Stealing Cinderella(41)

I follow his lead, squinting into the sunlight as I step onto the terrace. It becomes apparent right away that we aren’t on a ship at all, but the house is perched on a hill, overlooking the bay. It’s stunning and surreal. A slice of Norwegian paradise.

Thorsen is watching me carefully as I venture toward the table, taking in my new surroundings. I feel off-balance and uncertain. He hasn’t dictated the boundaries of my newfound freedom yet, and I suspect that’s because of his brother’s presence. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t unwritten rules I still need to abide by.

“Take a seat.” Calder pulls out a chair for me, and Thorsen watches our interaction with an intensity that makes my stomach flip.

“Please, help yourself.” Calder gestures to the spread on the table, with a heavy variety of meats and cheese and rye bread.

I opt for one of the lighter options, yogurt, and muesli, along with a handful of odd-looking berries I haven’t yet been able to identify. Meanwhile, the men fill up on smoked salmon and bread.

“No salmon?” Calder holds the plate out to me in offer, and I shake my head.

“I’m a vegetarian.”

Thorsen pauses, glancing at me with an odd expression, and it almost looks as though he’s irritated I revealed this information to his brother. He’s been serving me meals that include meat, and I’ve just been leaving it on the tray. Either he hasn’t noticed, or he didn’t think to ask.

“Ahh, I see.” Calder sets the tray aside with a nod. “I can appreciate that.”

We eat our breakfast in silence, quietly gazing out over the water. Thorsen’s estate includes a private beach as well. There’s a path leading down to it, and I absently wonder if he’ll ever allow me to explore that area when Calder interrupts my thoughts.

“My brother was just telling me about your arrangement.”

My eyes widen when I look at Thorsen for confirmation. He doesn’t give anything away as he continues to chew, his jaw working while he harpoons me with that steely gray gaze.

“What about our arrangement?” I ask cautiously.

Calder leans back against his chair, draping an arm over the side as he turns to meet my eyes. “Thorsen and I don’t have any secrets. He tells me everything.”

His statement is resolute, but the tension radiating off Thorsen is palpable. I don’t think it’s as true for him as it is for his brother.

“So, he told you that he kidnapped me?” I challenge, feeling brave for a moment.

Calder arches a brow at me. “Is it really kidnapping if you agreed to stay? I don’t think you’d still be here unless you wanted to.”

I see. So, they are both fucked up.

Regardless, I can concede that he has a point. Thorsen told me I had a choice. Maybe I just didn’t want to accept that as a fact because it was easier to believe I was here against my will. Otherwise, I’m just selling myself for three thousand pounds a day.

The yogurt in front of me suddenly doesn’t seem so appealing, and when I push it aside, Thorsen seems to take issue with it. Frustration seeps into his features, but before he can say anything, the same housekeeper from his room appears.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your breakfast, Your Highness.” Lisbet’s eyes dart around nervously as she speaks as though she’s about to throw herself onto a grenade. “But Hayes has called several times for you this morning, and I’ve been instructed to tell you that if you don’t return his call now, he will be making an appearance himself.”

Thorsen shoves his chair back, scraping it over the stone tile, and tosses a napkin onto his plate. He murmurs something in Norwegian, and Calder chuckles under his breath.

“The life of an heir apparent.”

Thorsen looks back and forth between the two of us, almost as if he’s hesitant to leave, but when Calder glances up at him in question, he doesn’t say anything else. I watch him go and then fold my hands in my lap, feeling a little strange when I stop to think that this is my reality. A week ago, I was scrubbing floors on my hands and knees, and now I’m eating breakfast with two royal princes in one of the most incredible estates I’ve ever seen.

“I was surprised to see you here this morning,” Calder says. “Thorsen isn’t usually in the habit of bringing women home on his own.”

Usually? Does that mean he’s done this with other women before? Something prickles inside me as I imagine Thorsen with all the others. How many were there before me? Is this what jealousy feels like?

“It’s just a casual arrangement,” I answer with a note of bitterness I can’t hide.

“Regardless, I don’t think I need to tell you that whatever happens in this house stays in this house.”

Something has shifted in Calder. I notice it in the tightness around his eyes. But I don’t understand what he’s trying to say, exactly.

“What do you mean?”

“You won’t go to the media,” he says. “That’s what I mean.”

“I would never.” I shake my head, a little offended that he’d even think I’d do something like that.

“It wouldn’t be the first time a woman has broken that promise.” He shrugs.

“Well, I’m not like that.” I fold my arms, feeling defensive. “Whatever the other women did has nothing to do with me.”