An Heir – Chapter 21

Istvan’s mouth dropped as Viktoria walked back into the lounge They’d sat in sad silence, except for the sound of their tears following the revelations of the past hour. He felt like his heart had broken as his beautiful little wife had finally excused herself and walked off to their bedroom, cheeks tear-stained and pale, eyes red and her body shivering…

“Wow. You look… Wow.”

Istvan was completely lost for words, she was like a different woman than the one who had left the room: her makeup was flawless, sharp cheekbones, supple ruby lips, hair swept into an elegant chignon with a few stray tendrils to soften her features. Viktoria was wearing a black fitted dress with a cowl neckline showing off just the right amount of cleavage – somewhere between a little daring and very classy, teamed with a pair of skyscraper heels. Most importantly, his wife had her wedding rings back on her finger and they gleamed and sparkled like she’d scrubbed them clean, erasing any trace of what happened in Vegas. Her pale eyes flashed at him as she spoke confidently,

“Yes. Wow. Now get Justin back here, and I want Ana de Luca here before the end of this evening. And you better go and get dressed Istvan.”

She poured and downed the best part of a glass of red wine from the cabinet, cursing the shaking hand threatening to betray the power play she was going for… Her King and husband stared at her, unsure what to respond with,

“Vik, wh-?”

She cut him off,

“We’re getting in front of this Istvan. We will not bow to blackmail and extortion. I will not have some little bitch get her story in front of the world first. You and I are speaking to Trend today, ourselves, voluntarily. An exclusive. I am going to tell them that I walked out and why. You are going to tell them that we were apart and that you almost made a horrible mistake, but stopped short, because you’re a human being and a good man. We are going to portray ourselves as real people with real problems who love one another enough to give things another go in spite of ‘this fiasco’. Then ‘Jasmine’s’ story won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on. No one wants to hear what a money-grabbing whore has to say when they can read a world exclusive with the King and Queen…”

—

Justin shook his head as he looked at Viktoria after listening to her plan: the expression on his face, simply gobsmacked,

“Your majesty, I taught you well… Also, I’m sorry about earlier…”

Viktoria raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow at Justin,

“Apology accepted, just don’t ever cut me out of the loop on anything that impacts either Istvan or I again… There are no more secrets in this marriage.”

Justin nodded swiftly, pulling out a dossier he had compiled on ‘Jasmine Somerville’. Viktoria’s heart quickened as she scanned through the paperwork, the failed actress’s headshots. Viktoria balked as she noted how attractive Jasmine was, and how different she looked to herself; the blonde hair, hazel eyes, her lips fixed in what Viktoria could only interpret as a cruel smile… She scanned through the disgusting ‘kiss and tells’ Jasmine had had published before and finally copies of the images the devious witch was prepared to use in the press – a shot of them sitting dangerously close to each other in a darkened club- Viktoria could just pick out Istvan’s features, his hand on Jasmine’s arm as she spoke into his ear… Another of King Istvan with his hand kneading Jasmine’s ass as they left the club together, followed by another of Jasmine flaunting her assets as the monarch grinned at her awaiting transport back to the suite… Viktoria’s eyes stung as she chased her tears away, chastising herself, ‘No more tears, she won’t get away with this, life-wrecking little bitch!’ It was painful to look at. Her stomach lurched at the sight of the man she loved more than anything, appearing so intimate with another woman. She believed him when he said he didn’t have sex with Jasmine, he’d nothing to gain by continuing with a lie at this stage… But fuck, it hurt her more than she knew how to put into words.

Istvan sat with his head in his hands, the realisation that Jasmine wasn’t new to this wicked game and he’d been targeted specifically made him feel stupid, ashamed and embarrassed for what had happened. Viktoria was looking at the pictures of his hands on another woman; she wasn’t saying anything, but it must be hard for her… He felt sick, he wanted to protect her from what he’d created… The world would see these images, was Viktoria really ready for that? Istvan wasn’t sure he was.. If he could rewind that whole sorry night and erase it he would…

As much as the King wanted to lie low and avoid this whole debacle until it blew over, he couldn’t believe the way his wife was conducting herself right now. Istvan was in awe of Viktoria. Of course he already knew she was intelligent and media-savvy, but with the fiery rage and hurt burning behind her serene blue eyes she was damn-well formidable; a powerhouse in her own right. He had been afraid she’d shatter like porcelain in the face of these revelations, but she was forged of steel. Istvan had never been more in love with her, or more sure of his decision to make her his Queen than he was today.

Istvan sucked in a deep breath as he reached out and placed his hand on top of Viktoria’s,

“Vik, are you sure, this is how you want to play this?”

A thin smile flitted across her lips,

“Did you have something else in mind?”

Istvan shook his head,

“However you want to handle this, I will go along with it. It’s my mess. It shouldn’t even be left to you to fix it.”

Viktoria cupped his handsome face in her hands,

“My King, as much as I would relish the opportunity to slap the bitch, it’s not the way to deal with this… We are strong, we are a united front, she’s a trashy, gold-digging harlot. We will not give in to her demands. The best thing we can do is discredit her version of events using her… ‘questionable career choices’… Combined with the fact that you’re human and make mistakes…”

Istvan nodded,

“I can’t believe you’re so…”

He trailed off as Viktoria looked at him pointedly,

“Calm? Together?”

She kissed quickly him on the cheek. Istvan felt it tingle where her lips had grazed him; he was entirely grateful that she wanted to kiss him at all given how upset she’d been just hours before.

“Istvan this right now, is bigger than my hurt feelings. United front. Dignified. Okay?“

—

Ana arrived a few hours later with her associate photographer Donnie in tow. Viktoria had Justin greet them and put them in the lounge off the royal apartments. It was a room that was less formal than the rest of the palace, but not a room that she and Istvan considered to be part of their ‘home’ within. But to anyone other than their closest friends, it looked like Trend had been invited into their inner sanctuary. The décor was clean and simple, neutral shades and tones, a few photographs of the couple, some candles and vases with flowers – personal, but not overtly so.

Viktoria had chosen an outfit for Istvan that was flawless, but not uniformed. She’d told him it was important that they were relatable to the people who would be reading the magazine. He wore dark jeans and a open-necked black shirt that matched the dress his wife wore. Viktoria’s heart pulled as she looked at him, God knows she was still hurt but he was her husband and she wanted them back in control of this mess they’d managed to create between them so that they could get back to normality, whatever that was… She’d watched him closely since his revelation earlier today, and he looked completely broken. As hurt as Viktoria felt inside by his indiscretion in Las Vegas, he was still her husband, and someone had set out to exploit him, to use him. Viktoria’s initial anger at him had quickly subsided and made way for a fierce rage at the person who’d did this to him; she loved Istvan with all her heart and would fight to protect him at all costs.

Ana and Donnie stood as the royal couple walked into the room, Viktoria held Istvan’s hand tightly as she played her part wonderfully,

“Ana, Donnie, how nice to see you both…”

Ana had initially been apprehensive about the invite, especially given the front cover Trend had displayed the week that the royal marriage seemed to have hit the rocks… She smiled at the Queen,

“Your majesties, thank you for the invitation into your beautiful home.”

Viktoria smiled beatifically at the journalist,

“Of course! Did Justin explain the deal today?”

Donnie nodded,

“Ana gets an exclusive story with a Q&A as controlled, edited and expressly approved by yourselves, your highnesses, and I get to take a spread of photos of you both at home to compliment the article.”

Istvan cleared his throat,

“Yes, that sounds about right. Viktoria?”

His wife looked into his eyes. Istvan’s heart skipped, feeling that deep unspoken connection between them; he felt safe and loved as Vik squeezed his hand tightly,

“Let’s do this…”

Istvan remained relatively quiet during the time with Ana, Viktoria holding his hand throughout. Viktoria had steered the entire conversation and ensured that every base was covered: the fact that they’d been on different pages regarding children was touched on but she hadn’t been overly specific about the whens and wherefores on this, focusing more on how it had driven a wedge between them, leading to a period of separation. She’d gone on to explain that Istvan had been deliberately targeted by Jasmine and how this woman had attempted to roll out a blackmail plot, which was now under investigation by the appropriate authorities. Istvan had to stop his eyebrows from jumping when he heard that line – he knew from her expression it wasn’t a bluff! Ana and Donnie sat open-mouthed, not believing their luck at landing an exclusive like this – this was a career changer!!

Viktoria impressed on them throughout the interview how they were a normal couple despite their titles and roles, with day to day problems and normal heartaches like every single reader of Trend; their status didn’t grant them immunity from ‘life’. She stated on numerous occasions that Istvan did not cheat on her: he was exploited and set up during a very traumatic time by a criminal who made a career out other people’s misery. Ana looked up at the King from her notepad, her usual sharp tone softened,

“Your majesty, you’ve been rather quiet, do you have anything else that you’d like to input to the exclusive? Queen Viktoria has been… Outstanding. Are there any specific quotes that you’d like to have attributed to you, your highness?“

Istvan nodded,

“I can confirm everything that my wife has said is true. We both feel it’s important that Cordonians can relate to us as people, we’re not perfect and we have our problems like everyone else. We also feel that it’s so important that we set an example of honesty as public figures, we could have paid this morally-bankrupt woman off as it’s become clear so many other men have, we could have just made a potential scandal go away rather than tackle it head on. Ana, I am not proud of my actions that night, regardless of Ms Somerville’s intentions, my part in this has caused embarrassment to myself, the crown, and my wife… I am keen for the Cordonian people to recognise that although I’m the King, I’m a man and I make mistakes. The one thing I know above everything else, is how much I adore my wife. My Queen and I have talked, we’ve cried, we’ve shouted and thrown things, like any other couple would in this position… And now we have reconciled; I believe we will be stronger than we have been before, both as a couple and as Cordonia’s ruling monarchs.”

Viktoria reached up and stroked Istvan’s cheek tenderly. Donnie raised his hand to interrupt,

“Your majesties, would I be able to get a couple of pictures of you two like that? It’s exactly what you’re looking to convey, intimacy, togetherness, unity…”

Istvan nodded his approval.

The couple spent the next hour discussing various finer points from the interview with Ana, taking a variety of snaps with Donnie, together, both of them and their dogs, individual shots, in the lounge and on the balcony overlooking the gardens. Finally Viktoria sat down and discussed with Ana when the edit would be ready for the couple’s final approval prior to release.

—

Viktoria smiled and shook hands with Ana as she and Donnie left the room, escorted back to their vehicles by Justin. She walked over to the French doors where Istvan was stood looking out, with a lost expression on his face. She bumped him with her hip, glancing inquisitively up at him,

“You ok Ist?”

He wrapped one arm loosely around her, drawing her close as he placed a kiss in her hair,

“I think so. Are you sure we’ve did the right thing today?”

Viktoria rested her hands against his firm chest as she nodded,

“Yes, we did. We stood together Istvan. Stared down the barrel and fronted it out. We are strong together and can overcome anything life throws at us.”

Istvan pushed a few stray hairs away from Viktoria’s face as he shook his head,

“You are amazing, did I ever tell you that my Queen? You could have turned around and walked back out that door as soon as you knew the truth, thrown me to the wolves and public opinion as the villain of this piece…”

Viktoria put her finger to his lips, silencing him,

“I could have. But I love you. I want us to have a future together. All the hurt of past month would have been for nothing if we gave up now? Can we please put what happened in Vegas behind us and just concentrate on here and now?”

Istvan nodded his agreement,

“I love you, my amazing, beautiful girl, more than you’ll ever know.”

—

Knock knock knock… Rattle rattle rattle… The door shook like it would fly off it’s hinges.

“Hold on will you?? I’m coming already?!”

Jasmine sighed, exasperated as she ran a hand across her tired face, making her way to the door of the apartment she shared with Mike. She pulled the door open to see two sharply dressed men stood before her.

“Ms Somerville?“

The blonde man drawled in a Southern accent. She nodded,

“Who wants to know?”

The dark haired man, quickly flashed a badge at her,

“FBI. We’re investigating some very serious allegations of extortion, bribery and blackmail levied against you.”

Jasmine gasped as he reached out and gripped her arm roughly, smirking,

“You’re going to have to come with us Jasmine…”

—

TBC – VP 💖