Catharine & Edward Read Free Page B

what’s going on?” Alex’s eyes flicked to Cat and Francine, then the agents nearby, before settling on Rebecca again. “Darling?” he asked again softly.
    Rebecca sighed and buried herself against Alex. “Wedding problems.”
    “Tell me the problem, and we’ll fix it.”
    “You can’t fix this one, though Mama seems to have a good solution,” Rebecca said as she gestured to Francine.
    “Then what’s wrong? You’re sad, darling. I don’t like to see you sad.”
    Cat knew Rebecca was trying to avoid telling her extremely protective fiancé what had happened, as he’d likely overreact, so Cat spoke up. “It’s the wedding dress, Alex.”
    Alex blinked. “The wedding dress?”
    Cat nodded. “The designer – being a complete diva-tistical ass – went crazy and attacked it with a pair of scissors.”
    “What?” Alex asked in a low, dark voice.
    “Right in front of us.”
    “What?” Alex’s voice fell even lower, his face hard as cement, and his dark eyes pools of black ice.
    “And he destroyed Rebecca’s pin, too.”
    Alex’s gaze fell to Rebecca’s dress. “I noticed it was gone, but I thought you’d, perhaps, taken it off.” His gaze narrowed on the agents in the room. “And where the hell were all of you when this was happening?”
    “They subdued him, Alex,” Cat chimed in, her own feeble attempt to protect Edward, she supposed. “As quickly as they could, but it was still too late for the dress.”
    Alex ignored his twin and kept his eyes locked on the agents. “When did this happen?”
    Cat sighed; she knew better than anyone Alex was impossible when it came to protecting the ones he loved. “Just a few hours ago. We came straight back to the palace after the agents secured everything.”
    Alex’s granite gaze flickered between the two agents who were assigned to Rebecca, agents Alex had handpicked himself. Cat knew he would see this incident as his failure to protect his fiancée. “Why wasn’t I informed of this the instant it happened? I’ll be speaking to Marcello about both of you, and the others who were there. I want a full report by close of business today. Am I clear?”
    A chorus of staggered ‘Yes, Your Highness’ swept through the room.
    “Alex,” Rebecca said softly, and Alex’s gaze finally broke as he looked at her. “Let’s put this behind us.”
    “That fucking asshole could have hurt you.”
    “Alex.”
    “Even more, he irreparably damaged your wedding dress and your beloved pin. He’s done. I’ll make sure of it. He made a threat against the crown, and I can exile him for that.”
    Rebecca huffed a laugh. “Oh, Alex. Please don’t. You’ll only bring him more attention, which he wants, and, technically, I’m not a member of the royal family yet. I’m sure by now he’ll have realized what a terrible mistake he made.”
    “Not only that,” Cat said with a smug look. “You don’t need to ruin him, because I’ll do it for you.”
    “I doubt I’ll find that as satisfying, Cat, but how exactly to do you plan to do that?” he asked.
    Cat straightened her back even more and said, with incredible regality, “You forget that I, Princess Catharine Victoria Santoro di Valleria, am one, if not the, fashion trendsetter in the country.” Cat ignored the indulgent smiles of those in the room and kept talking. “If I decide a fashion designer is done, I only need to make a few subtle statements and no one will buy them.”
    Alex sighed. “Definitely not as satisfying.”
    “Rebecca has enough on her plate without worrying about you going crazy.”
    Alex gazed at Rebecca, one of his hands lifting to brush a lock of her hair back and skim her cheek. “Am I worrying you, darling?”
    “Please listen to what’s Cat saying. She’ll take care of Alberto Bocci. I have a much more important job for you.”
    Alex’s brow lifted. “What’s that?”
    “Avoiding our guestrooms until after the wedding.”
    “Pardon?”
    Rebecca, her arms still linked