**Victor and Emily**
*So thats Emily!*Victor nearly choked on his coffee as the realisation hit him. Hed been sitting in a small outdoor café on the high street, flipping through the newspaper, when her face stared back at him from the front page.
*No, it cant be.* He tossed the paper aside irritably and leaned back in his wicker chair. Thinking about her always brought back memories hed rather forgethis university days, hopelessly infatuated with her while she toyed with him like a cat with a mouse. Hed been finishing his maths degree at Cambridge when she arrived, a bright-eyed fresher impossible to ignore. Shed caught his lingering glances and, one day in the library, struck up a conversation with some innocent question. And so it began.
Turned out, she was hopeless at maths. He ended up writing her essays, scribbling cheat sheets before exams, but it was no use. Soon, her entire academic life was a shambles. Later, he wondered if shed even got into Cambridge legitimately. Eventually, shed had enough. By the end of her first year, she dropped outand dumped him.
*»Were just too different. Id only make you miserable,»* shed said bluntly. *»Youre a decent bloke. Youll find someone better suited.»*
And that was that.
Now, her face was plastered across a tabloid. What on earth had happened? Victor snatched the paper back.
The article detailed the latest scandal gripping high society. A European princea notorious playboyhad swept a nightclub dancer off her feet. A whirlwind courtship, and now an engagement announced at a posh London hotel. Front-page news. And there she was*his* Emilysoon to be a princess. *Well, well. Look how far shes come.*
*»Anything else, love?»* The waitresss voice snapped him back. Righthed been hogging the table.
Stepping outside, Victors gaze landed on the hotel entrancethe very one hosting Emilys engagement. His chest tightened. *His* Emily? Twice now, hed thought of her that way. Bloody hell. The old wound, buried deep, had split open again. He hadnt forgotten her after all.
Before he knew it, he was inside, slipping into the ballroom. A concert was underwaysome band blaring music, scantily clad dancers leaping across the stage. Cameras flashed; the air buzzed with anticipation. Victor shoved forward, not wanting to miss a thing.
Thendarkness. Only the stage remained, bathed in eerie violet smoke. Drumbeats pounded as the opening chords of *»Bohemian Rhapsody»* filled the room. Figures swayed at the edges, but the centre was emptyuntil a spotlight flared, revealing a translucent, twirling nymph. Long hair, sea-green dress billowing. Victor squinted. *No. It cant be.*
But it was. Emily.
*Shes about to be a princesswhats she doing here?* Yet the woman on stage seemed taller, more poisednot the fresher he remembered, but a striking beauty. Still, unmistakably her.
A reporter in the front row gaped, transfixed. Hed covered showbiz for years, but never seen anything like this. That morning, an anonymous text had promised a *»spectacle youll regret missing.»* No detailsjust time and place. And now, here was the future princess, dancing mere feet away. The interview every journalist wanted.
Thenthe music shifted. The dance turned sensual, hips rolling in time with the drums. Belly dancing. Cameras whirred; phones lifted. Not a moment to miss.
Suddenlythe dress slipped, pooling at her feet.
Gasps. Scandal.
A figure lunged from the crowd. A champagne bottle hurtled toward the stage. Some unhinged fan?
Thenflash. The dancers figure erupted in light. The bottle vanished, reappearing as shattered glass behind her. The curtain dropped; lights blazed on. Security chased the thrower, but hed already vanished.
*»I knew it was a setup the second I saw you,»* Victor said, exhaling cigarette smoke. Emily rested her chin on her hands, watching him across the café table. Hed tracked down her number that morning, begged to meet.
*»Ive got a degree in AI. I know what this tech can do,»* he explained. *»Low light, smoke, lasersthey scanned your old club performances, digitised them, and projected a hologram. All they needed was the right staging. And voilàyou danced naked to Queen.»*
He grinned. *»But weve got them. I filmed itclear as day, the bottle went straight through you. Post it online, and the truths out.»*
Emily sighed. *»Dont bother. The prince called off the engagement yesterday. Mummy dearest put her foot down.»* A wry smile. *»Honestly? Best thing thats happened. I never believed in fairy tales. Theyd have destroyed me. What happened was mercy.»*
She straightened. *»Besides, Ive landed a lingerie campaign. Life-changing money. So Im walking awayand so should you. You slipped out unseenthats a miracle. This is politics, Victor. Witnesses dont last.»*
Her fingers brushed his cheek. *»Youre a good man. But were not right for each other. Find someone better. Forget me.»*
Then she was gone, weaving through the crowd before he could protest. Victor watched her leaveknowing, painfully, she was right.
