After a full twenty-four hours, Prince Alexander tried blending in when he reached Stonasia. He did not want his arrival to be known to the King and Queen of Stonasia.
In addition to his apartments within the Palace, he kept a villa outside the city for a party.
He decided to head directly to the villa rather than see his folks. Before he confronted them, he had to solve a puzzle.
He knew he was in serious trouble this time since he knew the King.
The King's secretary had sent him a telegram last week telling him that the King had ordered him to get engaged to Lady Antella.
He would cherish every second of his remaining freedom, as today was its last. That was what, at the very least,
Prince Alexander arrived at his villa in a great mood. He was in the middle of a chat with one of his girlfriends when *Thud!* he got kicked in the buttocks and nearly fell to the ground, face first.
The kick was not particularly powerful, and he could retain his footing.
"What the heck!" Prince Alexander cursed.
He turned around and was astounded to discover who the invader was. "What are you doing here?" "And why are you here?" He inquired, his face filled with rage and daggers flashing from his eyes.
"Does it matter why I am here? What matters is our parents' dumb concept. Hahaha! Who are they kidding? You...? Me...? What's up with that?
"The world will formally learn about it tomorrow night. Will you allow them to act in that way?" Lady Antella questioned aloud.
As a welcome, Prince Alexander hugged Lady Antella. "How are you doing? Haha! Naturally, no! Both in this life and the next, no. Unless..."
With furrowed eyebrows, he examined her and said, "Unless you suddenly changed into a real woman. Haha! Then, I might give it some thought."
With that, Prince Alexander was kicked in the shin.
*Ouch!*
"Man! You, a harsh and aggressive beast, just like the one I encountered in the Philippines. If she is interested in someone like you, you two would be a fantastic fit." He banters, laughing out loud.
Prince Alexander remembered the girl and the lady from before. If feasible, he should avoid introducing them to each other.
Lady Antella may compete with him for that girl, and he could lose her to the opponent. That was not a good idea.
Lady Antella kicked his shin again to get his attention. "You have not answered my question. What are you going to do about our upcoming engagement?"Β She insisted on receiving a response.
"Why don't we go inside and talk about it in a civilized way, alright?!" Prince Alex was frightened that a photographer was lurking nearby.
It's not a good idea to have their photos taken together, especially given their imminent engagement.
Once inside, Lady Antella walked directly to the bar to pour herself a drink. "Would you like some?" You could use an entire bottle right now. Hahaha!" She taunted Prince Alex.
"Stop it!" Why don't you? I'm exhausted and irritated right now," he told her with a deadly stare.
"What's with that sour expression?" Did you meet someone in Asia and get arrested? She inquired playfully, unaware that it was precisely what had happened.
Prince Alexander discussed his encounter with Alexa Grant. The woman was responsible for many of his life's firsts.
"Hahaha! Hahaha!" After hearing Prince Alexander's entire narrative, Lady Antella crouched while holding her stomach and laughed.
She was pretty eager to meet this woman. "I'd like to meet the woman who gave you many firsts; let's see whether she can offer you seconds. Hahaha!" She was giggling while considering coming to Asia herself.
"So do I, so do I..." Prince Alexander murmured.
He had no clue they would meet so soon...
***
Alexa worked as a slave for a whole week. At first, she was intended to be an assistant, but she quickly became much more than that.
The initial request was for an assistant to handle the daily agenda while the visitor was in town--no more, no less.
But everything changes when the woman meets Alexa, especially after seeing her interactions with Prince Alexander. Alexa's interim supervisor saw her potential and wanted to investigate the prospect of developing her as one of her skills.
Instead of having Alexa help with her daily schedule, the woman paid someone else to handle it.
She kept Alexa with her at all her meetings to help her when needed or to prepare her for a new position later.
It wasn't a foreign woman. Despite living in another country, she was born in the Philippines.
She was invited to join the judging panel for an upcoming beauty competition.
Although initially skeptical, she decided to attend and discuss the possibility after a contestant from her own country had just won the competition.
She thought that this method would help her identify a possible future talent.
She had found someone; therefore, her decision was not a mistake.
Before returning to her headquarters, she planned to do all necessary to have that person signed...~~