Never Tired of Mr. Leon's Love

In Charleston, Charlotte held her brand-new phone, her smile looking mysterious.

'So, it's Lucy? Now I get it. She's the lost princess of the royals.

'But don't you worry, sweetheart. I won't let you waltz back into the palace.'

Charlotte had shadows in her eyes, a sign she had been holding a grudge against Lucy for ages. They had never even met and did not even know what the other was like, but because of clashing interests, Charlotte was itching to get Lucy out of the picture.

Once she was sure who Lucy was, Charlotte did not waste any time. She sent a million bucks to a certain account and sent a message: [I want her gone. Make it look like an accident.] Then, she sent over Lucy's details.

The reply came quickly: [Not enough. She's Matthew's wife, and she's got top-notch guards. A million won't do it.] Charlotte was fuming. That was a big chunk of her savings. Spending more meant cutting back on her shopping.

If Lucy got cozy with the royals, Charlotte's own status was on the line.

After a moment's thought, she went all in. [How about another nine million?]

An 'OK' emoji popped up in response.

The other party replied again: [Relax, the Spade Organization gets things done. You'll get the news you're waiting for soon enough.

[They'll all think it was just an accident, except for our little spade signature.]

Charlotte grinned. She was glad she had not mentioned that Lucy was not just Matthew's wife but also a princess from Charleston. That would have definitely bumped up the price.

Well, it was probably for the best. How could someone so unworthy command such a high price? Ten million dollars was more than enough for Lucy.

Charlotte held her head high, feeling a weight lifting off her shoulders. Now, she could relax. She decided to treat herself to a manicure later in the afternoon.

...

Lucy was all smiles as she reached the front gates of the university. As luck would have it, the security guard on duty was the same friendly man who had let her in before.

The man's eyes brightened when he saw Lucy. "Hey there, it's you again! I haven't seen you around for a few months!"

Lucy blushed, but she needed to get into the university. She started fibbing, "I've been buried in schoolwork. My professor gave me so much to do, so I hardly leave campus nowadays. I just came out for a bit of fun today. How about you? How have you been?"

The man really liked this sweet girl. He grinned at Lucy and said, "I'm doing great, thanks! Go on in. Oh, and has your boyfriend been by to see you?"

He gave Lucy a playful wink. She did not know what to say. She did not have a boyfriend, just a husband!

Right then, Cillian came strolling out from the campus, smiling at her.

The security guard saw Cillian and nodded as if everything made sense. "Off you go. Your boyfriend's here to pick you up."

Lucy was taken aback, but with Cillian right there, she felt too shy to correct the man.

She just followed Cillian into the university grounds.