Page 17 of Ruthless
That was a ridiculous assertion. Gideon had had nothing to do with her getting injured. Why this bothered her so much, she didn’t know. It wasn’t as if Gideon would have kept the job now that she knew the truth. But she didn’t like her father’s words. One would think she wouldn’t care what was said about the man who’d lied to her for over ten years. Apparently, one would be wrong.
“Gideon did not fail at his job. I wrecked my bike. It was my stupid mistake and not his.”
“He broke his vow.”
“And what was the vow?”
“That’s a business matter between the two of us. It doesn’t concern you.”
“I beg to differ. Since it’s about me, it most certainly does concern me.”
“Very well. He vowed that you would never be hurt on his watch.”
She shook her head. Why on earth would Gideon make that kind of promise? “That’s insane—a promise that no one could possibly keep. You knew that going in. He was set up to fail.”
“He was the one who made the offer.”
Why would Gideon do that? It made no sense. As hurt as she was at his deception, she regretted not talking this out with him. As soon as she felt remotely better, she would ask him to come back and tell her his reasons. It didn’t mean she would forgive him, but there had to be more to this than she was seeing right now.
“I’m a grown woman, Papa. I have black belts in several martial arts. I’m a trained sniper. I’ve rescued, I’ve killed, and I’ve taken down men three times my size. I can take care of myself. I don’t need anyone’s protection.”
“This isn’t a conversation I’m interested in pursuing at this time.”
When she was a little girl, her brother Samuel had told her that one look from her father’s eyes could incinerate a man. He’d been teasing her, but over the years, she’d seen that look make many people visibly tremble. Even now, as a fiercely independent woman, that penetrating glare could give her goose bumps.
There was no point in asking why he’d done this. She knew why. And arguing would do no good. What she most wanted to know now were Gideon’s reasons.
As if the subject was completely closed, her father said gruffly, “The doctors said you can come home tomorrow. You’ll use the private apartment on the south wing. It has a gym for your rehabilitation and is easily accessed through the private passageway.”
Eve considered the statement. It was always a gamble coming back here. Even though she barely resembled the Princess Evangelina Wellingsley people remembered, the speculation that an unidentified female was staying at the castle might cause problems. Whenever she’d returned for the holidays, she’d always met her family at Nicolas’s home, which was a giant fortress with as much security as the palace.
However, staying here might be her best option. Not only was her father looking completely freaked out by her accident, but she would also get the best care available. Besides, arguing that she would prefer to go elsewhere to heal and rehabilitate would get her nowhere. It would be temporary, though. She had left this life behind years ago. There had been reasons, multiple reasons, but one thing she always wanted to hold on to was her family.
As if he thought she was looking to argue, her father added, “The private passageway will hide you from the public, Lina, and no one, other than your family and trusted staff, will know you’re there.”
“Very well, Papa. I’ll stay.”
Looking a little less stressed now that she had agreed, the king kissed her cheek. “I have an appointment across town and must leave. Is there anything you need before I go?”
Exhaustion suddenly hitting her hard, Eve shook her head. “No, I’m fine, Papa. Thank you.”
After her father left, Eve stared at the painting of one of her homeland’s lighthouses on the wall across from her but saw nothing but her own tortured thoughts.
Gideon.
Everything she’d ever believed about him, about their relationship, was changed forever. She could never look at him and see the man as she once had. The pain from that betrayal was far more hideous than any physical ache from her injuries. There could be no excuses, no good reason for him to do what he’d done. She had and always would hate liars. Gideon knew her history, knew of the betrayals she’d suffered, and yet, he had done this to her…to them.
For the past ten years, she’d done everything possible to be someone else. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of who she was, but she had never wanted to identify as a member of a royal family. Did she love her family? Without question. Had she loved being a princess? Absolutely not.
And while what had happened to her wouldn’t have occurred if she hadn’t been Evangelina Wellingsley, Princesse d’lle de la Lune, that wasn’t the reason she had wanted to abdicate her royal duties. It had, however, been the tipping point. She had gone through hell and had come out on the other side a different person. Not only on the outside, but also inside. Her view of the world and almost every belief she possessed had been challenged and remolded. She had managed to hold on to the most solid ones, like family, loyalty, and integrity. But most of the others had either dissolved altogether or had been reformed into a different view.
Twelve people had been killed during the embassy attack. Three of those had been because of her. Her bodyguards, as well as Shelby, had died trying to save her life. The sorrow of that had weighed her down as much as the trauma of her attack.
Her father had hurt almost as much as she had, and when she’d finally come out of the depressive state she’d fallen into, he had been there, supporting her.
Was it naïveté or simply denial that had made her believe he had actually trusted her to take care of herself? Maybe a little of both. But what she had never once considered was that Gideon was the one he would use.
There was anger at her father’s deception, but it was hard to stay that way. He had suffered tremendously, and she couldn’t truly blame him for whatever he did to ensure his sanity. She had seen her father cry only twice. The first was when Samuel was killed. And then when he saw her after her rescue.