章 8: Royal Succession And Unexpected Orders

Ana was looking at Nicholas and he could see the question in her gaze.

"What is it, love?" Nicholas asked her.

Ana set her book on the table and sat forward. "Why did Scott refer to you as his brother?"

Nicholas sighed and closed his laptop so he could focus on Ana. "Technically, Scott is my stepbrother." Nick ran a hand through his hair. "I should have told you that. I don't want you to get the wrong idea, Ana. What is between us has nothing to do with him being my stepbrother."

"Why would I think it might?" Ana asked carefully.

Nick looked at her regretfully for a moment knowing what he had to say would sound bad. "We have been at war since we were teens. Always trying to outdo and sabotage each other."

Ana scoffed, rising from her chair. "Wait please, I will tell you the whole story. Just give me a chance to explain." Nicholas asked, rising quickly and stepping in front of her.

"Sit down, please?" Nick urged, holding up his hands in front of Ana. Ana scowled but sat back down. Nicholas pulled a stool in front of Ana and sat.

"Sweetheart, I swear this has nothing to do with you." Nicholas told Ana.

Nicholas sighed trying to order his thoughts. "My mother's family is from New Halton, but my father is from Cambria. I lived in Cambria for most of my young life. When I was fourteen my father allowed a guest family to live at our estate. An exceptionally beautiful woman and her twelve-year-old son. My mother was very kind but meek and introverted. At first, I noticed my father spending time with the woman and my mother becoming increasingly despondent."

"Despite that I became good friends with the son who was Scott Devon. His father had died the year before in a car accident and he was all alone in a new country. The Devon's were from New Halton and his mother Elise knew my father from social gatherings. It was about a year before my mother told me that Elise was father's mistress. I was enraged. How could he bring her into our home with mother? He didn't care. That is when I learned what kind of man my father was." Nicholas glared at the man in his head as he spoke.

Nicholas touched Ana hand gently before continuing. "I stopped speaking to Devon. I felt that to acknowledge him was to do disservice to my mother. Finally, I convinced my mother to return here to her family home. For a while I believed the distance was helping but truthfully my mother was deeply depressed. Shortly after I turned seventeen, I returned from a dinner party to find that my mother had taken her own life."

Anna grasped Nick's hands. "I'm so sorry." Nicholas gave her a sad smile. It was obvious that his mother's death still pained him.

Nicholas cleared his throat and returned to his story. "My father ordered me to return to Cambria and within two weeks had married Elise. The problems flared up between Scott and I immediately. I commented on his mother's questionable morals, and he retaliated. The bad blood was at a boiling point before I even reached majority. We stole each other's girlfriends, besmirched each other's honor, and tried to be better than each other in every aspect. We were engaged in a teenage war."

Nick stood and poured himself a glass of scotch before sitting back in front of Ana. "Then I turned eighteen and gained full control of my inheritance from my mother's estate. I started building a medical empire. However, I realized the Devon Alliance was run by managers and I started trying to dismantle Devon's inheritance." Nick was lost in his memories of long ago as he spoke.

"I would buy and trash any company they tried to acquire. Talk investors out of working with the Alliance and generally make life in society impossible for him. When he came of age he retaliated, and we had a full-scale war for New Haven. It was so bad that four years ago a group of corporations banded together and got a judge ordered a cease-and-desist order for both of us. We both were forced to try to ignore each other's existence." Nicholas sat forward.

"Things have been calm for the last couple of years. Then here you are, Ana. Married to Scott but my betrothed. I don't understand how the universe has allowed this to happen unless it was on purpose. I watched Scott's face for deception. He didn't know who you were, but I struggled to believe this could happen like this unless it was orchestrated. Yet, it appears to be a coincidence." Nicholas finished speaking.

"When did you find out who I was married to?" Ana asked quietly.

Nicholas sighed. "My last day at the hospital. Scott's assistant came in asking about you and I spoke to him."

"Why didn't you tell me you knew that I was married to Scott Devon." Ana questioned suspiciously.

Nicholas stood and began to pace. "At first, I wasn't sure what to do with that information. I did not have bad intentions toward you. I didn't know how to deal with that information. Then after a while I didn't care who your husband was, I just wanted you around. I didn't care that the baby was Devon's. I thought we would just marry, and it wouldn't matter but I can't bring myself to make Devon's son my heir. The child will have Devon's fortune plus one from me, but he can't be my heir. That is the only line I have drawn. It would be like he won after all if his child sat on the throne instead of mine." Nicholas sighed.

Ana sucked in a breath. "What throne?"

Shit, Nicholas thought. He had not meant to bring that up. He rubbed his neck awkwardly. "My father is King Philip Stanton of Cambria." Nick said cautiously.

"You're royalty?" Ana asked, shocked.

"You are yourself from the royal bloodline of Althinia, Ana." He said he was trying to lessen the impact of who he was.

"Yes, several times removed and not attached to a crown. I don't want to be responsible for a country, Nick." Ana said panicking.

"Cambria will be lucky to have you. This is the way it has always been meant to be, but we have time to just be ourselves first. Those things won't happen right away. Don't panic on me, Ana." Nicholas told her as she stood.

He wrapped his arms around her trapping her against him knowing she was about to bolt. Nick tipped her head up looking into her frantic eyes and kissed her. He didn't know what else to do. It took her a moment to respond to him, but when she did, he sighed internally in relief. As long as she didn't shut him out, they would be all right.

Their kiss quickly turned heated, and Nicholas welcomed the distraction from their heavy conversation and the feel of Ana in his arms with her fingers in his hair soothed the hurt and worry that festered in him from finding his bride supposedly married and pregnant by his worst enemy.

Nicholas was about to carry Ana upstairs and spend the afternoon in bed assuring her that being a royal wouldn't be so terrible when there was a knock on the door to the study. He stepped away from Ana thankful he was wearing jeans today. Nick took a couple quick breaths to slow his racing heart before striding to the door and opening it halfway.

His attorney was standing at the door with a grim expression on his face. What now Nicholas thought with irritation? He allowed the man to enter and returned to his desk. Ana had returned to her chair.

"Ana, love. This is Mr. Harris, my attorney." Nicholas explained quickly. He was worried. Harris would not have come in person unless there was a problem. Nick motioned for Harris to take a seat.

"Mr. Devon is quick, clever, and willing to call in favors." Mr. Harris spoke cutting right to the point. The problem with both rivals being from the billionaire's club meant that everything in life happened quickly, especially when they had judges in their back pockets, which they always did.

"What exactly did he do?" Nicholas asked, his voice tight. Ana looked alarmed. Nicholas motioned for her to come to him, and when she did, he sat back in his chair with Ana in his lap.

"Mr. Devon filed an injunction against you stating that you are interfering in his lawful marriage because of an old betrothal that you neglected to act upon until now. He stated that his marriage happened secretly under a false name because it was a love-match and given your history didn't want you to interfere simply because of your defunct marriage contract." The attorney went to continue.

"Love-match what judge would believe that?" Nicholas scoffed.

"Mr. Devon provided proof. He gave the judge a recording of Mrs. Devon telling her employer that she wanted to marry him because she loved him and vowed that he returned the sentiment." Mr. Harris said apologetically. Ana sighed heavily and Nick frowned.

"Continue." Nicholas ordered.

"Since Mrs. Devon is pregnant with his child the judge was inclined to order that Mrs. Devon return home but since Mr. Devon filed for divorce two weeks ago, he was concerned. Devon argued he did it out of anger because he believed Mrs. Devon was having an affair but came to his senses quickly only to find his wife had disappeared." Mr. Harris paused, not wanting to continue.

"What did the judge order, Harris?" Nicholas's voice was hard. Ana tucked herself into Nick causing his arms to wrap around her.

Harris sighed. "The judge gave Mr. Devon thirty days to repair his marriage, or the divorce will be finalized and Mrs. Devon free to marry who she will. You must turn her over tomorrow at nine in the morning."

"What?" Nicholas roared. "Did you appeal it? Fix this." Ana started to cry, and Nick shushed her telling her he was sorry for yelling.

"Dr. Stanton, I did appeal it. The appeal was denied based on Mrs. Devon's pregnancy. The judge feels that the child's life will be better if his parents stay together. There is nothing I can do." Mr. Harris shuffled forward and handed Nicholas a signed court order. Harris told him that was all he had to say, and Nicholas dismissed the man.

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