Private Affair | Book 3 of the Selected Series

Seven : part 2

Lindsey was in her zone, completely focused on her paperwork when her daughter barged into her office, tablet in hand. Katie had inherited her mother's love for order and rigorous professionalism, always remaining composed whenever a situation arose. And so it was to her bewilderment when she took in Katie's infuriated expression as she stepped into her office, her small finger pointing at her screen.

"Have you seen this?" The frustration in her tone raised suspicion in Lindsey's head, knowing it had to be bad if her daughter reacted in such a way. Her eyes shifted to the tablet, realizing it was footage from the security cameras in the dungeons. Her heart dropped as she watched the video and her glare could practically burn a whole through the screen.

"What are they doing? No!" She gripped the tablet, zooming in on Harry's face talking with Simone. Why wasn't there a guard with them? What was he even doing in her cell?!

Lindsey cared for Harry deeply, but there were times when his thoughtless behaviour drove her absolutely insane. As she turned the volume up to hear what was going on, Lindsey thought that someone was really bound to knock some sense into the Prince's head.

Earlier that morning

Harry knocked on the iron door of Simone's cell, making sure she knew it was only him. Their eyes met as she slid open the slot, her icy irises widening as she recognized the prince. "What are you doing here?" She asked, suspiciously glancing from left to right in search for another presence, but Harry was alone.

"I wanted to talk." He said, trying to remain composed and hide how terribly nervous he actually was.

"Why is no one with you?" She squinted and Harry sighed, raising his hands to show he was harmless.

"Because I wanted to talk privately. Just you and me." Simone cocked an eyebrow, not trusting him one bit. It was starting to make Harry fidgety, and he began to question Louis' whole plan again. "I have the key, if you allow me to come in."

"You have the power. Why are you asking for my permission?" She wondered, eyes never leaving his.

"Because I don't want to force my presence on you." He replied simply and she took a moment to process his words, reading his face for any hint of what his random appearance could mean.

"Aren't you scared of me?" She added and Harry shook his head, managing to force a sincere smile.

"I know you won't hurt me." Uncertainty flashed in her eyes and Harry knew she was slowly giving in. "I think, after the whole shebang of the past couple years, we need a moment to talk. Away from everything and everyone."

Simone scoffed, slowly stepping back from the door. "Shebang?"

"Yeah well, there are no words to really describe it." His smirk grew and she glanced at his lips for a split second. "So what do you think?" She looked at him intently, pondering over his proposition for a minute while Harry tried to remain collected. Years of working in politics and public relations really came in handy when he had to pretend nothing fazed him.

She finally gave him a nod, walking backwards to her bed while Harry quietly unlocked the door. He stayed by the wide open entrance, scanning the small room that had been greatly accommodated to Simone's needs. She now had a better bed and a night table, books were scattered around the very few furniture she owned, including a little office desk filled with piles of papers and ink stains. Harry recognized the NDA they had given her, still neatly placed on her desk, untouched.