Princess Thief: Stealing Your Heart Read Free Page B

me!”
    “What
is it dear?” Paulette asked.
    “I’m
so bored.  Can I hang out with you?”
     
    Juliette
leaned against the back wall of the kitchen and checked her watch.  9:35. 
    Time
to go.
    The
few catering staff that were left in the room were distracted, busy gossiping
and cleaning up.  Juliette carefully inched her way along the wall towards the
door, unseen, then quickly left.
    Out
in the hall, she walked briskly with her head held high.  She looked like a
confident woman running an errand — a skill she had practiced so that if anyone
did notice her, she appeared to belong.
    She
approached the ornate wooden door to the gem room, gave a quick glance to her
right and left, then slipped inside.  The room was pitch black.  She lifted her
gown, retrieved the thin flashlight that she had stashed in her lace garter
belt, and directed the beam to the far left corner of the room.
    There
you are!
    The
emerald necklace was laid out on a blue velvet mat.  Even the pale glow from
her flashlight made the gems sparkle, casting vibrant colors against the
surrounding walls.
    She
quickly snatched the necklace, pocketed it, and headed back towards the door. 
    In
60 seconds, little necklace, you ’ll be safely tucked underneath a
rhododendron . 
    She
smiled.
    Suddenly,
as she was reaching for the door, the knob turned. 
    She
froze in terror.
    There
was movement behind her.  The room lights came on.
    The
door opened.  A dignified-looking butler entered.  “Juliette
Thierry, I presume?”
    “Juliette,”
a voice called from behind her.  “So good to see you again.”
    Fear
coursed through her veins.  She couldn ’t move, couldn’t react.
    This
can ’t
be happening!
    She
felt a hand reach into her pocket from behind and retrieve the necklace.  “I’ll take that,
if you don’t mind.” 
    She
forced herself to turn.
    There,
holding the necklace, looking smug and self-satisfied, was the devilishly
handsome Prince Guillermo.
     

Chapter 3
    “Would
you follow me, please?”
    Juliette
opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn ’t come. 
    What ’s happening? 
How?  Why?  I’m caught?  I can’t be caught.  It’s not possible!
    The
prince gave her a gentle nudge from behind.  Her legs started moving on their
own.
    Automatically,
robotically, she followed the butler out into the hall.
    She
felt numb and strangely cold; an icy tingle on her arms and legs.  She trudged
along, head down; her legs weighed a thousand pounds.
    This
isn ’t
happening.  This can’t be happening.
    At the
end of the hallway, the butler opened a door, and motioned inside.  “If you please.”
    Juliette
did as she was told.
    Inside
the room, there was an oval wooden conference table surrounded by 6 leather
chairs. 
    “Please.”
    Her
eyes found the butler; he was holding one of the chairs away from the table for
her to sit in.
    Juliette
numbly complied.
    She
waited, silently, the same thought playing over and over in her mind.
    Wake
up!  You ’ve
got to think!  Don’t give up!
    Finally,
when the smiling prince entered the room and shut the door behind him, a wave
of fear crashed over her.  “This isn’t what it looks like!” she began
babbling.  “I was just-”
    The
prince held up the palm of his hand.  “Save it.  Please.”
    “No,
really, I was just-”  She stopped short: the prince tossed her white cloth bag
— the one she had hidden behind the rhododendron — onto the table in front of
her.
    Well,
that ’s
that.  You’re caught, hon.
    He
sat down.  “Juliette,
I have a proposition for you.  But, before we get to that, can you tell me one
thing?  Why this necklace? ”  Guillermo
held up the emerald green necklace; so, so beautiful.
    Juliette
remained silent, defiant.
    “You
walked past several pieces that were far more valuable,” Guillermo prompted.
    Again,
Juliette refused to comment.
    Even
if I go to prison, I ’ll be damned if I reveal a thing about the
orphanage.
    Guillermo
gazed