Her Christmas Prince. Catherine Mann

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      Leaving now meant giving up the hefty bonus

      Nicolas had promised for the charity of her choice, but she simply couldn’t stay. She wanted to go home, where she would be surrounded by family. Where she could hopefully hide and start to heal.

      At the moment, the pain in her heart didn’t feel as though it would ever go away, but she was hopeful. Hopeful that the sooner she left Glendovia, the sooner she could put this entire incident behind her. That the farther she could get from Nicolas, the faster she would begin to forget that she’d let herself fall in love with him—and that he’d been lying to her the entire time.

      “Thank you for all of your help,” she said to the woman who had helped her arrange for the car and a flight back to the United States.

      Alandra handed her a stack of thick files and paperwork, with a separate sheet of stationery clipped to the outside. Despite her eagerness to leave, she had taken the time this afternoon to make certain the foundation wouldn’t be left in the lurch.

      “Please see that Prince Nicolas gets this. It should be everything he needs to continue with the Dream a Little Dream project.”

      The woman nodded and offered a small curtsy. “Yes, miss. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

      “Thank you,” Alandra said, swallowing back tears. In only a few short weeks she had grown unaccountably close to the palace staff and was sincerely going to miss them.

      With her throat too clogged to speak another word, she walked to the waiting vehicle and climbed in the back. It was dark outside, and too dark to see much of anything through the tinted rear windows. But even so, as the car rolled slowly away from the palace, Alandra kept her gaze focused straight ahead, not wanting to catch even one final glimpse of the site where she’d experienced both an incredible amount of happiness and an incredible amount of heartache.

      Nicolas kept his expression impassive throughout the night, giving no hint of his dark, foul mood. He was only too relieved when the Christmas party drew to an end and he was able to slip away from his family and their guests.

      He muttered a curse through gritted teeth as he made his way down the long hallway to Alandra’s rooms. This was not the way he’d hoped things would turn out between them, or how he’d intended her visit to Glendovia to draw to a close.

      When he reached her suite, he knocked lightly, then opened the door and entered without waiting for her response.

      The lights were on and he heard noises coming from the bedroom, but something seemed oddly out of place.

      “Alandra?” he called, striding in that direction.

      He pushed open the door, immediately taking in the stripped bed and the lack of Alandra’s personal items, which had been scattered about the first night he’d spent with her. A second later, a maid appeared in the bathroom doorway and gave a little squeak of surprise.

      “Your Highness,” she said, bowing her head.

      “Where is Miss Sanchez?” he asked, frowning in consternation.

      “I’m sorry, sir, but she’s gone. Left just before the party began.”

      “She’s gone?” he repeated, feeling as though his feet had been swept out from under him.

      “Yes, sir. I believe she left something for you, though, with Delores. Shall I get her for you?”

      “Yes, thank you. Have her bring it to my office, if you would, please.”

      “Yes, Your Highness.”

      The maid rushed around him and out of the room. Nicolas trailed behind at a much slower pace, taking a back stairwell to the first floor and heading for his private office. Ten minutes later, Delores arrived. She had a stack of folders in her arms.

      “Miss Sanchez left these for you, sir,” she said, handing them across the desk to him.

      He thanked her, waiting until the servant had gone before opening the note on top of the pile. Alandra’s letter was oddly lacking in emotion, simply explaining that she couldn’t stay any longer, regardless of the requirements of her contract, now that she knew he was engaged to be married and those pictures had become public. The files, he discovered, held pages upon pages about the Dream a Little Dream Foundation.

      He should have expected that she wouldn’t want to leave unless she was sure all of the project details were in his hands, and that the establishment of the organization would move forward as planned.

      The problem was, he hadn’t expected her to leave at all. Not without talking with him, letting him explain.

      He should have told her about Lisette in the beginning. Should have let her know that it was an arrangement made by his parents and not necessarily his choice. That even though he was betrothed to the princess, they had never been physically involved.

      Lisette and his mother would be delighted to learn of Alandra’s departure. Without her presence in Glendovia, the scandal of their affair would die a quick death, and life as they knew it could move on, including plans for his upcoming wedding.

      He only wished he felt the same. Instead, he found himself wanting to charge down the hall and be driven to the airport, follow Alandra all the way back to Texas.

      If only she’d given him a chance to explain.

      With a sigh of regret, he crumpled her note.

      It was better this way, he told himself as he left his office and strolled slowly to his rooms on the second floor. Now that Alandra was gone, things could return to normal. He could get back to the matters at hand without being preoccupied with thoughts of making love to her just one more time. Yes, it was better this way. Better for everyone.

       Thirteen

      The noise from the back of the room buzzed in Alandra’s ears. She really didn’t want to do this.

      After arriving home from Glendovia in the middle of the night—Christmas night, no less—she’d done her best to get her life back on track. News of her affair with Nicolas had yet to trickle back to the States. But if anyone in her immediate circle had heard about the affair they’d wisely chosen to ignore the gossip.

      Everyone except her sister. Elena had waited until they’d gotten home from the airport to say anything, but she’d known instinctively that something had sent Alandra running back to Texas.

      The minute they were alone, Alandra had broken down and told her sister everything, pouring her heart out about the situation and how she’d unwisely fallen in love with a man she could never have. And as always, her sister had understood. She’d listened and offered appropriate responses at appropriate times, but never acted as though she thought Alandra had been a fool to get involved with Nicolas in the first place.

      Elena was also the one who’d encouraged her most strongly to throw herself back into her work, when Alandra had wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and hide under the covers for the next month or two.

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