Emerald's Pride

CHAPTER 4

Emerald St. Clair's POV

"Have you packed your thing already?"

I sat at the foot of the bed of my twin sister carefully. I watched her pack her things for the weekend trip to our grandparents' estate in the Hamptons. It's a mandatory rule for the grandchildren to be there every weekend. "I am not coming this weekend, Ru."

"You are not...what—?" My twin sister, Ruby, stopped packing her things and stared at me with incredulity on her face.

I sighed deeply, looking away from her shocked face. "I said, I am not coming to Hamptons this weekend."

"Why?"

"Because I have other plans."

Ruby remained silent for a moment looking at me as if I had grown another head in my neck, and then her green eyes that matched mine narrowed in my direction. "What plans?"

"Does it matter?" I looked away from her scrutiny.

"Hell yeah, it does," she answered nonchalantly. "It's not like you to miss the Hamptons because you have 'other plans.'" Her knowing eyes narrowed like slits in my heart. "Don't tell me it's a guy. You have a date, don't you?"

My gaze shot back at her. "What?! No..."

"Don't bullshit me, Em," Ruby said with a perceptive smile on her face. "I know you like the back of my hand. You are my twin. We shared mom's womb for nine months, remember?"

I bit my bottom lip. She really knew me too damn well, not that I can blame her since I happened to know her as well. She's my twin, after all. "Well, you see..." I started, unable to look her straight in the eyes. "...I have a confession to make. Actually, I have committed a crime against you."

A frown marked my sister's eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Em? You are not making any sense to me."

I exhaled loudly, deciding to admit the thing I did on her behalf the other day regarding the handsome prince who mistook me for Ruby. "You see, remember the prince that you were telling me about last week? The one that you met?"

"Yeah?"

I took a deep breath, staring straight into her curious eyes, which stopped me from putting her things in her hand-carry luggage. She directed all her attention to me. "While still absent because of your flu, he went to school to pick you up for your coffee date, and he mistook me to be you."

"Wait," Ruby raised her hand slightly upward, stopping me from my tale. "Are you talking about Prince Khalil Al-Farsi, the crown prince?"

So that's his name. Khalil Al-Farsi. God, even his full name sounds as sexy as him. I thought silently.

"So, what happened after that?" My twin asked with an unusual gleam in her green eyes. She jumped in her bed, giving me her full attention, which made my eyes narrow in her direction.

"I know I should have informed him immediately about his mistake, but I didn't," I muttered under my breath. I felt guilty about the whole thing now for the whole week. "Instead, I let him think that I was you, thinking that I should investigate his intention towards you."

Ruby grinned as if she was not mad at me for lying to the prince. "So, you went ahead and had a coffee date with him?"

"Yes."

"And..." She prodded eagerly. "...oh, come on, Em. Tell me everything. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

I stared at her skeptically. "You're not mad?"

"No way!" she chuckled cheerfully, her eyes dancing with mischief again. My eyes narrowed at my rebellious twin sister. "What happened after the coffee date? Was it a success?"