Rise of a Queen (Kingdom Duet #2) - Rina Kent Page 0,59

be sniffing for details about the news from England.

Not that I would let her. Whenever she tries to ask Layla, I either take the phone away or tell her there will be no more calls. She stopped trying to get around me after that.

I brought her here for multiple reasons, and the most important of all is not allowing her to see the articles written on her.

Her name and face are all over the media, and some of the victims’ families have come forward to say that she has the same look that’s in her father’s eyes. That they always thought she was unhinged like him.

I had Harris do some damage control, block articles and drive away the attention from Aurora’s personal life, but there’s only so much he can do. The media has always been obsessed with Maxim Griffin and his gruesome murders. The fact that he’s finally talking is giving them the chance to bring back the past and fully investigate it.

Now, Harris is telling me that my solicitor, who’s working on building a strong case for Aurora, says the whole prosecution’s questioning, and even the trial, will be smoke and mirrors.

Correction, he’s not my solicitor. I’ve never needed a criminal one before. Most of my hotshot solicitors specialise in corporate law. But I had my main law firm pick me the best criminal solicitor in the whole of the UK. Besides being known to have won all the criminal cases he’s taken, Alan Sheldon took the bar exam at the same time as Stephan Wayne — Maxim’s solicitor — and has also gone a few times against him.

From the outside looking in, that fact may seem trivial, but it’s not. Alan is the best, not only because of his unbeatable record, but also because he’s familiar with Stephan and his games prior to trials.

And Alan didn’t get the perfect record by being a saint. He’s been known to use every method under the sun to get his wins — moral or immoral. That’s why he’s a good fit.

While I don’t trust people, I trust his need to keep his serial wins. When someone has ego as a driving force, nothing stops them.

“Alan told me the prosecution has absolutely no evidence against Aurora,” Harris continues in his half-bored, half-sleepy voice. It’s the middle of the night there, not that he minds — I don’t think. He’s a workaholic with zero life outside of King Enterprises. “They thoroughly investigated her eleven years ago. There was nothing that hinted that she knew or participated in Maxim’s crimes.”

“Are you telling me Maxim’s solicitor is going after her as a ploy?”

“Probably. Alan says Maxim wants to drag her down, just to show his power.”

“No. There’s more to it.” I take a sip of my cognac, savouring the burn. “If he only wanted to drag her down, he would’ve done it a long time ago. Something triggered him. Look into it.”

“I did hear a tale some time ago.”

“And why have you waited this long to tell me? You’re losing your touch, Harris.”

“I didn’t think it was important at the time.” He goes into defence mode. “I still don’t, but it could be of value.”

“Go on.”

“When Aurora first entered your life, I met with a few of Maxim’s inmates.”

“Why did you do that?”

“I didn’t trust her, okay? She came out of nowhere and could’ve played that entire thing with Ethan just to get close to you.”

“What is this nonsense? You honestly think someone can use me?”

“No. But I don’t trust people, especially new people. Better safe than sorry.”

“And? What did your distrustful journey bring?”

“There was one of Maxim’s inmates who was later transferred to a mental institute. Robert Hill. He was convicted for killing his wife and mother-in-law with a kitchen knife. He stabbed his wife twenty times and his mother-in-law fifty times, then went to the police station and handed himself in. Anyway, Robert told me that Maxim has a muse, and when I asked him what he meant by that, he said that Maxim gets inspiration by seeing his muse, and when he doesn’t see her, he feels like he’s missing something. Robert said that Maxim keeps her picture with him at all times.”

“Is it Aurora?”

“No clue. Robert said he doesn’t allow anyone to see it, and since Maxim is in solitary confinement, no other inmate has managed to take a look. He also said that Maxim is proud of his muse, saying it’s because of her that he found his true