Behind Palace Doors (Hollywood 3)

His loyal assistant was under the illusion the marriage with Victoria was genuine, so of course he thought this idea involved her. Stefan would tell Victoria if her brothers agreed to the film. But right now she was busy and she’d already done so much by taking on this marriage and title. He wasn’t going to pile more on her plate. He had to speak to Bronson and Anthony first, and he didn’t want Victoria to feel as if she were obligated to help or caught in the middle.

Would they even go for something like this? Stefan didn’t know Anthony very well, but he knew Bronson well enough to ask if he would entertain the idea.

A documentary with the Dane and Price names behind it would no doubt kill any suspicion that the film wasn’t thoroughly researched and executed. That reputation of the filmmakers would certainly carry a lot of clout in clearing up the speculation of his father’s involvement in his mother’s untimely death.

Just because his father had admitted an extramarital affair, that didn’t mean he’d planned an accident to remove his own wife from the picture so he could be with his mistress. Nor did it mean his mother had taken her own life. The curvy roads were slick, the brakes needed changing—a fact that had come out later from the police report—and his mother had insisted on not using a driver that day. The series of events led up to a tragedy, but Stefan refused to blame his father.

Oh, he’d blamed him at the time. Yelled and cursed at him for not loving his mother enough and for going around having an affair, but once Stefan saw the grief, the anguish that his father had gone through, even up to his own death, Stefan realized that his father was only human. His father may have strayed from the marriage once, but the man had been completely in love with his wife.

Stefan came to his feet again and moved to the floor-to-ceiling window, where he admired a view of the city in the distance. Somewhere in the crazy overpopulated town was his wife, his best friend. He wanted her opinion, but she had so much on her plate already and he hated to bother her with his own issues. Wasn’t she already going above and beyond by helping him secure the crown and keep his country independent? He didn’t want to make her feel like she needed to step in and persuade her brothers to agree to the film. Besides, as of this point, taking the blemish off his father’s reputation didn’t concern her.

Right now he wanted her to concentrate on her designs, on letting her creativity flow and her natural spirit shine through. She’d already done enough for him, and he wasn’t going to ask for another favor for a really long time...unless he asked her to don a certain type of lingerie, and that didn’t count as a favor when the enjoyment was mutual.

Raking a hand through his hair, Stefan recalled that Victoria’s mother was planning a dinner party tomorrow. If the right time presented itself, he’d approach Bronson, but this wasn’t something he’d announce at the table. He really did want to keep this quiet until he knew for sure this was a project Bronson and Anthony were willing to take on.

As the next king of Galini Isle, Stefan felt it was not only his duty as the son of a man wrongfully accused, but he also knew telling the truth was the right thing to do to keep his family’s name and honor one of integrity.

And he hoped like hell that intruder on his property had taken the threat seriously, otherwise he’d have a whole new mess on his hands. He already had enough to deal with without worrying if his country was secure. So far this marriage was getting him closer and closer to his title. He couldn’t lose it now.

As he glanced around the spacious, brightly decorated living room, he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen at the end of the six-month period. Would Victoria stay with him? He had to admit, being married to his best friend was much better than he ever would’ve dreamed. And once they put in a few royal appearances now that their honeymoon phase was over and they were in L.A., Tori would get an even better sampling of what being royalty truly meant. Perhaps she wouldn’t like all the hype and responsibilities.

He moved to a built-in bookcase and gazed over the snapshots of Victoria with her family and friends through the years. There were even a couple shots of the two of them together. In one they were laughing, Victoria’s hand on his chest. The captured scene ran through his mind and he recalled that day so vividly. He’d come to visit her—it was actually one of the times he’d been about to tell her he wanted to explore a physical relationship. They’d been at a restaurant opening for a mega-movie star who had started a chain, and the media was swarming, waiting to get pictures of all the rich and famous.