Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“This was your idea?” Somehow I have a hard time believing that.
He shrugs. “Well, I tried to get film crews to come in, but there was a pandemic and then a strike. I called Joe because he’d filmed in our country a few years ago. We talked and this is what we came up with. People love shows like this. They talk about shows like this. I need them talking about Ralavia. The final episodes will be filmed there. I can show off my country, and hopefully that will bring the tourists back.”
All in all, it’s not a terrible plan, though I still have real problems with it. “The director seems to like you a lot.”
“I like him, too. I know he’s had some troubles, but don’t we all go through that? Anyway, that’s why I’m here. He convinced me most of the women wouldn’t truly be here to find a husband. I don’t like the idea of hurting them. But if fame is what they’re seeking, then they’ll get what they came for.”
This is where he’s wrong and where I have problems. “Some of them are here for you.”
A brow rises over his deep brown eyes. “How? They don’t know me.”
“They’re here for the idea of you, and I worry they’ll get their hearts broken,” I explain.
He seems to think this over for a moment, his eyes closing as though he’s weary. “I’m sorry for that. If you’ll tell me who you’re worried about, I’ll let them leave early.”
“Wow, that feels cold. You’re not going to give this thing a chance at all?” I know I’m being naïve, but it doesn’t feel fair to me.
His eyes come open, staring at me as though coming to some inner decision. “Perhaps I could be persuaded to.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Luca’s gaze is laser focused on me. “It means I’ll go through the whole process with an open mind as long as you go through it with me. Ani, we fit together well. Even the bloody Internet can see that. They loved you. They loved us together. I read the comments.”
That’s so not fair. “They let you on a computer? That’s against the rules.”
“The rules for you,” he concedes. “Not for me. I still have a country to run. I have a unique contract with the production company. I’m allowed to make decisions others wouldn’t be able to. I like you, Anika.”
“You don’t know me.” I want to give his words back to him because I do like him. I like him way more than I should. Nothing he’s said this evening has thrown me off. He cares about his people. He sacrifices for them. That’s what this is. A sacrifice. He’s not some young prince out to party around the world and sleep with as many women as possible. He already seems weary at the prospect.
“I know you better than any woman I’ve dated in the last few years,” he says with a ghost of a smile. “I know that you had an imaginary friend named Daisy, and that you smile when you think about your mom’s chocolate chip cookies. I know you love your friends, but you want something more. You want something more than friendship. What if I could offer you that?”
I feel my heart constrict. “Are you offering to love me, Luca?”
A hand waves off the thought. “Nothing so ordinary. That’s something you should know up front. I want to be honest with you. I don’t believe in the whole love thing. Not in a romantic fashion. I’ve always known that marriage would be a duty for me. I’ve never dated a woman without marriage in mind. When my parents were alive, there was a list of suitable women.”
That’s a kick in the gut. I’ve been dreaming about this man and he’s on the “love is a social construct” train. So much for romance. “Well, they would be shocked at where you are now.”
“Things change,” Luca says. “Responsibilities change. This marriage—if there is one—will be out of duty as well.”
I can’t help the bitterness that wells up. He’s like so many of the men I know. “So let’s go over what you’re offering this mystery woman. You admit you don’t have the cash everyone here thinks you have. You work all the time, so she won’t be getting a doting husband, and you don’t believe in love.”
If he’s bothered by my accusations, he doesn’t show it. “I have some lovely jewelry. Don’t discount that. The crown jewels are spectacular. I wasn’t allowed to sell those, either, so they’re waiting for my wife.”
I don’t understand how he can be so cavalier about something as serious as a marriage. “You would truly marry one of us?”
“The wedding would take place in Ralavia at the expense of the production studio. A royal wedding would bring an enormous amount of money into the country. There are all sorts of industries associated with it that could juice the economy.”