Rule of a Kingdom (Kingdom Duet #0) by Rina Kent

Aiden continues watching me with judgemental and calculative eyes. “You’re not my mother.”

Phew. “That’s what I said.”

“Then who the fuck are you?” His attention doesn’t leave my face, almost as if he’s searching for something.

Or, to be more specific, someone.

“Excuse me?” I feign innocence.

“If you’re not Alicia, why do you look exactly like her and what the fuck are you doing at my wedding?”

I keep my cool. “I was invited by Agnus.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know how to answer that.”

He steps closer, his face and voice losing their surprised element and morphing to a steel so cold, it matches the colour of his eyes. “Why are you here? Who the fuck are you? And don’t tell me this is a coincidence, because I don’t believe in that.”

No wonder people call Aiden a replica of his father. If he weren’t eight years my junior, I’d actually be scared of him.

Scratch that. The only reason I’m standing my ground in front of him is because I’m already acquainted with the devil.

People are nothing compared to the devil. So they don’t frighten me.

“Aiden?”

The bride appears by his side, holding the hem of her ample white dress. Her blonde hair falls in elegant waves down her back, giving her an angelic appearance.

“What are you doing…” she trails off when her blue eyes meet mine. Her surprised expression is louder than her new husband’s and she blinks a few times. “A-Alicia?”

“I was just telling Aiden you’ve got the wrong person.” This time, I recover quickly.

He narrows his eyes. “How do you know my name?”

Shit. “It’s all over the place. Congratulations on your wedding.”

I turn around and leave before Aiden can catch me. I have no doubt he’d question me, and I can’t allow that to happen. Besides, I have no answers for him.

I’m on a mission.

All I have to do is finish it and get it over with.

I slip through to the other side of the garden, quickening my pace as if I’m being chased. Which I might as well be.

A breath leaves me when I’m out of Aiden’s visual range. I take a pause at the back corner and collect myself.

That was close.

Which means I’m pressed for time and need to get this over with as soon as possible.

As expected, I find Agnus and Ethan here. They stand around a table with Calvin Reed, a diplomat and the father of the green-haired girl I saw earlier.

I touch my wristwatch, the one I have on me at all times. My lucky watch that’s saved me more than once. It’s almost like the one who gave it to me is looking out for me.

Here we go.

Putting my smile in place, I take a champagne flute from a passing waiter, snap my spine into a straight line, and waltz towards them.

Just when I’m about to reach them, a child no older than ten crashes into Calvin’s leg and demands his attention. The diplomat nods at the other two, takes the boy’s hand, and leads him towards the house.

Ethan and Agnus continue talking amongst themselves.

My perfect chance.

Like the pictures on the internet, Ethan’s appearance is striking with light chestnut hair, a sharp jawline, and a tall, fit figure. From afar, he doesn’t really share many features with the bride, but as I approach them, the resemblance is there, subtle and creeping under the surface.

I touch Agnus’s bicep. “There you are.”

His bland eyes fall on me. It’s like they have no colour; their pale blue is washed out, almost non-existent. He’s broader than Ethan, but with a less sharp edge and a more silent demeanour. His physique is very well-built for someone in his mid-forties, and he gives untouchable vibes.

When I first made him my target and figured out where he takes his morning coffees, I thought I’d have the hardest time getting him to notice me, considering he never dates or even shows interest in women.

Colour me surprised when he offered to pay for my coffee that morning.

Maybe I’m majorly underestimating myself? Who knows? No matter how tough it got, I’ve never reduced myself to playing these types of games before, so I have no past experience to compare to.

“Right.” He smiles. Or tries to, anyway. Agnus barely has any expression, like they were washed out at birth or something. When he speaks, there’s a hint of a refined Birmingham accent to his words. “Aurora, let me introduce you. This is Ethan Steel. Ethan, Aurora Harper.”

We exchange business cards and I try not to grin. Acquiring Ethan’s with his personal phone number on it is like hitting the jackpot.

“I told you about her,” Agnus adds.

He told him about me?

Yes!

My victory dance is halted when I perceive the pause in Ethan’s features. He’s the emperor of Steel Corporation, mid-forties, and has a presence so strong, you’re tempted to stop and look at him. It’s not the intrusive type, though. It’s more like the welcoming type where you just have to get in his vicinity.

That’s why he’s the most fitting candidate to help me out. He was in a coma for nine years, and since he returned almost three years ago, he’s been investing in small companies and building back his empire by using several investments in different fields.