An air of incredulity surrounded Stella. âAm I supposed to lay my happiness down on the altar as Iâve done everything else? Marry a man I canât stand for the sake of duty?â
âYou donât hate me, Stella. You know thatâs a lie. And it wouldnât be like that,â Kostas said. âYou told me once your dream was to become a human rights lawyer, to effect widespread change. Becoming my Queen would allow you to do that. You would be altering the course of history. Bringing happiness to a people who have suffered enough. Can you really tell me thatâs not worth it?â
Her lips pursed. âPulling out your trump card, Kostas? Now I know youâre desperate.â
âWe both know that isnât my trump card. Weâve proved we could be very good together. More than good.â
Jennifer Hayward invites you into a world of â¦
Kingdoms & Crowns
Young royals in reckless pursuit of passion!
When a centuries-old battle between the kingdoms of Akathinia and Carnelia is reignited the nationâs young royals find themselves on the brink of war. But their kingdoms arenât the only thing at stake â¦
Soon these young monarchs are facing an unexpected royal baby, the appearance of a lost princess and an alliance with the enemy.
Can love conquer all? Find out where it all started in:
King Nikandros and SofÃa Ramirezâs story Carrying the Kingâs Pride
Princess Aleksandra and Aristos Nicoladesâs story Claiming the Royal Innocent
Available now!
JENNIFER HAYWARD has been a fan of romance since filching her sisterâs novels to escape her teenage angst. Her career in journalism and PR, including years of working alongside powerful, charismatic CEOs and travelling the world, has provided perfect fodder for the fast-paced, sexy stories she likes to write, always with a touch of humour. A native of Canadaâs East Coast, Jennifer lives in Toronto with her Viking husband and young Viking-in-training.
CHAPTER ONE
SO THIS WAS what freedom tasted like.
Princess Styliani Constantinides, or Stella, as she had been known since birth, lifted an exotic rum-based cocktail to her lips and took a sip, the contrasting bitter and sweet flavors of the spirits lingering on her tongue before blazing a fiery path down to her stomach, where they imbued an intense feeling of well-being.
The perfect combination for this particular moment as she sat in her friend Jessieâs tiny, local bar on the west coast of Barbados, halfway around the world from her home in Akathinia, contemplating her future.
Sweet, given the burnout sheâd been suffering from after the hundred-plus public appearances sheâd done last year, in addition to her work chairing the boards of two international youth agencies. Bitter because her brother Nik had accused her of running away from the issue at hand.
As if it had been just yesterday sheâd ditched her Swiss finishing school to spend a month in Paris when sheâd thought the stifling formality of her studies might suck the very life out of her. As if every sacrifice sheâd made since then had meant nothing...
âHowâs that?â
The testosterone-laden, dreadlocked bartender rested his forearms on the gray-veined marble bar and cocked a thick, dark brow at her.
âOn the nose.â The smile she gave him was the first real one sheâd managed in months. He offered a thumbs-up in return, then moved on to serve another customer.
Relaxing back in her stool, she cradled the tulip-shaped glass in her hands and studied the fiery jewel tones of the cocktail glowing in the fairy lights of the beachside bar. She deigned to disagree with her brother, the king. She was not, in fact, running, so much as drawing a line in the sand. She may have given up her childhood dream for her country and sacrificed the freedom that was like oxygen to her, but her brotherâs latest request was over the line. Untenable. Out of the question.
She wouldnât do it.
Her breath left her in a long, cathartic exhale. Pulling in another lungful of the salty ocean air, she felt her limbs loosen, the band of tension encircling her skull ease, the tightness in her chest unwind. The release of pressure unshackled something inside of her that had been knotted and twisted for weeks.
When was the last time sheâd felt she could breathe? As if the forces conspiring to turn her life upside down were not in control, but she was. As if the insanity that had driven her to this Caribbean paradise had simply been a vexing nightmare that an airplane ticket purchased under an assumed name and a lifetime of skill in eluding her bodyguards could fix.