Falling for My Dirty Uncle

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” he said. “I couldn’t stop them.”

Samantha gave me a cold look and looked over at Alicia. She took in the King and Samantha in her gaze.

“Ah,” she said simply and then took a breath before looking to Alicia. “You were about to deliver happy news, no?”

Daphne…fuck, Alicia, was silent and looks down.

“Well, not so happy now, I’m afraid,” Samantha said and turned towards Samantha. “I see you on television. You’re the Press Secretary for St. Livy. Your daughter thinks she’s going to marry the Prince.”

Samantha gasped and Alicia’s face crumpled. Despite everything, I was getting angry and I stood up straighter. Then Samantha turned towards me.

“Your Highness, unfortunately I’m going to have to place you under arrest,” she said as she nodded at the two uniformed officers who moved my way. I stood stunned as they came closer and put my hands behind my back.

“Don’t look so shocked,” Samantha said. “The statute of limitations for your little stunt four months ago is about to expire, and I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to kick your ass out of this country.”

“The people of this city love the Prince!” my dad bellowed, coming to my defense. Samantha turned to face him and she regarded him coolly.

“King Leopold,” she said politely. “The people may love him now, but when they see just what kind of mess he’s in, they’ll turn against him and want him expelled.”

I remain silent as Samantha walked up to me. “But it’s okay Derrick,” she whispered. “It’s not like you had anything worth saving up here anyways.”

I wanted to say something but too much was going through my head to reply before she continued.

“I mean, the woman you love, isn’t actually Daphne Apple - but I’m guessing you just found that out, right?” she said with an evil gleam. When I didn’t respond, she continued. “But did you know that she’s the one that’s been writing the gossip columns about you? That she works at News of the Times? That she worked at my instructions to destroy after your little rodeo at the CBC studios four months ago?”

Fuck. Me.

Now it felt like someone had taken off their shoe and slapped me in the face with it.

What the fuck was going on?

Tears fall from Alicia’s face as Samantha leaned close but whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Did you know her job was to write as much dirt about you as possible?” she asked. “That she came up with the name ‘Prince Sin’?”

Speech was gone. It felt like my heart was stabbed.

I didn’t even notice when Samantha gave the nod for the officers to march me out of my home and into the squad car.

Only this time as I exited the building, the press was waiting. I did the perp walk out of my building and into the waiting police car in a fucking daze.

* * *

In hindsight, I’m a fucking idiot. I was blinded by something. I’m trying to wonder if it’s love.

I should have wondered how a stripper as gorgeous as Daphne wasn’t more famous.

I should have done a background check on her.

I should have asked how she was able to keep supporting herself while she wasn’t working as a stripper. She couldn’t have had that much saved up.

I should have wondered how she was able to pull up some detailed searches on my father and mother. It never occurred to me that she had inside access as a journalist.

I should have realized that her sources on her fucking gossip column were none other than herself.

I’m a fucking fool, mate.

I stare at the bars to the holding cell.