She’d been left with more than enough to occupy her, had even gained much-needed experience on other projects, sent detailed reports to Zak after every completed task. But he’d neither acknowledged them nor made a reappearance in the New York office, leaving her with nothing but time to absorb the earth-shattering confirmation that she was pregnant.
With Zak’s baby.
Steeling herself against a fresh barrage of bewilderment, she attempted to drag her gaze from him as he neared, to hide herself behind elaborate fascinators and wedding hats.
But, with the accuracy of a guided missile, his head swivelled towards her, dark and stormy grey eyes singling her out of the crowd. The smile he’d been sharing with his soon-to-be sister-in-law evaporated. And perhaps she was deluding herself, seeing what she wanted to see, but Violet could have sworn he stumbled as he saw her.
Of course, that wasn’t true.
Her mother was godmother to his older brother. Her name was on the guest list.
And if neither of those facts had registered and suggested the possibility of her attendance, Violet had sent him emails, requesting a meeting with him, none of which he’d unanswered.
Leaving her with no choice but to succumb to her mother’s pressure to attend this wedding. She may not have been ready in any way for the news she now bore, but neither did she want to keep it from him.
It didn’t matter that she suspected he would treat it with ev
en more of that icy disdain he was showing her now. It couldn’t be helped.
He was the father of her child and he deserved to know. Once she’d delivered the news, she could get down to the reality of how she would work her life around a child.
Her child.
Her hand crept towards her flat belly, as it’d been wont to do with terrifying frequency and a stunned joy these past few days. Sucking in a breath, she hastily dropped her hand. She needed to remain on her guard before her mother spotted the tell-tale sign.
The last thing she needed was her mother’s opportunistic interest ratcheting up the pressure that was inevitably heading her way now that Remi was off the market.
As if intuiting her thoughts, her mother turned towards her. ‘Be sure to find Zak and have him confirm that he’ll be writing you that letter of recommendation. I don’t really see the point of why you would go to such lengths to do the work and not capitalise on it.’
Violet bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from responding. She would be hunting Zak down but not to pursue the letter of recommendation. At least, not immediately.
While she needed the letter, it wasn’t her priority at the moment.
Besides, she had no right to the letter, not when she still had weeks left on her secondment contract.
She composed her expression when her mother sent her a sidelong look, turned to face forward and silently prayed for the time to whizz by so she could leave Montegova.
Her mother believed she was staying on for the post-wedding festivities planned by the Queen but Violet had changed her ticket for an earlier flight out of Montegova tomorrow. In all the scenarios she’d cast through her mind of how Zak would react to the news, she didn’t believe it would include an invitation to celebrate at the Royal Palace. Hell, he would probably throw her out of his kingdom himself.
‘Violet?’ her mother demanded under her breath, her eyes narrowing.
God, she really needed to get herself under control.
‘The bride looks stunning, doesn’t she?’ she said hurriedly, momentarily distracting her mother.
The ceremony began in earnest then, thankfully excusing her from conversation. Drowning in her own thoughts, Violet barely registered the ceremony. She offered congratulations when she needed to, smiled during the photographs afterwards and before she knew it she was being whisked into the jaw-dropping ballroom in the equally magnificent Montegovan Royal Palace.
Throughout the long speeches and the long line to offer congratulations to the Crown Prince and his new Princess, Violet was aware of Zak’s overshadowing presence. Just as she was aware that he was ignoring her.
More, she was painfully aware of the single socialites gravitating towards him with a sickening covetousness that set her teeth on edge.
She told herself she was irritated simply because his engagement with other guests was eating into the time she needed to tell him her news and make her exit. But the excuse rang hollow inside her.
Because, as she’d predicted that night after they’ve made love, he’d invaded her thoughts even more insidiously than he had six years ago. It was as if now she’d experienced true passion, it...he’d imprinted himself indelibly on her psyche. His absence from New York had sharpened her hunger, intensified it exponentially. So much so that even when she promised she wouldn’t glance his way now, her gaze defied her will, seeking him out as he danced with one stunning woman after another, exchanged laughs with his brother and courteously escorted his mother around the ballroom.
Knowing she needed to get herself under control if she was to remain level-headed for their upcoming meeting, Violet excused herself and made a beeline for the cloakroom. Retouching her make-up and taking several deep breaths lowered her heart rate by a laughable fraction, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Neither could they afford to linger interminably in the cloakroom.