Royalty Secrecy

The Art Of Drinking Tea

Gandy stands outside Lauren's hotel room, hands clasped behind his back, with Camila poised between the two of them.

"Lady Lauren, Your Majesty. I didn't expect to find both of you here, but perhaps it's for the best," Gandy speaks.

"What are you doing here?" Lauren's voice deepens in anger.

"After your conversations with him last night, the King Father ordered me to help you find Austin. I'm here to share what I've learned," Gandy says.

"With everything that you've done, how do we know you're not here to hurt Lauren?" Camila speaks, matching the green-eyed girl's angry tone.

Gandy's face falls. "I have nothing against Lady Lauren. What I did, I did under orders from my King. You are my queen now, Camila, and if you ask me to leave, I will, without question," Gandy says.

Camila looks at Lauren, her expression wavering, then slowly turns back to Gandy. "I'll hear you out if Lauren will," Camila says.

"Gandy, I'm glad you're here to help," Lauren says.

"I... Thank you, my lady. I promise I'm only here to make things right," Gandy says.

Camila reluctantly steps aside to allow Gandy through the doorway.

After a cursory security check, Gandy pronounced the room clear with a nod. He squares his shoulders. "Here is what I know. After Queen Camila's father ordered me to arrange the photographs of Lauren and Austin, I didn't keep much of an eye on him. Once the photos went public and he left Cordonia, I assumed he went to his family estate, but..." Gandy trails off.

"If he were there, we would've found him by now," Lauren finishes.

"Correct. I confirmed last night that Austin did not return home. It appears he spent some time traveling at first. Germany, Morocco, the Bahamas... But as far as I can determine, the last flight he booked was a one-way trip to Los Angeles," Gandy says.

"To California? Austin's not American, is he?" Lauren asks.

"No... He'd probably be offended that you asked... Though he did use to say the L.A. lifestyle intrigued him," Camila speaks.

"Red carpet fashion designers, Hollywood parties... I can see it. L.A.'s a huge city, though. It won't be easy to find him. We should look for people he knows there. Does Austin have any friends or family in California?" Lauren says.

"I don't believe he has family in the area. And as for the other part... I say this without judgment, but Austin is the sort of person who has more wool coats than friends," Camila says.

"Wait. That's it! The coats!" Lauren says.

"Really?" Camila raises an eyebrow.

"Think about it. Austin is disgraced and ashamed, and he's hiding in a foreign country. I bet he's doing the retail therapy of his right now. And knowing Austin..." Lauren trails off, raising both of her eyebrows at Camila.

"There are only a few designer stores he'd be willing to set foot in," Camila finishes, smiling.

"Interesting. It's as good a lead as any. I can start contacting any stores that would meet his fashion requirements," Gandy speaks.

"Wait, wait. You may be a professional, Gandy, but when it comes to calling up clothing stores, we know a true expert," Camila looks at them both.

"That would be Dinah!" Lauren says.

"The one and only. She might not throw her prestige around the way Victoria does, but she knows how to get people talking," Camila says.

"Dinah's always been a bit underrated," Lauren says.