Twisted-Games

under “scandal.”
“I’m a little terrified I came up with the same idea as my cousin.” I could
see the gears spinning in Bridget’s mind as she digested the information.
“How do you know we can trust him?”
“I don’t, but we have leverage. He doesn’t want anyone to find out Erhall
is his father, or…”
“…he could lose his royal status,” Bridget finished. “A fate worse than
death in his eyes.”
“Yeah.”
The whole situation was so fucked. I hated playing mind games, and we
were trapped in the most twisted web of games and one-upmanship possible.
I also didn’t love the idea of blackmail, but if that’s what I had to do, I’d do
it.
Bridget examined me, those beautiful blue eyes sympathetic. “It must’ve
been a shock, learning about Erhall and Andreas. I know you have mixed
feelings about your father.”
That was one way to put it. Another way was I despised him even more
now that I knew his identity.
“He’s not my father.” Erhall was, at best, a sperm donor. “But I don’t
want to talk about him right now. Let’s focus on your plan.”
I had a lot of shit to sort out when it came to Erhall, but I could do that
later.
Bridget picked up on my cue and changed the subject.
“Okay. So.” She lifted her chin. “We’re really doing this. Blackmailing
the Speaker of Parliament.”
Despite her bravado, a note of nervousness ran beneath her words, and
the fierce need to protect her—from the world, from her own doubts and
insecurities—consumed me.
I wished she could see herself as I saw her. Fucking perfect.
I framed her face with my hands. “If we do it, we do it together. You and
me against the world, princess.”
Her smile sent warmth crashing against my ribcage. “I wouldn’t have
anyone else by my side, Mr. Larsen.” She took a deep breath. “We might
need the information to push Erhall, but I want to try something before we
resort to doing the same with Parliament. All this time, I’ve been treating the
tabloids as my enemy, but maybe they can be an ally.”
She explained her plan. It was easier than blackmailing one hundred