“And Lennox, you have proved yourself capable, a great addition to the team here.”
“I thank you, Majesty, but…”
“Please do not tell me you think being the bodyguard of the prince’s girlfriend, maybe the future queen, is beneath you?” He cocked his head, sitting back in his chair.
Checkmate.
Lennox’s arms tightened behind his back, his gaze not landing on anyone. “No, sir.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“You agree to be Ms. Sutton’s personal guard?”
Lennox’s jaw strained, a nerve popping in his neck. “Yes, sir.” He tipped his head in a bow, resentment and rage stroking his words.
Alexander nodded, touching the paper on his desk. “I do not want to see an incident like this again.”
“Yes, Father.” Eloise stood up from the chair, sensing his dismissal.
“I’ve got work to do. Theo, I want to see you in the afternoon meeting.”
“Yes, sir.” Theo bobbed his head, his hand curling around mine, tugging me toward the door.
“Pleasure meeting you, Your Majesty.” I bobbed my legs, my words rushing out as Theo and Eloise dragged me from the room.
“Bloody hell, El,” Theo hissed the moment we got out. “That was close. He knows that’s a fighting club!”
“Please.” She rolled her eyes, brushing her glossy hair over her shoulder. “You freak out so easily. He’ll never figure it out. And if he does?” She shrugged. “So what? What is he going to do, ground us?”
Being second-born gave her a lot more freedom than Theo.
Hearing steps behind us, Theo whirled around to his ex-guard. “So sorry, mate.” He went up to Lennox.
Lennox’s hazel eyes dug into me. Blaming. Accusing. I glared back. I didn’t want this any more than he did.
“Though it’s not like anything’s changed.” Theo patted his arm. “Wherever she is, I’ll be… so it will be exactly like you are on my watch.”
“Exactly like that.” Lennox’s gaze was still set on me, his scruffy jaw rolling with irritation. The intensity of his stare had me glancing away. “If you excuse me, Your Highness, I now have a meeting with the PR team.” Because of her. Unsaid, but completely felt. Lennox bent in a goodbye, turned on his heels, and strolled down the hall.
“Fuck, he’s hot.” Eloise sighed.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“Don’t worry, big brother. Hazel has already taken dibs.”
“Ugh. No.” Theo rubbed his head. “I don’t want to know that.”
The siblings started strolling away, but I stood there, watching the back of the man who was now was in charge of keeping me alive.
Dalton moved in my eye line, a smirk on his face, his eyes going to Lennox’s retreating figure, then back to me.
“Shut up,” I growled, only making him laugh as he walked away.
At every turn, I kept pulling the short straw.
What were the chances this guy would protect me from a bullet? It seemed more likely he’d push me into one.
Chapter 10
“We will need to close all your social media accounts and open new ones so we can control the content.”
“What?” I rubbed my damp hands down my jeans. For the last twenty minutes, I had been locked in the office with just a few of the house’s PR team. Four people sat around the room, typing and talking around me like I wasn’t actually there.
“All personal pictures will need to be vetted.” Chloe opened a folder, flipping through papers with a slight frown on her face. Her assistant, Millie, stood near with a tablet, stabbing and scrolling through it. “It’s better to start from scratch than going through all your accounts.”
“Most of my content is animals, my two friends, and some of my family.” I knew this was coming, but it still prickled the back of my neck. All my social media was wholesome because Uncle Fredrick had drilled it into Landen’s and my brains to keep a polished exterior for the public.
“And all of that will be up for debate, ridicule, and censure, no matter how appropriate you think it is,” Chloe replied, tossing a folder at another member of the team. “Every detail of your life is going to be dug up and put up on display to be shredded. We want as little as possible for them to rip apart.” She looked up at Millie. “Get a statement from Kelly, Theo’s PR. What they want his message to be.”
Millie nodded, tapping harder at her screen.
“The moment you step out as the prince’s girlfriend, everything changes. They will move in like vultures, ready to pick you apart, and if you want to stay whole, we need to control the message from