Victoria sank to the patio chair. “Again, why me?”
“I want a wife in name only. And I can’t let my country revert to Greek rule. It’s been in my family for generations. I refuse to be a failure to my family’s name.”
“This is crazy,” she muttered, shaking her head.
Stefan stepped closer. “You’ve recently had scandal in your life. Why not show this fiancé who jilted you and the media who exploited your pain that you are stronger, you can rise above this and come out on top? What better way than to marry a prince?”
“You’re serious?” she asked, looking back up at him. “How could we pull this off? I mean, we haven’t been seen together in public for a couple years.”
Stefan came over and took a seat directly beside her in the matching wrought-iron chair with plush cushions. “My people don’t know who my bride is. I’ve made sure they only know there will be a wedding. I’ve been very secretive about this, which only adds to the mystery of the romance.”
Romance. Yeah, that was the dead last thing on his mind right now. Couldn’t he just have the crown? He was the prince, for crying out loud. Didn’t that give him some clout? Why did he need a marriage to claim it?
“Once they see you, they’ll know why I kept the engagement so quiet,” he went on, knowing he was rambling, but he had to make her see this was the only way.
Damn, he hated vulnerability and being backed into a corner. Not only that, he hated putting Victoria in an awkward position.
Victoria laughed. “And here all this time I thought you were letting your romantic, protective side show.”
“You are one of Hollywood’s most famous single ladies—a bachelorette, I believe your country calls it—and I will simply explain I was protecting you from even more scandal and we wanted to express our love on our wedding day and not exploit it beforehand. Besides, there are all those articles and pictures from when we were in our teens and twenties. The media practically had us engaged at your twenty-first birthday party when I bought you a diamond necklace. The history is there, and the media will eat it up.”
“Oh, Stefan.” She sighed. “This is such a big decision. You can’t expect me to give you an answer right now.”
Leaning back against the chair, Stefan nodded. “I’m asking for only six months, Tori. After my coronation I’ll have my title as king and the country will be secured with my family again.”
“Then what?” she asked, her eyes searching his.
He shrugged, not really worried about anything beyond getting married and gaining his title. “After that it’s up to you. You can stay married to me or you can end the relationship. The control is yours. Who knows, you may like being queen.”
True, he may be a playboy, but he could think of multiple circumstances that would be worse than being married to the stunning Victoria Dane.
She stared out across the estate toward the ocean. Victoria’s beauty was remarkable and surprisingly natural. She came from the land of perfection brought on by plastic surgeons, yet she looked more stunning than the fake, siliconed women he knew. And he was damn lucky she was in his life.
“This is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.” With a slight laugh she looked back to him. “You’re taking something as serious as a royal wedding, a wedding that will create the new leaders for your country, and turning it into a...a lie. My God, Stefan, this is really putting the pressure on our friendship. Do you realize how risky this is? I can’t lose you.”
He sat forward, dead serious. “You could never lose me as a friend. If I thought that was the case I never would’ve asked you. Just think of this as a long, overdue reunion . I need someone I can trust not to back out at the last minute or use me for money in the end.”
“Why did you wait so long to ask me?”
“Honestly I thought I could find a way around this.” God knows he’d exhausted every avenue looking for one. “When I realized I couldn’t, I knew I had only one option. You are the one person in my life I’d ever trust with something so personal, so serious.”
She laughed. “I’d do anything for you, Stefan, you know that, but this is asking a lot. What about the people of your country? Won’t they feel let down if we end the marriage? And how will this work out after your coronation? Will the country still remain yours?”
“No, my people won’t feel let down,” he assured her. “I will still be their leader. I will still keep control over my country. I just need the title to do so, which is where you fit in.”