“Juniper!” Carla shouted as she burst into the kitchen.
June hated how Elaine and Carla insisted on calling her by the name her beloved father always had. At first it had been comforting—it felt intimate and was a reminder of her dad. But now her full name on their lips was grating and made her skin crawl.
“Yes?” she asked as she turned away from the pot she was stirring on the stove.
“He’s here! Finally! He’s gonna stay in the room next to mine. You need to get up there and change the sheets. Make sure he has a clean towel—and make it one of the small ones.” Her stepsister grinned with a mischievous glint to her eye. “Because I’m gonna accidentally walk in on him, and I want to see how big his dick is. Can’t do that with a huge beach towel wrapped around his waist. Oh! And spray some of my perfume on his sheets. I want him to associate my smell with being in bed.”
“Right now?” June asked innocently. She wanted to roll her eyes at Carla, tell her she was disgusting and far too desperate, but she knew better. It was much easier to fade into the background, to do what she was told, than to disagree. She’d learned that from experience.
“Of course, right now! Duh! You’re so stupid.”
“Okay, but the dinner might burn if I do,” June told her.
“Shit! That won’t do. Fine, after you serve us, after the appetizers and before the dessert, when we’re eating the main dish, run upstairs and do as I said. Oh, and make sure that door between our rooms is unlocked too. How else will I be able to accidentally catch him naked?” Carla cackled. “Have you seen him?” she asked.
June shook her head. She wanted to ask her stepsister when the hell she’d possibly have had time to spy on their guest when she was busy doing last-minute cleaning, like sweeping dog hair from the entryway floors, taking out the trash, and cooking the four-course dinner Elaine had insisted the prince would be expecting.
“I’ve heard he’s covered in scars. Karl actually warned me not to make a big deal of them, but I went online to see what he meant, and he’s hideous without his clothes. I’ll have to close my eyes when he’s on top of me because . . . gross! But luckily his face is fine. I mean, his nose is crooked, and he’s missing part of one of his ears, but I’ll make sure he grows his hair long so it covers that up. As long as he has a big dick, I don’t really care what the rest of him looks like. Anyway, we’ll be beautiful together. I’ve already started looking at wedding dresses. I want to rival any other royal wedding that’s ever been televised! I’m going to be a princess—and I can’t wait!”
June felt a pang of pity for the prince. He had no idea the vipers’ nest he’d walked into. Had no clue Carla was planning their wedding, all while calling him “hideous” and “gross” for things he’d had no control over.
Carla stared at June for a long moment. “Well?” she finally demanded.
June knew what she wanted to hear. “You’ll be a beautiful bride,” she said woodenly.
With a fake smile, Carla nodded. “Of course I will. Mark my words—Prince Redmon is going to be my husband within three months. No one can resist me. I haven’t had all those plastic surgeries for nothing. I’m going to be a princess!” she declared again. Then she glared at June. “And don’t be late with our dinner. Keep your mouth shut—and don’t even look at the prince. He’s mine, and I’ll do whatever I have to in order to have him. Understand?”
June nodded immediately. “Yes.”
“Good. God, you’re so pathetic. As if he’d ever look twice at a fat cow like you.” Then Carla turned and flounced out of the kitchen.
The second she left, June let out a breath. She’d stopped letting her stepsister’s insults get to her years ago. She knew she was overweight, but she didn’t care. Her dad had been plump, and she’d seen pictures of her mom. June definitely had the Rose genes . . . she would never be tall and skinny, but she was all right with that. While she didn’t work out like most people did, working around the house and in the yard kept her muscles strong and her stamina up.
Turning back to the pot on the stove, June heaved a deep sigh. She really did feel bad for Prince Redmon. Carla would be relentless in her pursuit of him, and like most men who got caught in her snare, he’d be hooked before he realized exactly what kind of woman her stepsister was.
But it was none of June’s business. She’d tried to warn some of the men Carla had dated in the past, and it hadn’t gone well for her. Inevitably, Carla or Elaine had found out what she’d said and made her life extremely miserable for weeks afterward. It was easier to just keep her mouth shut and let Carla’s suitors find out for themselves what a bitch she really was.
June shook her head at the thought of Carla becoming a princess. She’d ruin Liechtenstein’s reputation for sure. But again . . . it wasn’t her business. When she left, she’d be free of Carla and Elaine Green for good. She wouldn’t look back. Her time was coming, and June couldn’t wait.
Pick up book 2 in the Game of Chance Series today!
The Royal