#Brooks Writers Romance

[sognareleggiesogna]

RECENSIONE: Innamorarsi di Finn di Brooke Fox

Cari Sognatori, Lily ha letto il primo volume della serie romance Maplewood Falls, scritto da Brooke Fox, edito da Brooks Writers Romance !!! SERIE: Maplewood Falls #1 GENERE: Romance DATA D’USCITA 2 Ottobre 2024 KU-EBOOK / CARTACEO Affiliati Amazon TRAMA Innamorarmi di Finn non faceva parte del piano. È più grande di me, lunatico e si lamenta di tutto quello che faccio. La sua famiglia mi invita…

[tessa-liam]

The One Who Got Away 

Thank you @kyra75 for your ask --  Prompt #4, ‘This is all my fault’ for @choicesprompts – Angstgiving Event 

Choices Book: The Royal Romance, Book 2 

Pairing: Liam Rys x Riley Brooks (F!MC) 

Rating: mature 

Category: angst/fluff, one-shot, ask/prompt 

Words 3.5k, with sprinkles of Canon 

A/N1: not Beta’d, please excuse all errors 

Premise: Liam and Riley are in love, but due to circumstances, they are pulled apart. Riley leaves Cordonia to go back home to New York, heartbroken. Liam marries Madeleine, reluctantly, to fulfill his duty as King. A year later, while visiting New York, Liam runs into Riley.... 

ONE YEAR AGO ...

New York. The place where dreams come true. The Statue of Liberty. The Empire State Building. Central Park. 

As the limousine pulled up in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a sea of reporters and cameras flooded the sidewalk, all desperate to catch a glimpse of the young King of Cordonia. 

He'd arrived in New York earlier that day to spend the next two weeks on a goodwill tour, courtesy of his PR team. He'd already spent several days in Washington, DC, before stopping by a few other major US cities. New York City was the grand finale. 

King Liam stepped out of the limousine, his personal security flanking him, and walked into the throng of reporters. He was met with a barrage of flashing cameras, blinding him. His bodyguards tried their best to hold the crowd back. 

"Your Majesty! Over here! Look over here, please!" 

Liam put on his most dazzling smile and waved, walking towards the doors, surrounded by the press. 

"What are you hoping to accomplish during your stay in New York?" 

"Who will be accompanying you?" 

"Do you have a message for the people of Cordonia?" 

"King Liam! What is the state of the relationship between your country and the US?" 

"Will you be making any important announcements soon?" 

Liam smiled politely at the reporters, but refused to comment on their questions. He reached the top of the steps leading into the museum, and stopped for a moment, taking in the view. It was a gorgeous, but chilly,  November day in New York. The trees had long since lost their leaves and were now a dark brown, contrasting with the gray skies above. The weather had forced most New Yorkers to stay indoors. 

Liam glanced at his watch. It was 10:45 am. 

"Your Majesty? The exhibit is waiting for you." One of the museum staff motioned him inside. 

Liam walked through the massive, imposing entrance doors and made his way through the crowd of museum visitors, down the marble-floored hallway, towards the room where the exhibit was waiting for him. 

The museum staff, dressed in black-and-white, were all huddled near the door, whispering excitedly amongst themselves. 

"This is going to be a huge draw for our museum." 

"I can't believe they let us borrow these artifacts." 

"We're lucky the King agreed to open the exhibit." 

Liam cleared his throat and the museum staff immediately stood at attention. 

"Welcome, Your Majesty. We're honored you're here," the museum director bowed in respect.

"Thank you, but there's no need for all the formality," Liam smiled warmly. "Please, please call me Liam." 

The museum staff beamed as the director held out his arm to escort Liam into the gallery.

"If you'll please follow me, Your Ma—, uh, Liam. We've prepared the exhibit for your inspection. Please take as much time as you'd like." 

Liam followed into the spacious, exhibition room, his personal security standing outside. The staff were bustling around, checking the artifacts and displays. Liam took a few steps further into the room, and his breath hitched in his throat. 

At the end of the room, on a plinth, was a large display case, with a crown encased inside. It was a golden circlet, embellished with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. 

The Queen's Crown of Cordonia. 

He recognized it immediately. It had belonged to his mother, Queen Eleanor, before she had died. She had never had a chance to wear it. 

Liam's hands were trembling, and his knees were weak. He slowly approached the crown, his eyes fixed on it. The last time he'd seen this crown was at his mother's funeral. After that, it had been kept locked away in the Royal Treasury. He'd thought it would stay there forever. 

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" came a familiar voice. 

Liam's head snapped up and his heart skipped a beat. 

There, standing in front of him, was the love of his life. 

Riley. 

He couldn't believe his eyes. What was she doing here? 

"Riley," Liam gasped, taking a few shaky steps towards her. 

They stood inches from each other, but neither could make a move. There were a million thoughts running through each of their minds, but they couldn't utter a single word. 

"You look stunning," Liam finally said, breaking the silence. 

Riley blushed. "I didn't realize you'd personally be here." 

"My PR team set up this visit."  Liam softly spoke.

"I'm glad they did." Riley nervously responded.

They both stood in silence, staring at each other. 

Liam took a step closer and reached for her hand. 

"I've missed you," he whispered. 

"Me too," Riley replied, squeezing his hand. 

They gazed into each other's eyes, their hearts filled with longing and desire; even after all the time apart.

"Liam, I..." Riley started to say. 

"What is it, Riley?" 

"Nothing. It's just...I'm happy to see you." 

"I'm happy to see you, too," Liam said. "And I'm sorry, about everything." 

"It wasn't your fault." Looking down, Riley shook her head.

"Yes, it was. I should've done more. I should've fought harder. This is all my fault" 

"No. Liam, don't blame yourself." 

"But I do." 

Moving their conversation to a secluded alcove, Riley placed her hands on his cheeks. "None of this was your fault. You did the right thing. And you're an amazing King. You're the best King Cordonia has ever had. You made the right decision." 

"But I lost you." 

"It was my choice, Liam. I chose to walk away. I chose to leave." 

"Why?" Liam searched Riley's eyes for an answer.

"Because I knew you would never choose me over your duty. And I would've never forgiven myself if I forced you to make that choice. That would've been too selfish of me. You were always going to make the right decision for your country. And that's what made me fall in love with you." 

"Riley, I—" 

"Wait, Liam, before you say anything... there's something I need to tell you. It's important." 

Liam frowned. "What is it?" 

Riley hesitated for a moment, then looked up into his eyes. Closing her eyes, her heart was pounding inside her chest. "I was pregnant." 

The color drained from Liam's face. He stared at her in shock. "What did you just say?"  Liam didn't trust his hearing.

"I was pregnant, with our baby. I found out right after the coronation." 

Liam couldn't believe what he was hearing, shaking his head, no. He was completely stunned. He couldn't speak. 

"I didn't know how to tell you," Riley continued. "So I didn't. I was afraid of what you'd say. Of how you'd react. I didn't want to ruin your life. So I kept it a secret." 

"Riley, why didn't you tell me?" Liam asked, his voice hoarse. 

"I don't know. I guess I was scared. Scared of what you'd think. Scared that you'd hate me. I'm sorry, Liam. I should've told you. But I didn't want to put you in a difficult position. I didn't want to force you to make a choice. That's why I left. I knew that if I told you, you'd try to figure something out, and I couldn't let that happen. Not when the future of your kingdom was at stake." 

Liam was speechless. His heart was pounding. 

"I didn't want to ruin your life," Riley said again, her voice breaking. "It was all my fault." 

"How could you say that? Riley?" Liam was heartbroken.

"What do you mean? It was my fault. I was the one who got pregnant. I was the one who kept it a secret. I was the one who left."  Riley covered her face with her shaking hands.

"No. Riley, it's not your fault. It was my mine. I should've protected you. I should've done more. But instead, I failed you. I'm so sorry, Riley." 

Riley shook her head. "No. Liam, don't. Please don't. It's not your fault." 

Liam wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "It's okay, Riley. It's okay. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving you. Not ever." 

[present day] 

Liam's eyes slowly opened and he was greeted with the sight of his sleeping wife. He was lying on his side, facing her, his arm draped over her waist. She looked peaceful. Her hair was splayed across the pillow and her lips were slightly parted. 

Liam gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. She stirred a little, but didn't wake up. 

He smiled to himself. 

They were together. They had another baby on the way. He'd done the right thing. 

His kingdom would be safe. His people would be safe. His family would be safe.

Everything was going to be all right. 

And yet, he couldn't help but wonder what might have been. If he had known Riley was pregnant; when she had left after the coronation... would things have turned out differently? Would they have chosen a different path? Would he have married Riley instead of Madeleine? Scandal be damned.

Or would the same thing have happened? Would he have still made the same decision, to choose his kingdom over his heart? 

It was too late to find out. 

He couldn't go back. 

He didn't have to.

***

🌹Thank you for reading.

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[angelasscribbles]

Crush: A Bad Romance One-Shot

Series: Bad Romance Continues

Original Series: Bad Romance

Fandom: The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir

Pairing for this chapter: Riley x Max, Riley x Drake, Riley x Liam with tiny hints of Liam x Max

Rating: Fluffy

Warnings for this chapter:  None

Word Count: 3,274 

Thanks to @kyra75 for this ask for the "secret admirer" prompt for the @choicesprompts 2024 Flufftober event. This is my late submission.

A/N: This is a prequel because we already know what happens during Bad Romance so it doesn't fit there. I could have placed it after but I would have had to either bring in a new person which I didn't want to do or go the predictable route of it turning out to be the person's partner all along. Instead, I decided to place it before the events of Bad Romance, and here's why: I've written next to nothing about Riley's first few months in Cordonia but Bad Romance does state that Liam had to work his butt off to pry Riley's attention away from Max during that time. In fact, Liam mentions it often because he's still salty about it. Max mentions it too because he did eventually get dumped for Liam. I thought this was a perfect place to show some of that. I know it's a little angsty, but I hope it's got enough fluff to satisfy the requirement.

To reiterate: This takes place in the first month of Riley being in Cordonia, while she is sleeping with Max, Liam is trying to change that and Drake is trying to pretend he doesn't like her like that.

My other stuff: Master List.

For the life of me, I cannot remember if someone sent me this image or if I stumbled across it myself. It's been in my save folder for awhile. I'd like to give proper credit, so if you sent it to me, speak up!

Riley entered her room and stopped to smell the roses. The two dozen red roses to be exact. They had been delivered to her room earlier. She closed her eyes as the sweet floral scent washed over her.

The smell was sublime.

She opened her eyes to admire the blood red petals. Her fingers gently stroked a lush bloom, her expression contemplative as her mind whirled.

She turned her head to observe the man who had entered the room with her. “You’re sure they’re not from you?”

“Yes, Riley, I’m sure,” Max admittedly a little reluctantly.

“Any ideas who they might be from?”

He shrugged dismissively. “Could be anyone, really. You have many admirers at court. I’m not surprised one of them decided to shoot his shot.” Hana’s face flashed before his eyes. “Or hers.”

She fluttered her lashes at him. “Does that bother you?”

Max shook his head, and then gave her that boyish grin that always made her heart flutter. “How can I blame them? You’re the total package, babe.”

“You sweet talker.” Riley grinned at him as she strode across the room to pinch his cheeks.

Despite the fact that they were sleeping together, the simple sign of affection from her caused heat to flame across his face. He studied the toe of his shoe as he told her, “You deserve flowers. I should have thought to send you some.”

“Hey,” she put a finger under his chin and lifted his head. “The roses are lovely, but you do sweet things for me all the time. I’m very happy with our little…. Arrangement.”

His face lit up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She leaned forward and brushed her lips softly across his. “We’re staying in tonight, right?”

They were in between royal events for the next week and while eating in the main dining hall was always an option, Max had suggested room service and a movie marathon in her room instead.

Riley had agreed because frankly, she was sick of Madeleine’s shit. Eating with all the bitchy divas of the nobility was not her idea of fun. Drake avoided her like the plague ever since their encounter on the plane ride over, and Liam rarely made appearances in the public dining hall in between official royal events.

Not that she was interested in him. Their night in New York aside, she knew he would never choose a waitress to be queen. He couldn’t. So, she had found other diversions.

She could certainly do a lot worse than Maxwell Beaumont.

“Right,” Max agreed, as a shiver ran down his spine at her touch. “I had the kitchen make your favorite dinner.”

“See?” she purred. “That’s what I mean about how thoughtful you are.”

“Let’s meet back here at dinnertime, okay?” He stepped away from her and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?”

“You’ll see.” He gave her a mischievous grin as he exited the room.

“Okay then.” With a furrowed brow, she returned her attention to the roses. After a brief moment of consideration, her decision was made.

She might not know why Max was acting weird all of a sudden, but she had enough time before dinner to do a little investigation into her secret admirer.

****

“I’m coming!” Drake yelled in irritation.

Who the fuck was knocking on his door in the middle of the afternoon on his day off?

“Can’t get any peace and quiet ever.” He muttered under his breath as he yanked the door open. “What?”

His eyes widened with a sharp intake of breath. “Riley! What are you doing here?” His eyes darted frantically up and down the hallway. This girl was a scandal waiting to happen.

“Was it you?”

“Was what me?”

“The flowers. Were they from you?” Her gaze bore into him with laser intensity.

His forehead creased as he tried to make sense of the conversation. “Flowers?”

Her eyes scanned his face, then she shook her head. “Of course not.”

His brain finally caught up. “Someone sent you flowers?”

“Isn’t that what I just said?”

“Weren’t they from your boyfriend?”

Was that a note of bitterness she detected? She smiled from ear to ear as her body swayed slightly back and forth. “What boyfriend would that be?”

His face fixed in a scowl, he grunted, “Max.”

She bit into her lower lip as she leaned forward and ran a hand up his arm. “Are you jealous of Max?”

His arms crossed defensively over his chest as he took a step back. “No!”

“Sure, you’re not. But someone sent me two dozen roses, and it wasn’t Max. Any ideas who it could have been?”

Drake blew out a resigned sigh. Of fucking course he knew who it was. Who else would it be? But he wasn’t telling her that.

While he wasn’t going to stand in Liam’s way, he sure as hell wasn’t going to help him. Instead, he shrugged with what he hoped was nonchalance as he shook his head. “Nope.”

“Okay. Bye then.” She spun on her heel and started back down the hallway.

“Riley, wait!” He stumbled out the door into the hallway, ready to sprint after her.

She stopped and turned back with arched eyebrows. “Yes?”

“I…” All the reasons he should not and could not pursue this woman poured through his mind as he stood frozen in the middle of the corridor.

“Well?”

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”

“Hm. Well, if it’s ever something, you know where my room is.” She wiggled her fingers at him before spinning to leave again.

He watched her go as frustration and regret danced through his chest.

****

Riley questioned several guards and a couple of butlers, but no one knew anything.

She was on her way back to her room when she bumped right into Liam. She found herself tangled in his embrace, laughter rumbling through him as he caught her. “Whoa there! Where’s the fire?”

“Liam!” She made no move to extract herself from his arms. Instead, she smiled up at him. “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking.”

“I see that!” He stared down at her with a sappy grin for several long seconds before remembering himself. He cleared his throat as he stepped away from her. “Were you on your way to the dining hall?”

“No, my room, actually.”

“I hope everything is okay.”

She gave him a bright smile as she leaned in and lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Everything is fine. I just can’t take another dinner with those fucking harpies.”

Liam threw his head back and laughed. Yes, it was a scandalous remark, but he found her honesty refreshing. He found everything about her refreshing, not to mention alluring. He moved closer to her to whisper, “Why do you think I never eat in the public dining hall?”

It was her turn to laugh. “Oh, my! What an unprincely thing to say!”

“You seem to bring out that side of me.” His tone suddenly serious, he blurted, “Have dinner with me tonight? In my private dining room?”

“I’d love to, but I already have plans for tonight.”

“Oh. I thought you said you were having dinner in your roo—”

“Yes, we are.”

His shoulders slumped. “I see.”

“Tomorrow?”

His head snapped up. “You’ll have dinner with me tomorrow?”

“Sure. Why not?”

“That’s…. not exactly the response I was hoping for—”

“I mean, if you’d rather not—”

“No! No… I mean yes! I mean… I definitely want to have dinner with you, Riley. Tomorrow night it is.”

“Great. Just text me the time.”

He immediately whipped out his phone and sent her a text.

She rewarded him with a seductive smirk. “That was quick.”

“He who hesitates is lost.”

“I would have said you snooze, you lose. But that works too.”

“I don’t intend to lose.”

“Lose what?”

His voice was unusually low and quiet as he returned the phone to his pocket. “You, Riley.”

Riley Brooks was seldom taken aback by anything a man said, but that did the trick. “What?”

“Surely you haven’t forgotten our night in New York so easily.”

“Of course, not. I just didn’t think—”

“Did you like the roses? They’re from my mother’s garden.”

“That was you?”

“Yes.”

“But…why?”

“Why?” He looked at her with his mouth agape. Glancing around quickly to ensure they were still alone in the hallway; he reached for her and yanked her body to his. Lowering his lips to her ear, he murmured, “I know you think New York was just about sex and that a prince would never marry a waitress, but you’re wrong, Riley. Dead wrong. On both counts.”

She pulled back to search his onyx eyes with her emerald ones. She couldn’t help the skepticism in her voice. “Really?”

“Yes, really! What do I have to do to convince you of that?”

“I don’t know, Liam. But it’s going to take more than a few roses.”

Gifts were not about to win her over. Sure, she had come from poverty, but he hadn’t. Material things were easy for him to come by and easy for him to part with. Simply spending money on her only convinced her that he wanted to sleep with her.

While sex with the smoking hot prince was something she was more than willing to engage in, she refused to let her heart get involved when she already knew disappointment was waiting at the end.

No matter what he said, he was never going to marry her. He wasn’t in love with her. He was in lust with her and that was something she was familiar with, something she could roll with. But she would not be tricked into letting her feelings get involved.

If he expected her to fall in love, he was going to have to invest a lot more than just money. That was too easy. She refused to be merely one more victim in the trail of broken hearts he’d left behind him.

Liam watched her walk away with a myriad of emotions crashing through him. If she wanted him to work harder to get her attention, he would do that. He knew she liked him. The night in New York had proven that. But since her arrival in Cordonia, she had frozen him out. Were her plans tonight with Max? What the fuck did she see in Max that she didn’t see in him? It was frustrating, galling, and, if he were being honest with himself, a little thrilling. He did love a good challenge.

***

Riley let herself back into her room to a stupendous surprise. The two dozen red roses still graced the console table near the entry, but every other available surface, save the bed, was now covered in vases brimming with all manner of blue flowers. Deep blue roses, baby blue hydrangeas, several shades of carnations, and blue and white morning glories, among others, were spread across the tops of the dresser, the end tables, and the vanity.

She gasped as she turned circles, taking it all in. “Max! What is this?”

“Ah…” pink flamed across his cheeks. “I know red roses are romantic and all, but I also know blue is your favorite color, so I took a chance that you might like them.”

“Like them? Max, I love them! But you didn’t have to do all this just because Liam sent me flowers.”

“It was Liam?” His heart sank.

He felt pretty confident about his chances of competing against most of the men at court. But Liam was another story entirely. Of course, she would want Liam. Hell, he wanted Liam, so he certainly couldn’t blame her.

Maybe now was the time to tell her that his feelings for her were real. That it was more than just fun and games for him. “Riley, I—”

There was a knock on the door.

“Hold that thought,” she told him as she strode across the room to answer it.

She pulled the door open to find Drake standing in the hallway. Her face lit up with surprised delight. “Hey, handsome! Did you finally decide on something?”

“I…ah... wanted to talk—” his words cut off mid-sentence as Max appeared in the doorway behind her. A storm raged across his face. “You know what? Never mind. I shouldn’t have—”

“Drake? What are you doing here?”

All three heads turned toward the new voice.

Drake’s brain spun frantically, trying to find a reasonable explanation for his presence. “Ah, I noticed they were missing from the dining hall and wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

Liam’s shoulders relaxed. He had asked Drake to keep an eye on her for him. To personally ensure her safety.

“What are you doing here?” Riley directed her question to Liam.

“I needed to change the time of our date tomorrow night.”

Max stiffened. Drake inspected the casing around the doorframe.

“You couldn’t have texted me that?”

“I could have…” that sparkle that she remembered from New York was back in his eyes. “But I wanted to see you in person.”

“Hm.” She smiled as her finger tapped her lips. “Well, since you’re both here, would you like to come in and join us? We were going to have dinner sent up and have a movie marathon.”

Drake looked skeptically from her to Liam to Max. “I don’t know if we should—”

“I’d love to!” Liam swept into the room with satisfaction radiating from every pore of his body. He pushed past a dismayed Max.

That satisfaction evaporated as he took in the scene in front of him. “That’s a lot of blue flowers.”

Max perked up as his arm went around Riley’s shoulder. “Blue is her favorite color, so I thought she might like some to offset all that red.”

“Yes, I get it. You had to go big after copying my idea.”

“I—” Max’s reply was cut off by Riley’s hand on his chest. “No fighting, boys. We’re going to watch movies and have fun tonight.” Turning back toward Drake, she motioned for him to come in. “Are you going to stand in the hallway or are you going to get in here and help me make sure these two behave?”

Drake hesitated only a second or two.

What could it hurt?

He glanced around at the room full of flowers. Two dozen of Cordonia’s finest red roses, straight from the crown’s own garden shimmered in the waning daylight. At least a dozen vases of flowers turned the room into a shimmering ocean of blue. The younger son of one of Cordonia’s noblest houses and the crown prince himself at a standoff over her attentions, and still she wanted him there. That meant something, right?

Not that he was interested in her. If Liam got his way, and Liam usually did, she was going to be the next queen and his best friend’s wife. Both of those things put her firmly off limits to him, no matter how much she inflamed his desires, haunted his dreams, and bedeviled his waking hours.

Still. What could it hurt to watch a couple of movies with her and two of his oldest friends? It was really Liam and Max he was staying for. To make sure they didn’t fight over her too much. Yeah, that’s why he was staying.

Riley leaned over and whispered into Max’s ear. His scowl was replaced with a flushed face and a broad grin. He nodded as he pulled his phone from his pocket and started swiping. His eyes flicked up long enough to say, “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll have the kitchen send up more food.”

Drake took the lounge chair next to the bed just as Riley climbed up and settled herself in the middle of the bed. She patted the space on either side of her. “Who wants to join me?”

Before Drake could react, Liam was in the closest spot and Max had hurled himself onto the bed, clambering over two sets of legs to claim the other side. With a disgruntled shake of his head, he thumped back into the chair.

This had been a bad idea.

But it hadn’t been a bad idea. His misgivings were soon put to rest as they all balanced their dinner plates on their laps and got completely and inexplicably sucked into Barbie.

Not a movie he would have picked, but as it turned out, it was not a kid’s movie at all. The existential angst, the clever humor, the insightfulness, and the adventure had him forgetting the awkwardness of the situation and laughing along with his friends at the onscreen antics. He was relaxed and actually enjoying his night off.

Max had pushed aside his insecurities about Liam, choosing to focus, instead, on the promises Riley had whispered in his ear about the rewards he’d receive later for being a good boy and playing nice with everyone. His eyes kept sliding sidewise to gauge her reactions to the movie. He wanted to share all of them with her…. every laugh, every gasp, every moment. Not just of the movie, he realized, but for the rest of his life.

His gaze flicked briefly to the man on her other side. He knew Liam was still an obstacle, but he had infinite amounts of patience and faith, deep in his heart, that everything would work out in the end.

Liam didn’t miss the sidelong glances Max was throwing at both him and Riley. He couldn’t say he was completely oblivious to Max’s charms, but he was nothing if not persistent.

She didn’t trust him yet. That was fine. He would prove to her that she could. She needed him to put in work, and he would do that. He had yet to set his mind to any task that he couldn’t master. He just needed to try harder, be smarter, and focus deeper. Winning her heart would be worth it. He knew to the very core of his being that they belonged together.

Long after the dishes had been cleared, and the night had deepened, Riley lay with her head on Liam’s shoulder, drifting off as the credits for the latest Ghostbusters movie rolled. Max was curled up against her on her other side, one arm slung over her waist as Liam’s fingers gently combed through her hair. The sound of Drake’s soft snoring drifted through the room.

She should probably wake everyone and tell them to go sleep in their own beds. That would be far more comfortable, especially for Drake, who was dozing in a chair. But the warmth emanating from the men on either side of her, combined with the softness of the bed and the darkness of the room, lulled her into a contented coziness that she was loathe to break.

The quiet hum of the air conditioning filled the room as the TV clicked off, sealing her decision as she let herself drift off to sleep surrounded by the sounds, scents, and warmth of the three men who had commanded all her attention for the last month.

For the moment, none of them were fighting each other or her. Their earlier laughter still rang in her ears. For tonight, things were peaceful, calm, and happy, and not a single one of them wanted to do anything to disrupt that.

Liam was the last one left awake. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, “Good night, Riley.” Before closing his eyes and slipping into a contented slumber of his own.

[fadingreveries]

The Royal Romance, Bk1 Ch2: Welcome to Cordonia (Pt. 3)

Click here for the TRR retelling series masterlist for more chapters! 🏰

Story Summary: In this novel-style retelling of TRR, beloved scenes with original commentary from the Choices stories including your favourite group of royals and friends will be expanded upon. Contains extended commentary and scenes from the original story, in-depth descriptions of bonus scenes, and premium choices and outfits.

Chapter Synopsis: Riley travels to Cordonia, but what will await her there?

Word Count: 2.2k

Disclaimer: All rights to original commentary, scenes, and characters from The Royal Romance series reserved to Choices and Pixelberry Studios. No copyright infringement intended.

~ ~ ~

Pulling along her suitcase, Riley followed Maxwell to the front doors of the palace. Maxwell nodded in acknowledgement to the officers of the King’s Guard dressed in their black uniforms as they opened the doors for them.

The coffered ceilings of the castle were much higher than she imagined they could be with beams laid in a grid which created a pattern of recessed squares. There were rooms leading to sitting areas that had furniture and objects fancier than she had ever seen with plush velvet couches, dainty bouquets in vases, intricate gold and glass centrepieces, and sparkling crystal chandeliers.

“I thought the outside was amazing on its own, but being inside…” Riley wondered aloud, her head swivelling around as she lost her trail of thought.

It was only until she entered the palace where she realized how different her world was from Liam’s. He had grown up here, learned to follow his father’s footsteps as a prince, met all kinds of nobles, and possibly brought fancy socialites home after dates. This was his childhood home; his whole world seemed to embody glamour and prestige.

She, on the other hand, had grown up in a cramped but cozy apartment with her mother and father. It wasn’t much, but the love her parents had for her and each other was more than what most people were lucky to have. With her American upbringing, her Korean mother’s roots, and her father’s Filipino culture, she was grateful for the homes she would forever have in the U.S., the Philippines, and South Korea.

They showered her with love and reassurance, frequently reminding her that family was the most important thing to cherish that motivates and grounds you at the same time. She never felt like she had lacked anything in her life, not when she had the most loving, supportive parents anyone could have.

At least that’s what it felt like before she lost the two people she loved the most in her life. But that was a story for another time, one for where there was less pressure and anticipation facing some of the most important people in Codonia.

A small piece of doubt began to spring up once again in her mind. Based on her appearance alone, it was clear that she was not from Cordonia, much less part of the country’s nobility or highly-respected citizens. She didn’t want to let Maxwell and his brother down from her upcoming representation of their house.

But in a split second, as she’d done everyday since they were no longer in her life, she heard her parents’ words in her mind saying, One day at a time.

“It’s like a whole other world, huh? Don’t worry, you have tons of time to roam and explore and get used to it,” Maxwell reassured her, as he followed her gaze landing on all lighting and fixtures. “After all, you’ll be here for the next few months of the social season.”

They made their way to the grand staircase with gold handrails decorated with artistic panel inserts of flowing swirls. A large velvet red carpet regally covered the steps leading up to the top platform where it separated into two staircases that led to the left and left wings of the castle.

“So, what’s the deal with Drake? Why is he… so jaded?” Riley questioned, fixating on the elegant staircase she had only ever really seen replicas of in movies. Seeing all the luxury decorations and furniture reminded her of Drake's annoyance with her fascination with all the new sights she was seeing. “Is he always like that?”

“I can get that for you,” Maxwell offered, implying Riley’s suitcase as she willingly handed it to him. He lifted it up as they climbed the staircase together, before answering her question, “Oh, don’t mind him. Drake’s never really… fit in. He doesn’t like court as much as others love being part of it.”

“Not used to courtly life?” Riley suggested, glancing at Maxwell for confirmation.

“Definitely not. Technically, he’s a commoner. He grew up here at court with us, but he’s… always been an outsider here in a way. Even if he is Liam’s best friend,” Maxwell responded, even though it was something he wondered himself as well.

With a nod, Riley pondered his answer. It made sense why he seemed to stick out like a sore thumb compared to Liam and the others, although it didn’t seem plausible that someone would choose to stay in a place where they would only be somewhat excluded.

She questioned, “But if he’s not fond of spending time with royals and nobles, is there a reason why he tries to tolerate it so much? Besides being there for Liam, I’m guessing.”

“Beats me,” Maxwell responded, shrugging his shoulders. “Sometimes it’s hard to know what he’s thinking. He’s pretty much known for being mysterious and antisocial to almost everyone, so I wouldn’t take it personally.”

At the top of the stairs, Maxwell and Riley turned down one of the many elegant corridors of the castle. The ivory marble floors were decorated with intricate designs of mosaic art and sophisticated medallions. A gleaming chandelier glistened from the sunlight peering into the hall through the arched glass windows. The gold accents on the walls brought out the pastel blue that brightened up the space.

“Your room’s here in the west wing. In case you need anything from me or my brother, our rooms are just a couple rooms away,” Maxwell informed her, as the two of them walked past several large wooden arched doors.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. For some reason, Maxwell struck her more as an only child with his keenness for adventure and love for the spotlight. She wondered if his brother was as easy-going and laid-back as he was. Riley curiously commented, “I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“Yeah, an older brother. His official title is Duke Bertrand Beaumont. As the eldest son, he’s the heir and I’m the spare. You’ll see him tonight. He’ll be excited to meet you,” Maxwell answered with a smile, although his last sentence had a hint of uncertainty that Riley hadn’t noticed. He already had a slight idea on how his brother would react, and well... let’s just say they would have to brace themselves.

Maxwell stopped short in front of a magnificently ornate door with the dark wood accentuating the designs. As Riley stood beside him, he turned the doorknob. Oh, boy. If this didn’t get her even more excited than he was about solving House Beaumont’s problem of not having a suitor, he would run down the corridor and do three cartwheels in a row.

“This is it… Here’s your room!” Maxwell revealed, with a giddy edge to his voice.

Riley entered a lavish guest room with a gold and dark magenta palette accompanying full-length paintings and gilded ceilings. Two end tables with beige and gold accents to the solid wood foundation were placed on both sides of the queen bed with understated white lamps on top of them. A shiny gold candle chandelier hung daintily above Maxwell and Riley, where they stood underneath it beside the bed with silky cream sheets and dark fuchsia pillows matching the ottoman nearby.

“Wow…” was all Riley could muster, as her neck craned high and low to take in the simple, regal style of the bedroom.

It was official; she had fallen asleep and dreamt of being in an alternate universe where she was treated as if she were royalty. Even if it was only temporary, she could only imagine what her younger self would do if she knew how lucky she was to be where she was now.

“As a royal guest, you’re spared no luxury,” Maxwell said, matter-of-factly as he observed her walking out the balcony where the cool, fresh air blew in peacefully.

Looking over her shoulder back at him with a hint of mischief to her smile which he recognized as resembling one of his own, Riley asked, “So nothing’s stopping me from jumping on the bed?”

“There’s not much anyone can take away from you by doing that. Maybe only your dignity.” Maxwell guffawed, watching as her shoulders rose up in anticipation.

As her smile turned up even more in delight, Riley clasped her hands together and simply said, “Perfect.”

With a running start, Riley rushed over from the balcony and leaped on to the bed with a soft plop. As she sunk into the mattress and felt the smooth silk sheets over her, she sighed happily. When was the last time she had ever been able to let out a true peaceful sigh in a very rare calm moment? Due to school and work, it seemed she hadn’t been able to rest easy in years.

“Ah… this is so much better than memory foam,” Riley complimented, snuggling with a fluffy pillow and allowing herself to close her eyes to cherish the peace and quiet. “I feel like I could sleep here forever.”

“Just one of the perks you have as one of the Crown Prince’s suitors,” Maxwell remarked, laughing in goodhearted nature. He walked away from the bed towards the door. “I’ll let you settle in before your big debut tonight.”

Immediately, Riley’s eyes opened in shock at his words. What did he mean? She sat up in surprise, calling after him, “My what?”Maxwell stopped at the door, before turning back to Riley with a nervous smile. Whoops. He knew he was forgetting something, but he couldn’t figure out what.

“I’m sorry, I keep forgetting that you’re not used to all this. Things are always complicated around here when it comes to special events like this, but we’ll take it one step at a time,” Maxwell reassured her. Riley’s shoulders relaxed a bit, so he continued to clarify, “The first event of the social season is tonight… The Masquerade.”

“Oh… it sounds important,” Riley commented, fiddling with her fingers. Her knowledge of fitting in with socialites and moguls was limited. She couldn’t help but think about how out of place she might look in front of the finest nobles of Cordonia. She thought she would have had a little bit more time to prepare. “I’ve never been to an event like that before. Are there scheduled activities I need to prepare for in advance?”

“Compared to the balls held to welcome nearby countries, not really. Sometimes, they go full-out with the masquerade theme where everyone takes off their masks at midnight. Then, networking goes on for hours,” Maxwell explained. “This ball, though, is where all the suitors will be presented to the Prince, as well as to the King. Most people at court already know each other really well, so it’s less uptight in a way. Just good music, dancing, and food.”

“Does that mean the guests have to be in specific costumes with masks prepared tonight?” Riley questioned, finding the idea of attending a masquerade for the first time interesting.

Shrugging his shoulders, Maxwell replied, “Not everyone dresses in costume, but some people plan months finding one to wear for it. You can be sure that the ladies competing for Liam’s attention will be pulling out all the stops.”

For a split second, Maxwell glanced doubtfully at Riley’s modestly-looking suitcase. When they were at her apartment back in New York, he watched as she hurriedly packed her most essential belongings. Among her things in her suitcase were keepsakes and books as well as her quintessential New York attire.

“I’m guessing it’s too much to ask if you’ve got a costume or fancy ballgown in there,” Maxwell joked, although he was seriously racking his brain trying to remember if she stuffed one or two in there as a backup.

With a sheepish smile, Riley lifted her suitcase on the bed. She unzipped the main compartment where she pulled out a flowy, floor-length dress as blue as the calm Cordonian sky. “I packed a dress.”

“Well, I wasn’t sure, so I’ve made an appointment for you at the palace boutique. Maybe you’ll find something you like better there!” Maxwell cheerfully informed her.

For once, he wasn’t scrambling to fix things; he was actually preparing in advance. Bertrand would be so proud of his initiative. Maxwell just knew it.

Tucking her dress back into her suitcase for the meantime, Riley replied, “I’ll check it out. There’s nothing wrong with another option or two.”

“Remember, tonight is very important. It’s your chance to make a first impression on all the influential people at court and to stand apart from everyone else. If you’re going to leave a lasting impact, you might as well stun them with some style,” Maxwell responded, with a hint of cool confidence in his last sentence.

Triple S’s and alliteration? Man, was he on a roll with smooth words. Maxwell could definitely shimmy his way into being a reality TV show host. Maybe The Bachelorette or The Bachelor could use a new host in the near future…

An eager grin made its way on her face, as Riley reassured him, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

~ ~ ~

Click here for the TRR retelling series masterlist for more chapters! 🏰

Tag list: @kingliam2019 @princess-geek @karahalloway @twinkleallnight @tinkie1973 @tessa-liam

[lawsend]

Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 6

Series: Law’s End

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Fandom: The Royal Romance (loosely, there’s not much canon in here).

Pairings: None yet

Word Count: 2,500

Rating: MA

A/N: This counts as @karahalloway ask from my 1500 followers celebration post on my main account @angelasscribbles.

Warnings for series: adult themes, any given chapter may contain murder, violence, language, drinking, drug use, etc.

My other stuff can be found on my main blog @angelasscribbles here is the Master List.

The homicide division of the seventh precinct had been plunged into chaos. All three interrogation rooms were in use, leaving a person of interest cooling his heels in the waiting area.

Riley was trying to get comments from anyone that would talk to her. Max had narrowly evaded being tossed out of the station when he had attempted to get photos of William Sloan as he was brought in for questioning.

The mayor was livid at being called late in the evening by one of her biggest campaign contributors. “I don’t care what fucking time it is or how many hours you already worked today!” Madeleine was yelling at a lithe redhead with her hair pinned immaculately in place despite her protestations over the lateness of the hour.

Olivia Nevrakis narrowed her eyes at her boss. “And I don’t care how much money Sloan Enterprises has donated to your re-election campaign. If he’s a suspect, he has to be questioned, just like everyone else!”

“William Sloan most certainly did not murder Trent Hayes! Are you out of your mind?”

Olivia doubled down. “If there wasn’t some reason to suspect him, Liam wouldn’t have brought him in for questioning!”

While the mayor and the DA were having their showdown, Drake Walker was pacing the floor, waiting for his turn in interrogation.

He was a person of interest. Presumably, because someone had ratted him out to the police about his business relationship with William Sloan. His eyes scoured the open office area until he spotted her.

Riley saw him coming and made a strategic exit to the woman’s room. She almost ran over the sketch artist from earlier. “Oof! Sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Lillith assured her. “Who are you hiding from?”

“What makes you think I’m hiding from anyone?”

“I recognize the panic.”

“Wait. Who are you hiding from?”

“My sister.”

Riley’s brain spun to catch up. Then realization washed over her. She should have made the connection before. Nevrakis was not a common name. “The DA is your sister?”

Lilith flinched a little. “Half-sister. She hates me.”

“Why?”

Lilith shrugged. “Something about my whore of a mother breaking her mother’s heart.”

“Oh….” Riley was rarely struck speechless, but she had no idea how to respond to that.

“Sorry!” Lilith dropped her face into her hands. “That was TMI and now I’ve made things awkward!”

“No, no, you’re fine!” Riley assured her. “Trust me. As a reporter, I’ve heard every damn thing. That’s not even in the top ten for most awkward.”

Lilith smiled wanly. “I’d like to hear that top ten list then.”

“Sure. We should get drinks sometime.”

“Really?” The sketch artist searched her face to see if she was joking.

“Yeah, why not?”

“Okay, yeah, I’d like that.” This time, the smile was bigger, brighter. Lilith didn’t have a lot of friends, tended to be socially awkward, and was used to being somewhat of a pariah in certain upper society circles because of her status as the bastard child of an extramarital affair.

Riley eased the door open to peer through the crack. “Unless you have any information about the case you’re willing to give me, I need to get back out there.”

Meanwhile, in Interrogation Room One…

“I get it.” Flynn eyed the man sitting across the table from him. “Beautiful woman. Rich, powerful husband. You don’t want to get sidewise with him, so when Trent started blackmailing her, threatening her—”

“I told you I know nothing about that!” Dean yanked on the chains holding him to the table, making the hard metal slam against the wood with a satisfying clang.

“You didn’t know he was blackmailing her?”

“No!”

“Did you know he found out about the affair?”

“No!”

“So, you don’t deny the affair?”

“What?” Dean looked up at him with a defeated expression. “No.”

“Okay, good. We’re getting somewhere. So, you were sleeping with her and—”

“I love her!”

“Okay, okay.” Flynn held his hands up in surrender. “You’re in love. And this man threatened her—”

Dean heaved a sigh and slumped back in his seat. “How many times do I have to tell you that I knew nothing about that?”

Interrogation Room Two….

“Here you go, buddy.” Liam sat a bottle of ice-cold water on the table and slid it across to the CEO of Sloan Enterprises. “Sorry about all this. But we have evidence your wife is having an affair and was being blackmailed by the victim. You understand how that gives you motive, right?”

William fixed the detective with a steely glare, remaining silent.

“So, how did it go down? She missed a payment? He called you up and told you? When confronted with proof of the affair, you snapped, shot the messenger so to speak? It’s understandable. Heat of the moment. The sooner you tell me what happened, the sooner I can help you.”

William leaned forward and pushed the water bottle back across the table. “I want my lawyer. Now!”

Interrogation Room Three….

Bertrand stood in the doorway of the room in his somehow perfectly pressed suit and tapped a file folder against the palm of his other hand as he regarded the woman in front of him. “Did you do it yourself, or did you have someone else shoot him? Leo Rys, maybe?”

Katie sniffed as she lifted an imperious gaze to the man across from her. “I had nothing to do with Trent’s death, but I would certainly like to thank whoever did. He was the worst kind of pond scum, and he won’t be missed.”

“Not exactly the type of sentiments that will exonerate you, Mrs. Sloan.”

She gave him a coy smile. “Please. Call me Katie.”

Bertrand’s dour expression never changed. “I don’t think you grasp the gravity of the situation, Mrs. Sloan.”

A mirthful laugh bubbled out of her. “I’m not worried because I didn’t do it.”

“Who else had more of a motive than you?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you talk to that psycho he cheated on me with?” Her face lit up with clear hatred.

Bertrand languidly raised an eyebrow. “And that would be?”

“Sabrina Simmons!”

“Are they still an item?”

“If they are, he’s cheating on her, I guarantee it, and you know what they say about a woman scorned. Besides, she has a history of stalking behavior. She’s fucking crazy!”

Bertrand made a noncommittal sound in his throat as he jotted the name down on his notepad.

Back in the main office area…

Riley was trying to sweet talk a crime scene investigator when Drake caught up with her. “Rashad. That’s a beautiful name.”

“Thanks.” Even with his dark complexion, the blush that spread across his features was noticeable.

“There you are!” Drake’s voice boomed out as he grasped her upper arm firmly and pulled her away from Rashad. “I think we’re overdue for a conversation.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what—”

Rashad was suddenly serious. “Hey! Is everything okay?”

Riley’s eyes darted back and forth between the two men, noting the tension in both sets of shoulders. Diffusing the situation was preferable to escalating it, so she smiled sweetly at Rashad. “It’s fine. He’s right. We have a previous…. agreement we need to discuss.”

“Oh.” The other man looked disappointed, but excused himself with a regretful glance back at the reporter.

“Did you rat me out to the cops, Riley?” Drake asked as he pulled her to the side of the room for a private conversation.

“Absolutely not.”

“Then why have I been brought in for questioning? Why is my client in an interrogation room right now?”

“Your client is in an interrogation room because his wife got busted with her lover tonight by the lead detective on the case.” Riley pulled her arm out of his grasp, but moved her body closer to his. “As for figuring out he hired you as a PI, I’m assuming that was their own detective work because I did not rat you out!”

He wanted to believe her. All CCPD had to do to find him was to run Sloan’s financials. Or Max’s. “Hm. Why do I have a feeling you’re going to be a giant pain in my ass? Tell me this, who pointed them in the Sloan’s direction in the first place?”

“A private citizen who witnessed—”

Drake’s lips pressed into a thin line as he shook his head. “Maxwell Beaumont was not a private citizen when he took those photographs!”

A scathing voice cut through their conversation. “Did she sleep with you for information, too?”

They both turned to find Liam approaching, with Max hot on his heels.

Drake took a step back in confusion. “What? We haven’t slept together!”

“Yet,” Max mumbled under his breath. His eyes widened when he realized Liam might have heard him. He cleared his throat and began to fiddle with his camera, pretending to ignore the conversation.

Riley shot a murderous expression at Liam. “For the last time, Liam, that’s not what happened!”

Drake blinked as he processed the insinuation. Moving his attention back to Riley, he asked, “You slept with him for information?”

“No, I did not.” She replied through gritted teeth.

“Come on, Walker.” Liam gestured toward the interrogation room. “We need to have a discussion about what services you provided for William Sloan.”

Drake turned his head to watch Riley over his shoulder as he followed the detective, mumbling the whole time about client privacy.

As Liam and Drake walked down the hall toward the interrogation rooms, they passed William Sloan and his lawyer, Sadie McGraw, on their way out.

The moment Madeleine saw William and Sadie, she scurried after them, apologizing profusely for the misunderstanding.

Bertrand and Flynn walked into the open office area deep in conversation, comparing notes about their respective interrogations. Olivia approached them before they could make it to Bertrand’s office, a dark haired young man trailing behind her. She wasted no time demanding answers about the investigation.

Bertrand ushered everyone into his office, where the DA was given all the latest updates on the case.

When the detectives were finished talking, Olivia nodded her head. “Between Trent’s bank account showing deposits from Katie and Dean’s confession of the affair, I think Kiara will sign off on a search warrant for the Sloan properties and bank accounts.” She turned to bark at the law intern who had been shadowing her for weeks. “Anton! Get Judge Theron on the phone!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Anton squeaked as he fumbled for his phone.

Thirty minutes later, the CCPD had a search warrant, Drake was released from interrogation and Bertrand was yelling at Riley and Max to get out of his station house.

“What are you doing at my desk?”

Riley looked up into Liam’s stormy expression as she closed the lid of her laptop. “Updating my story. I promise I didn’t look through your files!”

“This time.”

“That’s what I said.” She gave him a disarming smile as she rose and started stuffing the computer, notepads, and pens into her taupe, Saffiano leather Kate Spade laptop tote. “I didn’t read any of your files this time.”

It had been a long day; he was tired; he was irritated; he was ready for a break in this case… and yet something about her infectious grin and the teasing lilt in her voice pulled a begrudging smile from him. He shook his head in wonderment. How did she keep getting under his skin?

He called out to her as she walked away. “Hey, Riley!”

She turned back to face him. “Yeah?”

“Thank you. Your intel was actually helpful tonight.”

Her grin broadened into a full fledged smile, lighting up her whole face. “You’re welcome, detective. See you around.”

She found Drake and Max both waiting for her at the homicide office door. She directed her attention to Drake. “What are you still doing here?”

“Just got out of interrogation, thanks to someone who doesn’t understand confidentiality.” There was no accusation in his tone, just a simple statement of fact.

“It’s not my fault your client was implicated in a homicide.”

“Oh, I’m not blaming you.” He replied as he looked past her to shoot daggers at Max.

Max blinked. “What did I do?”

Drake shook his head as he pushed off the wall he’d been leaning against. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary. She’s with me.” Max flushed a deep shade of crimson. “We’re both in my car, I mean!”

“Then I’ll walk you both out. Can’t be too careful. It’s late, and this is Cordonia City.”

“I’m perfectly capable of protecting her.”

Drake’s eyes ran quickly and dismissively over the younger man. “Sure you are, kid.”

The three stepped out into the dimly lit, air-conditioned hallway as Liam watched them leave with curiosity, regret, and annoyance mingling in his expression.

The ancient, decrepit elevator dinged as it rocked to a stop on the first floor and the doors slid creakily open.

Neville VanCouer was arguing with the front desk sergeant. “I heard suspects were brought in for questioning. I just want to get a statement—”

“Heard? Or read it in my story?” Riley gloated.

Neville looked like his head was about to explode. “Why were they allowed in?”

The desk sergeant’s bored expression never changed as he shrugged. “Came in with a homicide detective.”

“How?”

Another shrug from the sergeant.

Neville spun on Riley. “The updates you’ve been posting…someone is giving you insider information!”

She gave him a saccharine sweet smile. “Or I’m just a better reporter than you.”

Neville took a step toward her, but Drake moved quickly, inserting himself between Riley and the other reporter. “Why don’t you go harass someone else?”

Neville glared at Drake, but he stepped back. The showdown was broken by Neville’s photograph, who had just reappeared from the men’s room. “Hey! That’s the guy that told me there was a door open around back!”

Max lifted a shoulder innocently. “There was when I was back there.”

The other man’s eyes narrowed. “Then why haven’t any crime scene photos been published anywhere?”

“Ah…. technical difficulties.”

The photographer looked skeptically between Max and Neville, as if trying to decide if Max was lying.

Neville shook his head, “It’s not worth it, Tariq. Come on, let’s go.”

“See?” Drake was almost gloating. “You needed me.”

Riley rolled her eyes. “Neville is annoying and slimy, but he’s not dangerous.”

“Yeah,” Max chimed in, “And we’re standing in a police station.”

“Listen.” Riley decided to get the elephant in the room out of the way. “I know you think I threw you under the bus with Liam. I’ll understand if you want to cancel our dinner plans.”

“Oh, we’re still going to dinner.”

Riley’s brows furrowed in confusion. “But I thought you said—”

“I said you were going to be a giant pain in my ass.” His eyes tracked across her face. “But something tells me you’re worth all the trouble.”

[kristinamae093]

Ghosted

Ghosted - I Finally See (Chapter Six)

Series Summary - Prince Liam fell for Riley Brooks hard and fast. A marriage filled with love and devotion was within his reach. But everything changed when she vanished just before the end of the social season. As everyone voices their concerns regarding her scandalous departure, a confession from an unlikely source turns Liam's world upside down and makes him question everything around him.

Book/Pairing - TRR - Liam x MC (Riley Brooks)

A/N1 - This AU starts right before the beginning of the engagement tour. There is a two-month lapse between the coronation and where we pick up, but we will stray from canon. Please excuse any errors found.

A/N2 - Huuuuuuugest of shout outs to @ao719, who helped me tweak this mood board a little bit (twice 🤣🥹😘)

Characters belong to Pixelberry

Rhonda led the three of them along the path to the west grounds. At one point, that is where all major events were held in Applewood. However, over the years, the Royal family decided it was best to move all festivities to the front of the estate, as it was bigger in acres and much closer to the main building.  

The area was then practically forgotten about. There was housing for some of the staff, a couple of sheds, and a few stray apple trees, but nothing else. Liam hadn't been on the west grounds specifically since he was a child and would play hide and seek with Leo out there. He always found the best spots to hide, Leo practically never found him. 

They followed until Rhonda stopped at an older, weathered shed toward the edge of the estate property. It appeared to be practically abandoned; the paint was chipping off the sides and the roof missed several shingles. It looked like a scene from a horror movie, and Liam felt his skin turn cold and raise with goosebumps as they approached the structure. 

Rhonda turned to face them. "This is the one..."

"Don't you dare go anywhere? Do you understand me?" Liam growled. 

Rhonda didn't say a word but nodded her head rapidly. She took a few steps away but stood where they could see her even after they entered the structure. 

Olivia glanced down and saw a padlock securing the doors closed. She reached out and grabbed it. "A lock? Seems like someone doesn't want us to find what's in there." 

"How are we gonna get it open?" Drake asked. 

Olivia laughed before she responded, "Oh, don’t you worry about that, you simpleton." and pulled a small dagger out of her sleeve. She leaned forward and started working the blade into the keyhole.

After a couple of minutes, Drake grew restless. "I know this may come as a surprise to you, but not everything is solved with knives." He huffed. 

Just as the words left his mouth, Olivia stood and turned to face him with a smirk on her face, lock in hand. "You were saying?" Drake shook his head and muttered a few obscenities under his breath. 

The trio stood and stared at the doors for what felt like an eternity; nobody wanted to make that first move. After so long with so many unanswered questions, the anxiety of what could lie ahead was felt heavily by all three. 

Finally, Olivia reached for the door and swung it open. They were indeed looking at all of Riley's stuff; all her clothes, hygiene products, knick-knacks, everything was piled directly in front of them. Olivia entered first and started searching for anything of relevance. Drake followed close behind, but Liam remained cemented in place with his mouth agape. 

Liam convinced himself that Riley intentionally left because she took all of her belongings with her. To him, that meant her departure was premeditated; she had to have thought enough in advance to have her things packed so she could make her escape. 

But as Liam stood in front of the open shed, he confirmed the gut feeling he had been ignoring all along was validated. Any and every bit of resolve he had left crumpled as he took those first steps into the structure before him. 

Liam entered slowly and looked around. He stopped when he saw Riley’s ceramic cardinal and picked it up. She said it reminded her of her grandfather who had passed away, so having it meant he was exploring new horizons with her. She had the trinket in her pocket during the Regatta, Liam recalled her telling him her grandfather had a love of boats, so she had to bring it with her for the day. He held it in his hands for a moment before he gently squeezed it, and placed it back where he found it. 

Liam continued his search and stumbled upon her tortilla blanket; he smiled as he picked it up and held it to his nose to inhale a deep breath. He hadn’t understood why Riley had such a random item, but he didn’t dare question her. The one time he saw her wrapped up in it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. 

Liam went to her door early one morning to escort her to breakfast, however, Riley wasn't expecting him. He knew it wasn't proper, but he couldn't help himself; he wanted to spend any and every spare second he had with her. 

When Riley answered the door, she was wrapped in her blanket with her glasses sliding down her nose; her hair sat piled on the top of her head in a messy bun, although it appeared to have shifted more to the side during her slumber. The smile she gave as her cheeks flushed completely stunned Liam where he stood. She looked immaculate in all the ball gowns with her makeup and hair perfectly done, but she had never been more beautiful to him than at that moment.

Liam shook his head in an attempt to steady himself but could feel his eyes burn with unshed tears. He quickly put the blanket down where he found it and continued. 

As Liam resumed his trek, he stumbled upon a book or binder of some sort. The front and back surfaces were completely covered in different multicolored stickers. He opened it and realized it was not a binder, but a photo album. 

Liam looked through the pictures with trembling hands. He saw photos of Riley as a baby with her parents, holidays, birthdays, sports, prom; practically her entire life in images. Toward the end, he found laminated funeral programs for family members Riley had lost. 

Liam closed the album and wiped the tears from his cheeks that had unwillingly fallen. He knew Riley was a very sentimental person and would not have left this stuff behind purposefully. These things meant the world to Riley; her most cherished possessions, the things she was most proud of. It was one of the things that made Liam fall in love with her; in his world, all everyone cared about was power and prestige, but she cared about moments and making memories. He knew without a shadow of a doubt, she would not have left these things behind of her own volition. 

Liam began to feel insurmountable rage, but couldn't ignore the all-consuming guilt that engulfed his conscience for turning a blind eye; especially knowing she could have been hurt before she left, or, that could have been why she left. More than that, he hadn't believed in Riley the way his friends did. He needed to be convinced to believe in her. 

Drake had been observing Liam look through the photo album. In their many years together, he thought he had seen Liam at his lowest, but the man Drake was looking at now was unrecognizable; the defeat and guilt he felt were clear as day. When Drake saw him wipe his cheeks, his heart broke even more for his friend than it had been the past two months. 

Drake approached Liam and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Liam…" He softly spoke. 

Liam sniffed. "What for? I should be thanking you. Without your persistence, I never would have opened my eyes…" He trailed off and shook his head as more tears unwillingly fell. 

"Don't do that, Liam." Liam looked at Drake with a confused expression. "I can see it written all over your face. You're feeling guilty. You can't do that to yourself, man. I know it's hard, but you have to look forward. Don't dwell on what's already happened."

Liam scoffed. "That's easy for you to say. You didn't need to be convinced to believe in her. You didn't turn your back on her like I did..."

"If I was in your shoes I probably would have reacted the same way. You thought she abandoned you! I'd be devastated too! Then to see her in the tabloids two days later, I'd've been fucking livid! You might be a King, but first and foremost you're a man. You are allowed to make mistakes!" Drake emphasized. 

"But this isn't just any mistake! This is the love of my life, and I didn't see through this sooner?"

Drake sighed. "When me and Olivia told Max, she had to bring us back because we were doing the same shit you're doing right now." He shook his head. "I know it's hard, but you can't dwell on what you did or didn't do back then. We won't get anything solved that way. We gotta focus on what we do now."

Liam shook his head. "I just can't believe this is happening…"

"I know. It's a lot to take in. But I'm glad you're with us now." Drake smiled. 

"I swear to you, I will not rest until I find the truth. Someone is going to answer for this," Liam responded with a determined expression. 

Drake embraced Liam, "I know." and patted him on the back. 

"Thank you for being a great friend, Drake. I’d like to apologize for losing my temper with you earlier." Liam said as he returned the embrace. 

"Don't worry 'bout it. I'm just so fuckin' happy you're finally listening to yourself." Drake spoke as he stepped away. 

“Guys?” Olivia’s voice rang out from the other side of the shed, where they had not ventured to yet. 

Drake and Liam approached her and noticed her troubled expression. She was crouched on the ground as she searched through a tote that was filled with Riley's things. Olivia stood and held a black trash bag in her hands. She reached in and pulled out a balled-up piece of fabric, carefully unfolded it, and spread it open wide for Liam and Drake to see. 

Liam took the fabric from her hands. He realized he was holding a dress, but it was ripped and torn in multiple places. Some portions dangled, others completely detached. He knew he recognized it, but couldn't precisely place where he had seen it. 

The dress was white with a pink flower pattern, about mid-thigh length. It had ruffles at the bottom and a silky heart neckline at the top, which is where the tears appeared to be more prominent as well as the fabric being noticeably stretched out. The midsection had a brown leather belt sewn into its design, but portions of that had been shredded as well. 

Olivia noticed a specific area of the dress that was stuck together. She tentatively reached her hand out and grabbed the fabric and pulled, which separated the garment and revealed a large reddish-brown stain. It covered a portion of the back just above the ribs, and small spots on other areas of the dress. She reached out and lightly ran her finger over the large spot and felt that the surface was dry and hardened.

She grabbed the dress from Liam’s hands and spun it around to show him and Drake, both of their eyes widening within seconds. 

As Liam stood and stared at the back of what was left of the dress, his heart suddenly plummeted to the depths of his stomach as he realized where he recognized it from. “That’s…” He swallowed thickly. “that’s the dress she was wearing… at the jamboree…” He whispered. 

Drake bent down and picked up the bag. He opened it and saw other small pieces of the dress and even the stockings she had worn with it that night. He closed the bag and handed it to Liam with a heartbroken expression. 

Liam took the bag from Drake’s hands and peeked inside. He already knew what was in there, but looking confirmed it. Although they were unsure as to whose blood was on the dress, they could only conclude it was Riley's. 

Liam suddenly realized the maid who led them there, Rhonda, was still outside. He snatched the dress from Olivia’s hands and threw it into the bag. He turned and strode with deadly intent to where she stood outside the shed. 

Liam practically threw the bag at Rhonda, “Have you ever seen this?” He growled. 

She looked into the bag with wide eyes, “I– I– ” she stammered.

“ANSWER ME!" Liam yelled as he once again stood over the much smaller woman. 

"I– I found it on the floor. I don't know where it came from! All I did was throw it into the bag!" 

"So you find a bloodied dress, and instead of immediately reporting it to someone, anyone, you just throw it into a bag like it's nothing?!" 

Rhonda frantically shook her head. "I didn't know-" 

"BULLSHIT! It's blood! Do you really need a fucking technical course to tell you to use your brain?!" Liam yelled. 

Bastien heard Liam from his position a little ways away, and quickly rounded the corner and approached him with a curious expression. "Is there a problem here, sir?" 

"YES, there's a problem here! Look inside there, do you see that?!" Liam hollered without once breaking his attention away from the woman in front of him.  

Bastien glanced past Drake to the shed behind him. He briefly met eyes with Olivia, who remained inside searching. She arched her brow as she met his gaze, but he quickly turned back to Liam.  "What would you like me to do, sir?"

"She knows something…" Liam growled as he stalked toward the woman little by little. 

Liam stood to his entire height and squared his shoulders. He looked down at Rhonda over his nose; he puffed his chest out, only slightly, but enough to project his dominance over her. “I am giving you one last opportunity to tell me the truth. Failure to do so will result in you being placed in the custody of the Cordonian Royal Guard until you feel it’s acceptable to tell your King the truth.” He demanded in an authoritative voice.

Rhonda audibly inhaled a sharp breath, almost as if she had been hit in the gut. Her eyes welled with tears as she held her trembling hands together. “Your Majesty I swear to you on my children’s lives I know nothing else!” She dropped to her knees in front of him. “Please don’t take me from my kids! Please! I’ve told you everything I know! I'm so sorry I never said anything! P–please!” She cried as she lost herself in a fit of hysterics. 

Liam stood over Rhonda while she sobbed, his mind reeling. He wanted to believe she knew more, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized whoever did this didn't let this lowly maid in on their master scheme; she was only a pawn. The likelihood of her knowing more than she had already told them was low, and she had given them the biggest lead yet in showing them where all of Riley's things were. 

Even though he remained enraged, Liam crouched down in front of the woman and spoke in the softest tone he could force. "I will not take you from your children. I apologize for making barbaric threats to you. However, I need to make sure there's nothing else that you could tell us about that night."

Rhonda sniffed. "N–no, sir. I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner but I was worried about getting in trouble for snooping because I need this job to support my kids and–"

Liam held up his hand to stop her rambling. "For future reference, if you believe a guest could have been injured you are to call my office immediately and report it to me. Am I clear?"

"Y–yes sir." 

"This is a delicate situation, and your utmost discretion is required. You can not tell anyone we were here, or searching Lady Riley's things. Do you understand?" Rhonda quickly nodded her head. Liam stood from his crouched position and reached down and extended a hand to help her stand. "You are free to go, but please, if you remember anything else or see something suspicious, call my office."

"Shall I escort her back to the estate, sir? I'd like to ask her a few questions as well." Bastien asked, his eyes never once leaving the maid.

"Of course, Bastien. Thank you."

As Bastien led Rhonda away, Olivia reemerged from the shed. She found something that piqued her interest; it was a long shot, but she hoped perhaps her sudden hunch could poke yet another hole in the ordeal. 

Olivia approached Liam, who stood beside Drake with his hands balled at his sides watching Bastien and the maid fade away. She cleared her throat and the two turned to face her; she handed Liam a blank envelope and said nothing. 

He opened it and quickly scammed its contents; it was a letter from Riley to her grandma. She had told Liam about her letters home because her grandma wasn't smart with technology and didn't have a cell phone, but Riley wanted to stay in contact. There was no date, although it had been signed at the end. The text held no relevant information, aside from Riley retelling certain portions of her time in Cordonia, the last being their trip to the ancient ruins. 

As he reached the bottom paragraph, he felt like his already dismembered heart was ripped from the confines of his chest and tossed onto the ground in front of him, leaving it for anyone and everyone to openly stomp on.

I really don't know if I would make a good Queen, but I know I can do anything with Liam by my side. He’s the most amazing person I've ever met and makes me feel like I could do anything, and I would do anything to be with him. It might seem fast, but I can feel it in the depths of my soul; he is my forever. 

Liam took a deep, shaky breath to keep himself calm. The guilt was piling up, but he refused to let that dam open, not now. Their next move had to be calculated and precise, and he was more determined than ever to find her and ensure her safety. "Why are you showing me this?" He quietly asked Olivia.  

"I can't confirm, because I didn't see the note that was left in her room, but I know both of you did. So I just wanted to ask, does the handwriting match?" 

Liam took another good look at the paper; the one left in her room was short, so there was hardly anything to compare. Looking at this script in his hands, a few things did stand out. 

"The s's are different, and the r's as well." Liam pointed to the paper. "On this, every single one has some kind of a swirl on it, not to mention its continuous cursive. The one left in her room was just plain print writing."

"And this one is signed Riley instead of R," Drake added.

"Do you still have that original letter?" Olivia asked. 

"I… don't." Liam looked away from them and rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh… I couldn't stand to have it anymore. I told Bastien to dispose of it…."

Olivia arched her brow. "I take it you did the same with her phone?" Once again, Liam avoided eye contact but subtly nodded his head. She felt her irritation rise at Liam's stupid decisions while in his state of denial, but opted to keep her comments within; even though he was fighting to keep it hidden, Olivia could tell he was already feeling the effects of his refusal to see the truth. "Well, we should at least check with him and see if he still has them; we can compare the letters and see if there's a chance they match." She sighed.  "Other than that, what's our plan?" 

Liam was quiet for a long moment. His mind raced as he tried desperately to figure out where to go from here. They didn't have a lead as to who could have been responsible or any information regarding the scandal. The most evident thing to be found was the chilling revelation that someone hurt Riley in some way and a potentially falsified letter, otherwise, they had no solid leads. 

Liam ran his hand down his face before he responded, "To start, I'll ask Bastien if he happened to keep those things. Otherwise, we need to begin a search for Tariq and Riley. Since the person in that photo you showed me can't be identified, they're the only two who know what actually happened. I'll have Bastien begin at once."

"The time I spent investigating by myself I tried to locate Tariq to question him, but he's gone." 

"I'll have Bastien double-check, just to make sure he hasn't gotten sloppy and left a trace somewhere."

"Are you thinking Tariq did all this?" Drake asked. 

"At this moment, no. We've known Tariq most of our lives and we all know he's not smart enough to do this." Drake and Olivia nodded their heads in agreement. “I have a feeling he could have been used in achieving someone else’s agenda, but as to who could be responsible, I don’t have a clue.” 

"What do you think their ultimate plan was?"

Olivia snickered. "I shouldn’t be surprised you can't figure it out, considering your brain is the size of a walnut." 

"Oh yeah? Enlighten us."

"Gladly," Olivia smirked. "Liam clearly wanted to pick Riley, that was no secret. Since Liam and I have been friends since we were children, I was obviously the second choice." She rolled her eyes but continued. "So whoever this person is formulated a plan to eliminate the two of us, leaving only Madeleine."

"There were other suitors." Drake retorted. 

"Oh, please." Olivia scoffed.  "Madeleine was technically the most prepared beforehand, the others weren't even in the contest." 

"But why go through all this, though?" Drake motioned to the shed. 

"I don't actually have any idea why her things are stored here, yet. Otherwise, I can only assume they wanted to push the idea that Riley left to be with Tariq. First, remove her from the situation. Next, let Liam sit and stew for a few days contemplating why she left. Lastly, release a scandal; let everyone assume she was a harlot being swept away by another."

"And I played right into it, just like they knew I would," Liam growled as he shook his head. "It was important they cemented the theory because whoever did this knew I would continue looking for her without the scandal. They needed to give me a reason to abandon that search, despite all the signs, and I did…"  Liam looked away and forcefully tensed his jaw. 

"I could be wrong, Liam… We really don't know much, yet." Olivia said in a surprisingly tender voice. 

Liam sighed. "For now perhaps it's best if we lock this back up and reconvene after the Apple Banquet. That will give Bastien a day or so to start the search; we can see where we stand then?" 

Drake and Olivia nodded, but Drake needed to ask Liam a question that had popped into his mind whilst they searched the shed and wouldn't leave. "Hey, Li?" 

"Hm?" 

"...What about the tour?" 

Liam remained silent for a moment before he quietly answered. "I know it may not make sense to either of you, but the tour has to continue. First, I feel it will make investigating this easier. Clearly, something happened that night, but everything must go on as planned to avoid raising suspicion. Second…" He trailed off and looked away from Drake's curious gaze. "If we can't prove someone plotted to get Madeleine on the throne, I will have to go through with the wedding. There is nothing I can do about that, aside from abdicating." 

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Olivia howled with laughter, which earned her a steely glare from Liam and a curious one from Drake. "Liam, you're the fucking King. You act as if you answer to all these people, but they answer to you. You're the one calling the shots, not them! If you don't want to marry her, then don't."

"I wish it were that simple, Olivia, but it's not. I have to take a Queen! Stability, above all–"

"Oh, my God!" Olivia exclaimed. "Am I talking to fucking Constantine or Liam?" 

Liam could only stare at her with a stunned expression. Drake, however, had to hide his laugh with a cough; he had thought that same exact thing every time he heard Liam utter that statement.

Olivia continued. "I'm not trying to be insensitive, because I understand you want to do what's best for the country. But marrying Madeleine is not what's best for you or Cordonia." 

Liam remained silent. Drake stepped forward after a moment and placed a hand on Liam’s shoulder. "You don't have to decide right now, just think about it, okay?" 

Liam could only nod his head, as his mind refused to form a coherent sentence. After everything that had revealed itself that day, nothing made sense. He quickly dipped back inside the shed and grabbed Riley's blanket, cardinal, and photo album. Drake and Olivia gave him a curious glance as he emerged from the shed with the items, but he didn't care; he wanted to take these things with him so he could feel close to her again, and hopefully return them if he could ever find her. 

Olivia placed the bag with the dress back inside the tote where she found it and secured the lock back in place; she slipped Riley's letter into her pocket for safekeeping, hoping and praying Bastien kept the one left in her room to compare.

The trio made their way back to the main estate as the sun was setting on the horizon. All three's minds were overflowing with questions, assumptions, accusations, and a wide variety of scenarios, all of which revolved around one thing: what happened to Riley Brooks? 

Tags (If you'd like to be removed or added, just let me know): @choicesficwriterscreations @ao719 @txemrn @imashybish @queenrileyrose @emkay512 @kingliam2019 @riseandshinelittleblossom @dcbbw @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight  @amandablink @cordonia-gothqueen @sfb123 @jared2612 @harleybeaumont  @bebepac @charlotteg234 @busywoman  @malblk21 @angelasscribbles  @bascmve01 @iaminlovewithtrr @hopelessromanticmonie  @mysticalfangirl @umccall71  @fuckitweball0000 @differenttyphoonwerewolf  @lovingchoices14 @emersyn-in-cordonia  @aussiegurl1234 @karahalloway

[trrvisuals]

My TRR MC Riley Brooks

These were made by my children! They know I write and asked for a picture of my face claim.

This one was a surprise by my 20 year old for mother's day

These were made on Gacha Club by my preteen!

[storiesandfolklore]

So cute

Cordonia Forever 🍎🏞

👑 King Liam 🥃 Drake Walker 🍩 Maxwell Beaumont 🌸 Hana Lee

[zlatakleos]

Progress 6 // December 21st, 2023

I've been making very slow, but sure progress. And I finally got out of my reading slump. My mental health hasn't been great, but maybe if I read enough I won't notice.

Surprisingly, once I finished "Story Engineering" by Larry Brooks, I was able to read normally. In my opinion, the book was incredibly repetitive and it kept advertising the book to me, even though I'd already bought it? It just kept talking in circles, and it could have easily been half the length it was with all the same important details.

BUT, I will say that the checklists were actually quite useful, and that the last three sections were the most useful by far. And maybe this was meant for those entirely new to writing (plus, even though I knew most of it, it was nice to see it verbalized in front of me) (<- trying to figure out why it was so repetitive).

Regardless, I'd say it's not the best, but if you're new, then go for it. Skim until you get to the checklists or until you find information that's actually new to you.

Also, I devoured "Exquisite Corpse," by Poppy Z. Brite, and also learned that he is a fellow transman. I'd say it's a fun but tough read, but not for those uncomfortable with gore and heavy sex. (I'd say more but I wrote a literary analysis on this book for fun, and I am fried). I've also started reading old Batman comics from the 1940s, from the Golden Age Omnibus (vol. 1). Unsure why, but I am, so that's a thing I'm doing.

I'd also taken up reading the Bible for inspiration and things to reference. It'd be fun to incorporate symbolism (which I would have done anyway) specifically Biblical (maybe other religions would be fun as well?) So far, I've only made it through the Book of Genesis, and 2 chapters of the Book of Exodus.

I've gotten into (watching) ballet, and actually studying for my classes. Productivity!!!

As for the actual novel I'm trying to write, it's definitely slow, and I'm working through world-building and character-rebuilding (I decided that I didn't like it). I'm very indecisive.

I haven't been drawing much at all, lately :(

[clemsfilmdiary]

A Lifelong Love (2023, Nicholas Humphries)

7/30/23

[strawberrykidneystone]

something i’ve thought about a lot lately is how often garrus says “just like old times.” i truly didn’t notice how many times he said it until i replayed the series recently, he says it pretty consistantly across me2 and me3.

garrus is often reminiscing about times that weren’t even that long ago, but i think that really speaks to how goddamn miserable he was before he joined the normandy crew. he mentions frequently that he was never a good turian, who if given the chance; would go back in time and take up painting in his education rather than a military life, which mostly likely ostracized him from his peers where a deep yearning for studying the humanities rather than military service would definitely lead to ridicule. sure, he followed in his father’s footsteps to c-sec but he wasn’t really happy there, too much red tape, etc.

that’s not to say that he didn’t make any connections at all (ie. garrus calling out for old coworkers when the citadel gets nerfed in me3), but they were most likely surface level and not very deep, not like the actual friendships that garrus made on the ship that connected turians and humans on a mutually beneficial project.

but once he joined the normandy with the rest of these heathens who didn’t have to worry about government regulations and could make an immediate impact on people’s lives for the better? oh i know he was riding that high for WEEKS, which is why that time is so precious to him as he actually found like minded people who he could bond with without any outside bureaucratic pressures that they had to meet.

i also believe he likes to refer to “old times” because he wants to remember the times that he’s been apart of a team and helped, sort of pavloving himself into remembering the times where he was part of a team and it was successful, rather than his most recent ventures without the crew in omega where he believes he failed as a leader by not realizing that one of his members betrayed him.

one thing i love about the progression through the mass effect triology are the indirect and direct callbacks to previous encounters. mass effect 3 calls back to this very encounter where garrus was tricked by one of his teammates where shepard is also tricked by brooks similarly to sidonis. while the two have different motivations for betrayal, (assume paragon route) shepard offers respite for both their clone and brooks, which garrus watches from the mission sidelines. if i saw someone handling a situation that i was in previously who didn’t let their emotions cloud their judgement like i did, i would have conflicting feelings and i think this was a missed opportunity for the writers, ESPECIALLY if shepard was romancing garrus at the time. in this situation, i feel like garrus would feel shame the most, shame about how he let his men down, shame about how he didn’t handle it like shepard did, and maybe even rising anger at sidonis all over again.

but i suppose he has some calibrations to do in order to sort out of his feelings. (catch me writing a fic about this)

getting back to the original point, the good old days were literally that for him, the best days of his life and the fact that he gets to relive those days over and over again must literally send his heart soaring, like his life finally has meaning away from his father’s legacy and his failures at c-sec where the warmth of the main battery welcomed him in with open arms every time.

i'd also love to hear y'all's thoughts on the good old days for garrus!!!!

[tessa-liam]

Chance of a Lifetime

Chance of a Lifetime 

Thank you @kyra75 for your ask -- prompt #2, Rainy/Snow Day for @choicesprompts -- Flufftober event! 

Choices Book: The Royal Romance, Book 2 -- timeline/the engagement tour in Paris 

Pairing:               Liam Rys x Riley Brooks (F!MC) 

Rating:                mature 

Category:           fluff, one-shot, ask/prompt 

Words:                 2.4K, with sprinkles of Canon

A/N1: not Beta'd, please excuse all errors. 

AN2: my submission for@choicesmonthlychallenge Prompts: pets/holding hands/laughter 

🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂

🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂

Stretching her arms over her head, Riley slowly opened one eye as she heard the familiar knock on her cabin door. The morning sun shone through the train window and across her bed. She softly smiled and swung her legs over the side, her feet touching the cool floor. She yawned and walked over to the door, pulling it open. 

"Rise and shine, queen-to-be!" Maxwell Beaumont was his usual jubilant self. "Did you sleep well, little blossom? I brought you some breakfast!" 

The rich aroma of medium roast coffee hit her senses while Chance jumped up excitedly at the smell of pancakes and bacon. ‘Arf ... Arf ...’ 

“Ah, yes. My entrance is welcomed by the corgi choir." 

"That smells amazing. Thank you soooo much, Max." 

"You are very welcome, Your Majesty," Maxwell winked, giving a little bow and grinning at her. "You'd better hurry and get ready." 

The Royal court was in Paris, France; today's event ... the Royal tea party.

Riley took the tray from Maxwell, and Chance sat at her feet. "Good morning, little pup," Maxwell cooed, as Chance happily accepted a pet and scratch behind his ears. 

"So, are you ready for afternoon tea with the former queen?" Maxwell asked. 

"Yeah, I guess. She's not exactly my favorite person, but... I'm still curious." 

"She's a formidable woman," Maxwell shuddered. 

"But on the bright side, this could be the perfect opportunity to corner her about her involvement with the scandal and get your answers!" 

"I hope you're right," Riley sighed, slipping Chance a small piece of bacon.  

"At a public event, she'll be caught off guard! She won't be able to run off or dodge you."  Max added.

"And if she's not forthcoming, we might be able to do a little digging with the other nobles at the tea party." 

"That's the spirit!" Maxwell grinned. "If you ever need a little extra confidence, you know who to call." 

"Yes. Thank you for everything, Max." 

"Of course. But first, get ready for the day! We don't want to be late!" 

‘Arf!’ Chance barked, agreeing with him. 

"Can Chance come?" Riley wondered aloud. 

"I wish he could, but the venue doesn't allow pets. I'll bring him along to the duchy later, though." 

"Okay, that's good, thanks, Max." 

"Now, go and get ready. Don't worry about a thing. I've got the corgis covered. See you at the tea party!" Maxwell gave Riley a mock salute before he closed her door behind him. 

After finishing her breakfast and a quick shower, Riley pulled out a gorgeous light blush dress with a delicate floral print. She applied her makeup, dried her hair, then snapped a gold barrette into place. 

She stepped out of the train and went into the waiting limousine. After a short drive, Riley arrived at the extravagant tea party at an uptown Parisian hotel. It was a beautiful spring day, and the hotel was decorated with the finest flower arrangements. 

Riley entered the formal tearoom; hearing soft, elegant music and people's chatter. The room was decorated with luxurious chandeliers and intricate floral arrangements. Tables were covered with fine linen tablecloths, and chairs were upholstered in plush velvet. A small orchestra was playing softly in the corner, and servers were carrying trays laden with exquisite tea sets and delicious-looking cakes. Riley recognized a few ladies and gentlemen from the court, but everyone else was a mystery. 

She spotted Madeleine and Hana chatting at the far end of the hall. As she approached, Madeleine spotted her and quickly ended the conversation with Hana. 

"Lady Riley, its good of you to join us."  

"This is lovely; I am drowning in ruffles," Riley quipped. 

"I'm afraid that's one of the finer points of an elegant event like this one. To be honest, I wouldn't expect you to appreciate it lady Riley, so don't strain yourself." 

"Oh, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Riley countered, rolling her eyes. 

"Well, do try to enjoy yourself." Madeleine sauntered off before Riley could say anything else. 

"Wow. That was... nice." Riley responded sarcastically under her breath. Stepping to the side, trying to read the place cards, she bumped into someone. 

"Well, hello. What a pleasure to see you here, Lady Riley. You look stunning, as always." Liam smiled, expressing tenderness as he kissed her cheek.

"Liam! Thank you. It's great to see you, too! I didn't think you'd be here." 

"My schedule's been quite busy lately. I am only here to make the opening remarks. I was actually hoping to spend some time with you after this event." 

"That would be wonderful." Riley answered, delightedly. 

"It's been too long. I'd love to hear how you're doing." 

"Liam, ...wishing I could kiss you right now." 

"Lady ... Riley you shouldn't say such things." Liam murmered as he looked at her hungrily, his eyes sweeping over her face. 

"Maybe I'm hoping you'll get a little reckless."  Riley whispered.

“Maxwell mentioned that you recently adopted a puppy.” 

Riley’s eyes lit up, a smile tugging at her lips. 

"Oh, yeah, his name is Chance. He's a little ball of orange and white fluff. He was lost when Maxwell found him.” 

"That sounds wonderful. I'm glad you're enjoying his company." 

"He's a really good boy. He's so friendly and happy. He loves to play, and he's really good at fetching." 

"I can't wait to meet him. Maybe I'll even steal him from you," Liam teased. 

"You can try, but I'm pretty sure he'd choose me," Riley shot back, her eyes sparkling with mirth. 

"I would love to meet him sometime. In fact, we could spend the afternoon together at the park."  

"That sounds lovely." 

Noticing dignitaries walking towards them, behind Riley, Liam sighs regrettedly,

"I fear our time alone is coming to an end ... I better greet these guests. But, please wait for me. I don't want to delay any longer to spend some time with you. Let's go after the tea party." 

"Okay."  Riley beamed

"There's a break in the tour schedule tonight so I can slip out for the night. See you later?" Liam looked at her pleadingly. 

"Yes, Liam ... later." 

Riley felt the heat rise in her cheeks and butterflies in her stomach as Liam kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger on her cheek.   

 Squeezing her hand, Liam turned away to greet the nobles.  

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Placing the linen table napkin on her lap, Riley’s attention was pulled to the sound of Madeleine's voice as she stepped in front of a microphone on the dais. As she begins her formal address to the court, Olivia slid into the chair next to Riley. 

“I never liked her.” 

“You don't like anyone, Liv.” 

“True, but I especially dislike her.” 

“Oh, dear, let's get something to drink.” Hana responds trying to change the subject of conversation. 

“Of course, let's engage in frivolous social conversation and engage in witty banter.” Olivia snidely responds. Her mood quickly turning despondent as she watched the King address the room. 

Riley noticed her abrupt change in mood as her expression shifted to sadness as she watched Liam across the room. 

“Olivia, are you okay?” Riley asked in a whisper as Olivia shakes her head, “No ... he's engaged to Madeleine and in love with you ... I can't help how I feel about him, can I?” 

"Olivia, I think --"

Abruptly standing up from the table, “at least I still have my pride. Just let me leave with it.” 

Olivia walked out without looking back. Hana watched her leave with a concerned look on her face. “I wonder what that was about.” 

Riley bit her lip as she turned her gaze to regard Hana.

“I hope she's able to sort things out. She's been through so much."

"Speaking of which ... how are you doing, Riley?” 

“I'm holding up okay,”  Riley sighed, seeing the opportunity to talk to Queen Regina.

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After a disappointing conversation with the queen mother, and later, saying goodbye to Hana ...

Riley looked up to see Liam waiting for her at the front entrance, appearing eager to spend some time together.

Riley couldn't help but smile as she approached him.

"Your Majesty," she dipped into a small curtsy, smiling coyly.

"Lady Riley," Liam greeted her, a smile lighting up his face.

As he escorted Riley to his SUV, Liam leaned close and softly spoke,

"we'll be having company." Liam chuckled at her confused look, as the sliding passenger door opened. 

Riley peeked inside and saw a fluffy ball of orange and white fur curled up on the back seat. "Chance!" 

Chance's ears perked up at the sound of her voice. He jumped out of the car, barking happily. He jumped around her, wagging his tail so fast that his entire butt shook. 

Riley laughed, dropping to her knees. Chance jumped into her lap, licking her face. 

Liam grinned. "Looks like he missed you."

"Aw, I missed you, too."

Arriving at a Parisian dog park, the crisp autumn air filled Riley's lungs as she breathed deeply. Puffy, white and gray clouds were overhead, and the trees were ablaze with red, orange and yellow around you.

Riley and Liam walked hand-in-hand, Chance trotting ahead of them. The leaves crunched under their feet, and the sounds of children playing nearby filled the air. 

"It's such a beautiful day," Riley remarked, looking around. 

"It is," Liam agreed. "Autumn is my favorite season. I love the changing colors of the leaves, and the way the air feels chilled." 

Riley looked over at Liam, admiring the way his blue eyes shone in the sunlight. "I love the way you see the world, Liam." 

"Likewise. You make me want to see everything in a new light." 

They continued walking, taking in the beauty of the park. Chance ran ahead, chasing birds and squirrels. 

As they rounded a bend, Riley spotted a man and his dog. She watched as the man tossed a ball, and the dog darted after it. The dog returned, the ball in his mouth, and the man pet him lovingly. 

"That's what I want," Riley said suddenly. "To have a relationship with Chance like that." 

"You will," Liam assured her. "Chance loves you, and you're already doing a great job with him. You're a natural." 

As they reached the center of the park, Riley looked up. The sky was now darker; the sun hidden by the clouds.

"I wish we could just stay here, in this moment," Riley breathed. "It's perfect." 

"It is." Liam gazed into her eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. 

Riley leaned closer, and Liam closed the distance between them. Their lips met, and Riley felt her heart flutter. Liam's lips were soft and warm, and Riley sighed contentedly. 

The moment was interrupted by the sudden downpour of rain. Riley squealed and grabbed Liam's arm. 

"Let's get under the gazebo," Liam chuckled, bending down to pick up Chance.

They ran to the shelter of the gazebo, laughing and wiping the rain from their faces. 

"Well, that was unexpected," Riley giggled. 

"I'll say," Liam laughed. 

Riley wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss. This time, the kiss was deeper, more passionate. 

They stayed under the gazebo, kissing, as the rain fell around them. It was a perfect moment, and Riley never wanted it to end. 

"Lady Riley," Liam breathed. 

"Hmm?" 

"You're getting wet." 

"I am." 

"And you don't even seem to care." 

"I don't." 

Liam laughed, shaking his head. "What am I going to do with you?" 

"I can think of a few things," Riley grinned, kissing him again. 

Liam returned the kiss fervently, wrapping his arms around her tightly. They stayed under the gazebo, the rain pouring down around them, lost in each other. 

They pulled apart reluctantly as Chance barked and ran onto the grass and runs quickly back over to them, with a ball in his mouth. 

"It seems he's ready for a game of fetch," Liam chuckled. 

"I'm ready, too," Riley said, winking at Liam. 

"Let's play." 

Riley tossed the ball for Chance, and they both laughed as they joined the chase, returning to the downpour outside of the gazebo.

Riley giggled as she spun around, her arms extended. Liam grabbed her hands and pulled her close, the rain dripping from their hair.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Liam stroked her cheek and gently moved her hair behind her ear.

Riley's breath caught in her throat.. She didn't know what to say.

"Liam," she whispered.

Liam leaned down, his lips brushing hers. Riley's heart raced, and she kissed him back, the rain falling around them. Liam's hands were warm on her back, and she pressed herself closer to him, deepening the kiss.

It was the most perfect moment Riley could have imagined. She didn't want it to end.

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the park. The rain had stopped, and the air smelled fresh and clean. Riley and Liam were walking hand-in-hand, Chance trotting along beside them. 

"Today was wonderful," Riley said. "Thank you, Liam." 

"I should be the one thanking you," Liam replied. "You've brought so much happiness into my life." 

"You deserve all the happiness in the world, Liam," Riley said, smiling up at him. 

Liam leaned in, his lips brushing against hers. Riley's heart fluttered, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. 

"I want to show you something," Liam murmured, breaking the kiss. 

"What is it?" 

"Come on." Liam took her hand and led her down a path, Chance following close behind. 

"Where are we going?" Riley asked, her curiosity piqued. 

"It's a surprise." Liam grinned, and Riley's heart skipped a beat. 

They walked through the park, the sunset painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. Riley could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance, and the streets of Paris were bustling with activity. 

"Close your eyes," Liam said. 

"Okay." Riley did as he asked, trusting him completely. 

"Now, take my hand and step forward." 

Liam's hand was warm and strong, and he guided her carefully. After a few steps, he stopped. 

"Can I open my eyes?" 

"Not yet," Liam chuckled.

Riley waited patiently, the anticipation building. 

"Okay," Liam said. "Open your eyes." 

Riley opened her eyes, and gasped. They were standing at the edge of the lake, and the water reflected the sky perfectly. The colors were vibrant, and the Eiffel Tower was lit up, casting a golden glow over everything. 

Riley's hand was warm in his. Liam glanced at her and smiled. They were walking through the park, the stars twinkling above. Chance was trotting alongside them, his tongue hanging out. 

"It's such a beautiful night," Riley remarked, looking up at the sky. 

"It is," Liam agreed. "Though I am a bit hungry." 

"I'm starving," Riley laughed. "All that exercise has me worked up an appetite." 

"Let's head back to the train, then." Liam started leading them towards the edge of the park. 

"Oh, no, you don't," Riley teased, tugging him back. "I have a better idea." 

"What's that?" 

"Let's grab some food first and then bring it back to the train." 

"Sounds like a plan," Liam grinned. 

"There's a little café not far from here. We could get something to go." 

"Perfect." 

"C'mon, Chance," Riley called. "You're eating too!"

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@choicesprompts @flufftober @lovealexhunt @choicesficwriterscreations @angelasscribbles @kyra75 @choicesmonthlychallenge @choicescommunityevents

[angelasscribbles]

The King's Mistress

Series: None, this is a one-shot and you can find those here.

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Rating: NSFW 🍋

Warnings for this chapter: Slight Lemons, infidelity

Word Count: 822

My other stuff: Master List.

Story is under the cut.......

The Duchess of Valtoria was perched on the edge of an expansive mahogany desk with her head thrown back and her elegant evening gown hiked up around her waist, moans of ecstasy spilling out of her as the king stood with his pants tangled around his ankles thrusting into her. Her perfectly manicured nails sank into his ass, spurring him on.

He had been waiting for a moment alone with her all damn day. Sitting next to her for two hours in the budget meeting had been bad enough, but then she had shown up at the annual Ambassador’s Ball in a dress that ought to be criminal. Holding her in his arms on the dance floor while maintaining proper decorum had been excruciating. Getting her somewhere private had jumped to number one on his priority list.

Her screams filled his ears as his eyes locked on her face, watching the rapturous euphoria of her release dance across her features. She cried out his name as he spilled himself inside her.

“Riley…” his lips brushed the side of her neck as a hand tangled in her hair and pulled her closer.

He couldn’t get enough of her. He was bewitched by the way she loved with such wild abandon. She cared nothing for the intrigues of the court or the judgments of others. She was a wild thing, free in a way he longed to be.

He had been surrounded his entire life by crown chasers and sycophants, but Riley was different.

Maybe the raging inferno she ignited within him was love, or perhaps she represented the path he had almost chosen before duty and sacrifice had landed him right back where he started.

Either way, she had chosen him when she’d had no idea who he was. And that meant something to him.

He stepped away from her reluctantly and pulled his pants up. “I should get back before my wife sends a search party to find me.”

Riley made a face as she scooted to the edge of the desk. A slight sound of displeasure issued from the back of her throat.

He took her hand and helped her to her feet. Despite his assertation that he was needed back in the ballroom forthwith, he took his time carefully and tenderly helping her adjust her dress back into place. His fingers kept making detours to trail down a bare arm or trace across the back of her neck.

When her clothes were righted, his hands ran once again through her now tousled hair. “Sorry, I made a mess of that updo.”

“It’s ok,” she laughed as she plucked the few remaining clips free and shook her head, sending waves of riotous curls cascading down her back. “But I am going to need a little help fixing it.”

“Hm.” A bright smile lit up his face as humor danced through his ocean blue eyes. “I command armies, negotiate with dictators, and the Cordonian stock market can rise or fall based on my mood, but alas, I am utterly helpless in the face of a hair emergency.”

“I know!” She gave him a playful slap on the shoulder, “But I left my phone in my clutch, which is back in the ballroom…”

His grin widened. “It’s ok, I’ve got you.” He produced his phone and brandished it in front of her. “Hana?”

“Hana,” she agreed with a nod.

His fingers flew across the phone pad as he sent a text to Bastien Lykel, the head of his king’s guard, to find and escort Lady Hana Lee to his office.

“She’s on her way. I hate to leave you, but I really do need to get back. The ambassador from Rival—”

“It’s fine, go.” She waved him away as she headed for the attached bathroom to check on her makeup. Being seen re-entering the ballroom together would just cause more whispers anyway.

Not that the entire country didn’t already know. They hadn’t been that discreet. Their relationship was an open secret at court. She was the maîtresse-en-titre as the French would say. The king’s official royal mistress, complete with all the money, titles, land, and security that provided.

She knew that what she gave him in return was more than sex. It was companionship, romantic intimacy, advice, conversation, and a shoulder to lean on when he needed it.

He had married for political reasons, family obligations, and tradition. There was no love between the king and queen.

Still, this wasn’t where she saw her life going when she met him on that cruise ship and mistook him for a broke college student.

His voice stopped her before she made it through the door. “Hey, Riley?”

She turned back toward him. “Yeah?”

That grin that always sent butterflies shocking through her broke out across his face. “I love you.”

She returned his smile as he retreated into the hallway. “I love you too, Leo.”

[fadingreveries]

The Royal Romance, Bk1 Ch2: Welcome to Cordonia (Pt. 4)

Click here for the TRR retelling series masterlist for more chapters! 🏰

Story Summary: In this novel-style retelling of TRR, beloved scenes with original commentary from the Choices stories including your favourite group of royals and friends will be expanded upon. Contains extended commentary and scenes from the original story, in-depth descriptions of bonus scenes, and premium choices and outfits.

Chapter Synopsis: Riley travels to Cordonia, but what will await her there?

Word Count:

Disclaimer: All rights to original commentary, scenes, and characters from The Royal Romance series reserved to Choices and Pixelberry Studios. No copyright infringement intended.

~ ~ ~

After quickly unpacking a few of her belongings, Riley made her way out of her assigned room on a mission to explore the palace boutique’s options. Luckily for her, Maxwell had told her that the store was located on the ground floor near the front entrance.

A few minutes later, Riley pushed past the doors into the boutique. The soft pink walls contrasted nicely with the brown mahogany floors and the light gray floor rug covering the entire ground. A silver chandelier with bell-shaped glass shades hung directly in the middle of the room. Several mannequins dressed in various formal attire for men and women were scattered across the rooms.

Absentmindedly, Riley brushed her hand against the silk and satin dresses placed on one of many racks on display. The closest she had ever gotten to seeing such beautiful formal dresses was outside display windows of luxury stores on her way to school and work.

“Oh!” A girl yelped out, stepping out of a changing room and holding a dress.

Startled with the sudden voice, Riley looked over her shoulder to see who it was. However, when she noticed that the girl was only dressed in her underwear, Riley quickly turned back around. While she felt a hint of excitement to meet new people up close and personal, this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Riley apologized, feeling embarrassed at seeing a stranger looking so vulnerable. “I didn’t realize someone was already here. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have just barged in.”

With Riley’s back turned, the girl quickly draped the curtain of the changing room over her body to cover herself. Only her head poked out, a sign she was eager to invite Riley into a conversation.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all. To be honest, I didn’t have an appointment. I forgot to book one before my flight landed a few hours ago but thought I would peruse down here before it became too crowded,” the girl sheepishly replied, making Riley turn around to see her friendly smile. “I’m Hana. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Pleasantly surprised with the girl’s bright kindness to a stranger like her, Riley gave a smile in return. “You too. My name’s Riley.”

“I suppose you’re also here to prepare for the Masquerade tonight,” Hana replied, before disappearing behind the curtain to pull on the dress she was holding. “Since you’re here and not already dressed, I must assume that you’re just like me… searching desperately for something to wear.”

“More or less,” Riley replied, with a relaxed laugh. Her neck craned around to catch short glimpses of the dresses in the boutique, wondering how on earth she would be able to narrow it down with the surprising variety.

“The seamstress seems to be running late, but I can show you around! The boutique has the most exquisite gowns. Quite a few of them were shipped just this morning,” Hana answered, pulling the curtain to the side. “Let me just zip this dress up and we can look for one for you!”

Walking to a floor-length mirror, Hana faced her reflection to note her appearance. There was an immense amount of pressure on her from her parents to make a good first impression on the nobility during the court’s social season. She took a deep breath, examining the rose gold laced bodice with rhinestones and a matching floor-length satin skirt.

Her hands arched around her back, trying to get a firm grasp on the tiny zipper. Replaying her parents’ never-ending lectures in her mind about securing the hand of the prince, she felt a slight tremble in her grip and found herself unable to zip herself in the dress. What was she going to do if she failed to secure his attention?

“Need a hand?” Riley offered, admiring how confident and poised Hana looked in front of the mirror with her masquerade outfit.

With a relieved laugh, Hana answered, “That would be amazing.”

Making her way behind Hana, Riley grasped hold of the zipper and slid it all the way up. On a nearby side table, Hana picked up a salmon pink mask with gold accents that matched her dress perfectly. She carefully settled it on her face, making her happily sigh with a satisfied smile.

Turning to face Riley with a grin, Hana complimented, “Thank you. It’s a pity that not many girls here are like you.”

“Helpful?” Riley asked, a smile on her face at Hana’s comment.

“Genuinely nice,” Hana explained, with a simple knowing nod. “It would make the social season much less intimidating if we were here to converse as ladies instead of constantly viewing each other as competition.”

If Drake was right about the ruthlessness of noble ladies, it seemed Riley had found a rare ally in her. Unbeknownst to her, Hana held the same sentiments. Most ladies would secretly turn their noses up at her out of jealousy, let alone help her—something Hana was used to growing up as a noble.

Hana spun for Riley, her full skirts twirling as she giggled. “Ah, this dress is perfect! Now, what about you? One must have a mask for the Masquerade!”The two girls perused through racks of dresses, holding up possible options to the other for a second opinion. Ten minutes later, Hana’s eyes widened in excitement as she pulled two garment bags from a rack. “Have you seen the angel costume? You’d look amazing in white,” Hana suggested, eagerly holding up the white dress in her right hand and the other dress in her left hand. “Or there’s also a red one, if you’re feeling more devilish.”

“I’ll take a look.” Riley giggled, as Hana handed her both garment bags.

Inside a dressing room, Riley eyed the first costume meant to resemble a sultry devil. The crimson red colour of the strapless dress was striking along with sections made of mesh lace fabric highlighting embroidered patterns. Along with the dress were two devil horn accessories and a bold black mask with sparkling rhinestones.

Ultimately, Riley decided on the angel costume that Hana first suggested. It was much simpler with its draped off shoulder straps, a sweetheart neckline, and a shimmery sparkle that brightened the pure white colour. After stepping out of the changing room, Riley fixed the matching halo accessory on top of her head and plucked a detailed silver mask off of the table.

“How do I look?” Riley asked with a smile, giving a little twirl similar to the one Hana had done moments ago.

Hana’s face brightened up, as she grinned and the two made their way out of the boutique. “Heavenly! A costume as angelic as the girl wearing it.”

~ ~ ~

Click here for the TRR retelling series masterlist for more chapters! 🏰

Tag list: @kingliam2019 @princess-geek @karahalloway @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @tinkie1973

[lawsend]

Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 5

Series: Law’s End

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Fandom: The Royal Romance (loosely, there’s not much canon in here).

Pairings: Riley x Liam (past, sort of). Riley x Drake (future potentially), Riley x Max (he wishes)

Word Count: 2,431

Rating: MA

Warnings for series: adult themes, any given chapter may contain murder, violence, language, drinking, drug use, etc.

My other stuff can be found on my main blog @angelasscribbles here is the Master List.

Riley leaned in close to Max as they entered the bar, “He’s a source, I need to flirt with him for information so make yourself scarce.”

“I’ll be at the bar if you need me.” Not that she would. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. But he didn’t want to leave her alone at night in a bar…even one filled with cops.

The Beat was a hidden gem. A dingy hole in the wall from the outside, a drab exterior graced by a small rusted tin sign, easily missed amongst the shops and eating establishments that crowded the rest of the block.

Inside, the place was alive with activity. To the right as patrons entered the front door, a highly polished bar stretched halfway down the length of the room, curving around at both ends. A big screen TV on the wall above the bar was tuned to ESPN. Bottles clanked as the bartender served drinks and the hum of twenty different conversations floated across the open area.

As Max detoured for the bar itself, Leo guided Riley to a table near the back. He wasn’t even seated before a waitress appeared at his side, “Hey Leo, Riley. I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”

Riley arched an eyebrow at her companion, “You really have been here before! You must be a regular if Siobhan knows your name.”

“I used to be a regular,” he grunted as he waved away the drink menu, “The usual.”

“You got it sugar,” the waitress winked at him before turning to Riley, “What are you having tonight?”

After they gave their drink order and Siobhan left to fill it, Riley focused her attention on Leo, “Okay. You promised me details about the case so start spilling.”

“No, no, no, Ms. Brooks, nothing is free in this life. The price for what I know is you telling me what’s going on with you and my brother, remember?”

“I remember. But I’m not very trusting, so you first.” She sat a recording device on the table between them, pushed play, and looked at him expectantly.

Leo threw his head back with a laugh, “All right. I see how it is. You don’t trust the disgraced cop that you just met fifteen minutes ago. Fair enough.”

Leo passed along the information that he had gleaned from his interrogation while Riley furiously scribbled notes.

They discussed the case as the waitress came and went. When everything else had been covered, Riley asked, “What’s your connection to Katie Sloan?”

Leo nearly dropped his drink, “What makes you think I have-“

“Your entire demeanor changes when you mention her. You flirt shamelessly with the waitress and you’ve been eye fucking the blond at the table behind us for the last ten minutes, but when you talk about Kaite, there’s a tenderness in your tone and you keep steering the conversation away from her every time she comes up.”

“You really don’t miss a thing, do you?”

“I try not to. I’d be a pretty shitty reporter if I didn’t notice details.”

“Listen. Katie and I have a past and I don’t want to-“

“You want me to tell you intimate details about my personal life, I expect the same level of transparency from you.”

“Shit,” he stared at his beer bottle as he fidgeted with the corner of the label, “I just don’t want a hatchet job done on her in the paper.”

“I understand and if you’re worried about her being slut shamed for cheating on her husband, well I won’t do that but if she murdered a man-“

“She didn’t!”

“Leo, all the details are going to be public soon enough then every paper in the state will be reporting on it. I’m your best chance at spinning a more positive image for her and mitigating the fallout. Her husband is going to find out. There’s no way Liam isn’t going to bring both her and him in for questioning and you know it.”

“Fine,” he leaned back in his chair and raked a hand through his hair, “We dated briefly several years ago, before she hooked up with that Trent guy. That’s our connection.”

“That’s not why you were threatening him.”

Leo heaved a loud sigh, “No it wasn’t. Damn, you’re better at this than the cops, girl.”

“So, tell me why you were threatening him.”

“Can you promise me you won’t make Katie look like a horrible person in your story?”

“I can promise to do my best to spin her in the best possible light and minimize the damage, but I’m in the business of reporting the facts.”

“Fair enough I guess.”

When Leo was finished telling Riley the same basic facts he’d told Liam he sat his beer on the table in front of him with a thunk and gave her a pointed look, “Now I believe you owe me the story of why you showing up at the precinct rattled my brother so much.”

“Because something happened between us that he’s trying to convince himself he regrets.”

“Why would he want to do that?”

“He thinks I used him. Seduced him just to get confidential information for a story I was working on.”

“And did you do that?”

“No! Well…kind of…”

“So, which is it? Yes, or no? There doesn’t seem to be much room for grey area here.”

“Yes, I knew who he was, and he had no idea who I was. Yes, I targeted him specifically because he was the detective assigned to the case I was covering-“

“Starting to sound a lot like Liam was right…”

“No! I don’t have sex with sources in exchange for information. I will, however, flirt shamelessly. You’d be surprised how much information I can get out of a man just by showing him a little attention.”

“No, I would not,” Leo smirked as his eyes ran down her body.

“Anyway….” she rolled her eyes as she shifted in her seat, “My plan was to do a little flirting to see what I could shake loose. Get him to drink with me. Drunk people talk more. But your brother was an impossible nut to crack. Impenetrable. He wasn’t giving anything up!”

Leo laughed, “Yeah, that sounds like him.”

“I honestly gave up and if you knew me, you’d know how huge that is. I don’t give up easily.”

“I could have guessed that about you. So why does he think you used him for information if he didn’t give you any?”

“I’m getting to that! We ended up talking all night about things unrelated to the case and the attraction was real! I hadn’t planned on going home with him, but that’s what happened. Because there was a real vibe and we clicked.”

“I’m sensing a but in there somewhere.”

“We went back to his place, and it was…well, it was…” An involuntary smile pulled her mouth up as the memories of that night danced through her head.

Leo groaned, “Yeah, that’s far enough, please don’t paint me a picture!”

Riley laughed then her smile faded, “But I got up in the middle of the night for a drink of water. I didn’t want to wake him, so I found my own way around the kitchen. On my way back I noticed the file laying on the desk…”

“And you read it?”

Riley had the good grace to look ashamed, “Read it, photographed it, quoted it in my article.”

“Wow, that’s a really big but,” Leo shook his head as he signaled the waitress for another round, “I don’t know whether to be impressed or disappointed in you.”

“Liam was understandably furious and hurt.”

“You sound troubled by that.”

“I mean, I knew he was going to be mad, but I didn’t realize how mad.”

“That bad, huh?”

“That bad. We’re not really on speaking terms.”

“You want to know what the most disturbing part of that whole story is?”

“What’s that?”

“The part where you slept with my brother, putting yourself off limits to me,” his eyes glittered with humor as he tipped his bottle to her.

Riley scoffed, “I doubt you have any trouble attracting women.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Oh, I don’t know…the boyish good looks, the devil may care attitude, the sparkling blue eyes, the bad boy demeanor, those goddamn dimples!”

“What makes you think I’m a bad boy?”

“Oh, you’re definitely a bad boy,” she answered as she lifted her drink to her lips, “and a fuck boy. And I don’t do fuck boys. So, I was never an option.”

He watched her toss the drink back with amusement, “Seems like you’ve got me all figured out then.”

“I’m a good judge of character. You may be a fuck boy, but I like you, Leo.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. The fact that you wouldn’t sleep with someone your brother is interested in elevates my opinion of your character.”

“What makes you think he’s still interested in you? You just told me he was furious with you.”

“Oh, he’s still interested,” she told him with a cocky grin, “He just doesn’t want to admit it.”

“I think you’re right,” Leo choked on his drink as he nodded toward the door.

Riley turned to find Liam bearing down on them, his expression grim.

Riley slipped her recorder discreetly and quickly into her bag with the arm he couldn’t see as she turned her body to face him and shoved her belongings behind her, “Can I help you, detective?”

“Wow!” Leo marveled at the innocent tone of voice and flutter of eyelashes.

“You!” Liam addressed Leo first, “Please tell me that you did not divulge any confidential information relating to an ongoing case to a civilian…to a reporter no less!”

Leo threw his arms up in surrender, “Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”

“Fucking great,” Liam huffed under his breath as he spun on Riley, “And you….you know you can’t print whatever he told you, right? It’s unverified hearsay. He could be making stuff up just to get your pants, you see that, don’t you?”

“First of all, calling him an unidentified source close to the investigation and liberal use of the word alleges covers most of those bases. But more importantly,” She plunked her elbow on the table and leaned her chin on her hand with a smile, “What makes you think he’s trying to get into my pants and why do you care?”

“Yeah, okay,” Leo tipped the bottle back and finished his beer before setting it down in front of him with a clunk, “I’m just gonna….go….”

Liam never pulled his eyes from Riley, “That’s probably a good idea. Stay away from this case, Leo.”

Leo paused when he was standing directly behind Riley, “The case? Or her?” He grinned at his brother then leaned down to whisper against her ear, “Keep an eye on the bartender tonight. You might get the answer you’re looking for.”

“Hm,” she replied struggling to keep her eyes locked on Liam. If he knew the bartender had any information, he’d question him himself and forbid her from doing it. She’d let him know if the man had anything pertinent to add to the investigation.

Her eyes quickly swept the bar as she turned her head to smile up at Leo, “Thanks for the tip.”

“Thanks for the conversation. We should do it again sometime,” he winked at her before giving his brother a grin, “See you Sunday at dads?”

“Mm,” Liam grunted. The weekly Sunday dinner was a command performance at his father’s estate ever since the advent of his most recent marriage.

“Oh, you have Sunday dinner with your father?” Riley perked up at the personal information, “I think that’s very sweet!”

“You wouldn’t if you ever attended one,” Liam snorted.

“I would love to attend one! Was that an invitation?”

“Absolutely not!”

“I would be delighted to have you come to Sunday dinner as my guest, Riley,” Leo offered.

“Why would you do that?” Liam asked in dismay as Riley and Leo quickly exchanged cell numbers.

“Trust me, bro, I’m doing this for your own good.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’re an idiot sometimes,” Leo told him with a wave as he walked away.

Liam watched his brother leave then turned back to Riley in consternation, “Are you seriously coming to my father’s house as my brother’s date?”

“Oh, absolutely!” She answered as she scoured the bar again, “Does that bother you?”

“No!” He lied. “So, what did my brother tell you?”

“No more than he already told you, I’m sure.” She decided to try and deflect his attention, “Hey, remember last time we were here?”

Heat flushed through him as the memory of the night they met flashed through his mind, “Don’t change the subject, Riley.”

“Oh, it’s Riley again? Not Ms. Brooks?”

“I was working. It’s called professionalism.”

“You sure it’s not called sour grapes?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Riley pushed her drink away with a sigh, “Listen, I’m sorry. I don’t know how many times you want me to say that. I didn’t sleep with you to get information out of you. I slept with you because I liked you. The rest just kind of happened…”

“Even if I believe you, you can understand why it would be hard for me to trust you again, don’t you?”

“I suppose,” she agreed, “But what if I could tell you who Katie Sloan is having an affair with?”

His head snapped up in interest, “How could you possibly do that?” 

“Riley! Riley!” Max nearly tripped in his haste to make it to the table she was sitting at.

She smirked at him, “I already know.”

“Know what?” Liam demanded.

“Who Katie Sloan is sleeping with, I told you!”

“Okay, I’ll bite. Who? And how do you know?”

“Dean Collins, owner and proprietor of The Beat.” She tipped her head toward the bar.

Liam’s eyes traveled across the room to land on the owner who was currently leaning across the bar, his face inches from the woman on the other side of it, his expression clearly besotted.

Her blonde hair was tucked under the brim of a stylish oversized hat and she hadn’t removed her sunglasses but it was Katie Sloan.

They watched as Dean tossed the register keys to one of the waitresses then moved around the bar, taking her hand in his and disappearing up the stairs in the back corner of the establishment, into the living quarters above.

[rootspiral]

Oh I gotta know your opinion on the covens fave books, with bonus questions: do any of the older witches have absurdly strong opinions on very old books, and does Lilia prefer to read in her native language?

Fascinating question! Let's start with Lilia, because I've also been wondering if she ever came back to Sicily after emigrating – however far back that was. When was it, actually? Did she wander Europe covenless and sad for a century or so before catching the first ship to the new world in the 1600s? Or did she join the wave of 19th/20th century southern Italian immigrants? How involved was she in the Renaissance art circles? Did she ever meet the greats? Did she model for any of them? I hope she had time to cozy up with Artemisia Gentileschi at some point, they would have been a match made in heaven.

I think it would have been difficult for her to travel back once she moved, with money being such a big issue for her, and she'd have lost contact with her roots for a while. Until she discovered how easy it is nowadays to get ebooks in Italian! I imagine her as the most technological of the coven after Jen, so you know she got her hands on a second hand e-reader (NOT a Kindle, thankyouverymuch) and started pirating Italian recentish literature like crazy, with special emphasis on female authors, she read and loved Deledda, de Céspedes, Maraini, Ginzburg, Morante, Murgia. She thinks Elena Ferrante is overrated.

(It goes without saying that you shouldn't pirate books and use your library card instead, but Lilia is a witch and by extension a rule-breaker.)

Despite her recent forays in modern literature, Lilia's favorite author has always been and always will be Boccaccio. As a teenager she would write racy Decameron fanfic – I mean, even racier than the Decameron itself. She used to save copies from church bonfires.

//

I headcanon Jen as being born in the late 1800s and I think that as a young adult she was somewhat part of the early 20th century Black cultural scene (when she had the time in between work and studies), she definitely partook in the Harlem Renaissance even if she was critical of some aspects of it. She was more into music and fashion but also read plenty, her favorite author being Zora Neale Hurston.

After Boston she stopped doing most of the things that brought her joy, including reading. But ironically enough, nowadays she has constructed a bit of a #booktok persona: it all started when she posted a picture of Normal People next to her morning matcha (someone had forgotten it at the organic coffee shop and she snatched it for the aesthetic). That seemed to interest her followers, so she started publishing biweekly videos reviewing all the buzzworthy new books. She doesn't actually read the books and the reviews are written with chatGPT (yikes). Hopefully that'll stop now that she doesn't need to scam people for a living.

//

Alice only ever reads for pleasure. 1980s fantasy holds a special place in heart because she grew up with it, she loved Terry Pratchett, Diana Wynne Jones, Tamora Pierce, Brian Jaques, Terry Brooks and Margaret Weis (in this exact order.) Today she still reads mostly fantasy and romance, her current favorites are the Locked Tomb series and Baru Cormorant.

//

Billy lately has made it his mission to inhale all Wizard of Oz lore and is making his way through the fourteen books, he's on Patchwork Girl right now and loving it very much. So far Ozma has been his favorite.

//

Agatha used to be a Goodreads top five user until she got kicked out for breaking basically every community guideline. She runs a literary blog called "The Cunt of Montecristo" and has been a controversial celebrity in the online reading circles for at least 30 years. Despite being mostly into nonfiction she has reviewed thousands of novels and has very specific beef with long-dead writers that don't make any sense unless she somehow knew them in person. She also claims to know which authors were queer and which were boring and hetero. Her pinned page is a list of all the female authors she hypothetically, definitely not for real fucked, with notable mentions like Eliot, two Brontë sisters (Anne thwarted her), Zelda Fitzgerald, Fannie Hurst, Austen of course (took her v card), and Alcott (she's the reason Jo didn't end up with Laurie).

Regrettably (or luckily) she never met Woolf. Dickinson wouldn't give her the time of day. Mary Shelley was too straight and too into pale-ass moody idiots, Agatha never forgave her and indeed Frankenstein isn't at all her favorite book and she doesn't cry every time she reads it.

//

If you try to give Rio a book she'll read it under a minute at Sonic the Hedgehog speed then toss it back like, ahaha yeah that was a good one. She'll never mention it again.