Page 7 of Beauty and Her Beasts (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 1)

I snorted. “Look, all that matters is King snapping out of his self-loathing to save this business and everyone in it.”

“Tell you what,” Declan started, “when, and if, she gets here and you manage to pull off that little plan of yours, I will believe you. Hell, I’ll even support you. But you are already in over your head. The plan was doomed before it had even begun.”

“Your faith in me is astounding, you know that?” I said, voice flat. He made it so hard to like him. He made everything difficult with his negativity.

“Brutal honesty is my forte,” he said.

“Is that what we are calling this? Brutal honesty?” I asked.

“Never mind that. I’m curious to know one thing.”

I stared at him, waiting for him to spit out his words. “And that is?”

“Is she aware of this little plan of yours?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked in return.

“Does she understand part of her job description means she’s coming here to fuck the brains out of King?” Declan asked.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Well… no. I never said fuck him, either. I just sort of hooked her with the job and hope the rest will fall into place. You’ll see.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Let me know how that pans out for you. I would very much like to see this all blow up in your face. Until then, I’m going back to bed.”

“What is that supposed to mean, Declan?” I asked as the door slammed in my face.

I sighed and continued to stand in front of his door like an idiot, processing through everything the half-breed said. Was it really that obvious I liked her? Could anyone blame me?

Regardless, she was off-limits until King came around. If he rejected her, I would have no qualms about taking her into my arms… and into my bed. Until such a time came to pass, I would guide her toward King as though my life depended on it.

Because, in a small way, it does. And not just mine. Everyone who calledChateau Boishome depended on the business thriving, and since King was now the owner, we all depended on him pulling his head out of his ass and saving us from a dire fate. That’s why Allana was pivotal to the plan.

I huffed at the sealed door and shook my head. Declan was overly cynical, but I hated the fact he had a good point. It was one thing to have a plan, and a whole other thing altogether when it came to the follow-through. I, myself, had doubts about my ability to abstain from the girl. I kept telling myself I would do what was right. But King was stubborn, and Allana was one in a million.

Regardless, I needed to prepare for her arrival and that came with a long list of to-dos. I headed for the hotel and called an emergency meeting with all the staff. Once everyone was in place, I made the announcement that would ease the anxieties we all had since the death of Jacinda and Phillip. Maybe even add a little hope to the time of uncertainty we all found ourselves in.

As everyone settled their waiting gazes on me, I said, “I have some exciting news that I know will bring some relief. I have found a manager who has a degree in business. She will arrive later tonight.”

Sighs of relief and gasps of excitement floated through the air as everyone listened to everything I had to say.

“Let’s woo her with the best first impression we can make. I want everything spotless. Also, a room needs to be prepared for her in the west wing. I want everyone to make her feel at home.”

One of the front desk clerks raised his hand. His name was Bastian. He was snobbish in a sense. Looked down on everyone beneath him as though he was better, and his shit didn’t stink despite his position of servitude. If anyone had something negative to say about Allana, he would be first in line. As much as I wanted to ignore him, I knew my actions would only add fuel to his fire. This hotel had enough conspiracy and rumor to last a lifetime. Finally, I nodded.

“She’s a woman with a business degree? Where did you find such a person?” he asked, nose pointed into the air as though he was overly proud of himself.

“In a town calledFleuve Ville,” I said.

Small chatter started echoing through the parlor. I held up my hands to keep the conspiracy theories at bay. I had to put a stop to this before things got out of hand.

“All questions will be answered in time. I know this is a bit unconventional, but desperate times call for desperate measures and we are out of time to wait for anyone else. She is our last hope.” Literally and figuratively.

“Let’s make this place shine like the diamond she truly is,” I said. “You’re dismissed.”

I turned for the lower levels in search of King to inform him of who I hired, and he needed to be there when she arrived. But as I trudged through the damp underbelly of what used to be a castle, I found myself in a maze of tunnels and sewage.

I pinched my nose wondering why King would choose such a place to live. He had the entire east wing to himself. The place where he grew up with his parents. Understanding King and the things he did went far beyond my comprehension.

After searching for him for what seemed like hours, and not finding a single hint to where he had hidden himself, I shouted, “You can’t hide forever King.”

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