94. Old apartment.

[Claire]
"Oh Claire, you have no idea how glad I am that you're back." Sophie smiled as I opened the door.
I found out when I got back that Luke had bought my old apartment, I guess he wanted to keep something that had our memories.
The house still smelled the same like I'd left it a few months ago, I looked around and couldn't believe that I was back in the apartment.
"Yeah, I can't believe it myself." I told her and she chuckled as she walked into the house.
Michele came in after a while, dragging the suitcases behind him.
"Have you heard from Luke?" He asked me and I frowned.
I had no energy to deal with him right now.
"I thought you already put your differences to rest." Sophie asked as she studied the frown on my face.
"You call; threatening me and forcing me to come back, rest." I glared at her.
"What?" It was her turn to frown, Michele also did the same.
"He did what?"
"Look guys, I don't want to talk about it." I sighed and dropped on the couch.
Surprisingly, it was not dusty and it wasn't covered.
"He must have hired someone to be taking care of the house." I mused as I looked around, everything was just the way I left it, not a single thing out of place.
"Claire, I don't care if he's a Prince, if he's threatening you, you have to let us know, we'll—"
"No, it's not like that, Soph, I thought about it too, whether I like it or not, I'm having his child and the child is not an ordinary person, it's an heir besides my stomach was already beginning to show and it could have negative impacts on the company." I said.
"Okay, what about Jake?"
"What about him?" I frowned remembering how he had tried to forcefully kiss me.
It was very disgusting and I couldn't believe that Jake who'd always been patient and a perfect gentleman with me had done that.
"You're just going to leave him on read?" Michele asked.
"I'm not leaving him on anything, we were never in a relationship and I always told him that I wasn't ready for one." I said, sounding a little defensive.
"Alright, it's okay, put your leg up and rest for a bit, Michele and I will arrange everything." Sophie said and helped me take off my sandals.
"Thank you guys." I rested on the couch, I was so tired from my journey and it was making me feel irritable.
.
.
[Luke]
"What did you do?" Sir Thomas asked and threw an envelope of pictures at me.
"Crystal." I seethed angrily as I picked up the photos, Liam was walking in behind me and he saw them as well.
"Don't you talk to your friend at all?" Sir Thomas turned to Liam and frowned.
"How is the King?" I asked, changing that subject.
"He's better, he hasn't opened his eyes yet but the doctors say he's responding well and it's only a matter of time till we get him back." His expression softened a little as he responded.
"That's great." A small smile touched my lips, I was glad that my life was having a sense of normalcy back.
"You're going to send him straight back to the hospital with what you're doing, don't you understand." He whisper yelled at me.
"I'm not going to abandon my child, I was willing to let go of Claire but not anymore, not after knowing that she's expecting my child." I said.
"Maybe you want her to lose the child then?"
I rushed up to him and grabbed him back the collar immediately he finished speaking.
"Don't fucking play with me like that." I tightened my hold on his collar.
"Let him go, come on, Luke." Liam was by my side in an instant and trying to peel my hands off the old man.
"I'm not the enemy Luke, you know it too, I'm always looking out for you, you don't know how things work in the Royal family." He shrugged my hands of him and took a step back.
"I'm sorry, I know, it's just…."
"I get it Luke, I do but you know that they'll never let you have a child out of wedlock."
"Then I'll marry her." I retorted stubbornly.
"You know that they'll never let that happen either, she's a foreigner besides she's already too visible now." He shook his head and stared at me with sad eyes.
"Things have to change." I rushed to him but this time I held his hands in a pleading fashion. "You've always been there for me, don't abandon me now, you've always been like a father to me, you know that my mother would support me of she were here."
The mother thing was a low blow but I was desperate right now and I knew that if I had his support then I could face the rest of the world without fear.
"Son, you're going to get the both of us killed." He sighed and pulled me into his embrace. "But you have my support."
Yes!
"Thank you very much, Tom." I hugged him back and even Liam joined in on the hug.
"Okay, okay." He said and we released him. "First, you already know where I got the pictures from, she's threatening to release it to the press and we cannot let that happen."
"So what do we do this time around?" I asked him.
"Am afraid we can't get the palace media into this, we'll have to handle this on our own." He said.
"How much does she want this time?"
"A hundred million." He said and I gasped.
"That bitch is out of her god-damned mind!" Liam exclaimed.
"I know right?"
"So what are we going to do?" He asked.
"I think this time, we have got to go off the books." I said and they both agreed with me.
"Yes, we can't have her wondering around with sensitive information like that in her hands, first we have to find out who she's working with though because I have no idea why she's just been coming for you." He said and I agreed with him.
"I have no idea too."
"We have to go, Sir Thomas, thanks for your support, we've got somethings to do." I announced suddenly and turned to Liam.
"Yes, your royal highness." Sir Thomas curtsied. "I hope you know that news of Claire and the pregnancy should be kept secret." He said and I nodded before leaving the office.
"I know that look, just tell me." Liam said as we walked side by side out of the room.
"I don't trust Crystal at all, she's crazy, she might try to do something to Claire." I paused and looked around before I continued. "I need people I can trust to guard Claire without her knowledge."
"Okay, I can take care of that." He said.
"Thank you brother." I tapped him on the back as we seperated, he walked off while I turned to another direction.
My assistant met me halfway to the King's study.
"Your royal highness?".
"I know, I know, I'm already working on it." I dismissed him and walked faster, I had a lot of neglected paperwork to get to.
"I need you to do something for me though." I turned to see him running behind me.
"Anything sir."
"Get in contact with him and ask him to trail Crystal, I want to know her every move, tell him not to take his eyes off her for a minute." I said as I pushed the door open.
"Alright sir, I'll get to it." My assistant curtsied before leaving me.
The many guards curtsied as I made my way to my father's desk that was temporarily mine now.
I tried to concentrate on the papers but it was very hard to do, my mind kept going back to Claire.
I knew that she'd come back to Denmark but I had no idea how she was settling in, I'd taken care of the house for her because I didn't want someone else to move there and that was also why I'd bought it.
The place had so many memories I didn't want it all to just disappear.
I picked up my phone and dialed her number but she wasn't answering, I frowned as I dropped the phone and tried to concentrate again, she was probably still mad at me for threatening her.
She didn't understand that I had no choice, she was so stubborn but I wasn't willing to let her go.
My phone vibrated on the desk beside me and I hurriedly picked it up without checking the caller's ID, I guess she'd seen my missed calls and was calling me back.
"Claire." I spoke hurriedly into the phone.
"You wish." My blood turned cold as I heard the voice of the person I hated the most right now.
"Crystal." I spoke, my tone laced with venom.