“Find King Alaric,” he ordered. “Tell him we need him here immediately. Do not alert Rachel under any circumstances.”

The guards bowed their heads and quickly stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind them.

The room fell silent except for the wind rattling the narrow glass pane.

I held my mother’s hand, feeling the thin bones beneath her papery skin.

“We are going to get you out of here, Mom,” I said. “I promise.”

“She has the documents,” my mother whispered. “In her private suite. The papers for the trust.”

“What papers?” I asked.

“The power of attorney,” she said. “She forced me to sign them before we left the clinic. If she marries the prince, the trust activates under foreign diplomatic protection. The money will be transferred to an offshore account.”

Alexander stared at the stone floor, his face dark with anger.

“She used me,” he said quietly. “She used my family’s crown to shield her stolen wealth.”

“We need to find those documents before she destroys them,” I said, standing up.

“Her suite is locked,” Alexander said. “Only she and her personal maid have the key.”