Page 21 of Royal Beast
“And this isn’t?” I snap.
He exhales, his jaw tightening. “I’ll be back soon, Darcy. We’ll discuss everything then.”
He reaches for his coat, and I know he’s going to walk out, leaving me with nothing but my frustration. As the door closes behind him, I grit my teeth, realizing that once again, I’m left without answers.
The moment Kellan’s gone, a calm settles over me, one that feels more like resolution than defeat. I’m done waiting around for him to throw another rule at me, done playing by terms he’s made crystal clear that he’ll change on a whim.
Rose looks up at me as I check on her, happily playing with her toys in her room. I gaze around the penthouse, searching for his study, the one room he didn’t show me.
His keys, his rules. But I’ll be taking back mine.
I find his office tucked away down the hall, the door locked, just as I suspected. A thrill of determination courses through me as I pull a hairpin from my pocket and get to work, fiddling with the lock until I feel it click open. Inside, his desk is neatly arranged, his laptop closed, a handful of expensive pens lined up like soldiers. I quickly pry open a drawer, and there are my car keys and the credit card he thought he’d hold over my head.
Keys and card in hand, I walk back into Rose’s room and gather her in my arms. Her bright eyes are wide as I adjust her on my hip, her arms winding around my neck.
“Where are we going, Mama?” she asks, her voice curious.
“Somewhere else, baby,” I murmur, brushing a kiss over her hair.
Anywhere but here, I think to myself.
My pulse is steady as I head to the car. Whether Kellan likes it or not, I’m getting the hell out of here and not looking back.
10
KELLAN
The drive to City Hall does little to cool my temper. My mind keeps drifting back to the fight with Darcy. It’s like she’s determined to make everything difficult—refusing help, pushing back on every decision I make for her. I’d thought giving her a bit of control might help ease her into this new life and make her see that relying on someone else isn’t the end of her independence. But she seems intent on fighting me at every turn.
I flex my fingers on the steering wheel, my jaw tight. She thinks I’m trying to control her. She doesn’t understand that what I’m really trying to do is give her and Rose a better life, a safer one. This whole situation shouldn’t be so hard. Darcy’s stubborn determination is a force all its own.
By the time I reach City Hall, I’m barely holding it together. Liam’s already waiting out front, arms crossed, a scowl creasing his face. We make our way inside without a word, both of us on edge from separate storms.
“Let’s get this sorted,” he mutters as we head down the hall. There’s more at stake here than just a casino permit, but for now, it’s all I can focus on.
The clerk behind the desk barely looks up as we approach. He’s an older man with round glasses perched on the end of his nose, a bored expression on his face like he’s counting the seconds until his lunch break. I don’t bother with pleasantries.
“We need to talk about a permit denial,” I say flatly, cutting to the chase.
The clerk barely spares us a glance. “Which permit is that?” he asks, voice dripping with disinterest.
“The one for the new casino site,” Liam replies, sounding just as irritated as I feel. He leans in, resting his hands on the counter with a scowl that would make most people step back.
The clerk sighs, straightening a small stack of papers before finally giving us his full attention. “Ah, that one. Yes, well, I’m afraid that permit can’t be approved as things stand.”
“Why not?” I demand. I’ve jumped through every hoop and met every requirement. There’s no way this is happening over some petty technicality.
The clerk flips open a book on his desk, trailing a finger down the page with exaggerated slowness. “According to Ordinance 56B, any property within city limits intended for entertainment purposes cannot be approved if there are… let’s see… ‘sufficient establishments within a quarter-mile radius offering similar services.’”
“What?” Liam barks. “There’s nothing like it in that area!”
The clerk gives a dismissive shrug. “Another ordinance specifies that any establishment proposing an interior capacity exceeding one hundred persons must submit written assurances of compliance with Code 147, sub-paragraph seven, which colloquially is known as the Ice Cream Transport Code.”
Liam’s brow furrows. “Ice Cream Transport Code?”
“Yes. As you’re likely aware, in our city, any business above that capacity threshold is strictly prohibited from any transport of frozen desserts, such as ice cream, in unattended receptacleswithin their establishment,” the clerk explains, deadpan. “An ordinance dating back to 1924, revised in 1956, to apply to all forms of entertainment.”
“Is this a joke?” I snap. “This is a casino, not an ice cream parlor!”
