray area in most states?—”

“Morally, Caroline. That’s the thing. Morally, it’s so wrong.”

“Morally,” she echoed, tipping her wine glass back up. Before the liquid could touch her lips, though, she stopped. Pulled the glass down. “Wait. I’m sorry.Whatdid you just say?”

I blinked, trying to remember. “Which part?”

“Marrying someone who thinks you’re rich—are you saying Aaron isn’t?”

I blinked again, and the momentary haze of confusion only lasted a one more second before it hit me—and I slapped both of my palms over my mouth.

Caroline didn’t know. I hadn’t told Caroline that Aaron needed to marry for his inheritance. I hadn’t told her any of that yet—I wasn’tsupposedto tell her any of that.

Panic gripped my throat like a fist, and I reached out and latched onto her arm that rested on the table, digging my fingers in. “You—you can’t tell.” I gasped the words out, desperation chasing away my buzz. “You can’t say anything to Fiona, or—or Aaron, or?—”

“Relax, relax,” Caroline soothed, patting my hand that clawed into her skin, unfazed. “You know me and secrets—I’m a vault. Butonlyif you tell me everything, princess.”

The sinking feeling didn’t go away with her promise, but I didn’t have a choice. I explained about finding Aaron’s inheritance letter from his lawyer, and how Aaron targeted Fiona for her eagerness to marry, paired with her family’s winery. Intrigue danced through Caroline’s dark eyes during all of it, drinking it all up as she sipped her wine.

I did not tell her about Mom’s dream house, though. I knew it was wrong, blabbing about Aaron’s secrets while keeping 1442 Everview to myself, but I did it anyway.

Caroline gestured at me with her glass. “So Aaron’s parents cut him off?”

“I—I guess. I never asked. It felt… invasive.”After blackmailing him for a house,thatfelt invasive?

“Interesting. And that’s why you and Aaron are close?”

“We’re not close. Seriously.”

“You know his darkest secret.”

“Bychance. He didn’t confide in me willingly.”

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