Chapter 31

Emily’s POV

My fingers tightened around the blanket. “What do you want?”

Stella smiled slowly. “I wanted to congratulate you.”

Her smile made it obvious she meant the opposite.

“Congratulations on what?”

She looked around the room again. “The royal residence.” Her eyes landed on the bed. “The guest suite.” Then her gaze snapped back to me. “You’re moving up in the world.”

I stared at her, refusing to show weakness. “You seem disappointed.”

Her smile twitched. “I find it amusing.”

“No. You’re jealous.” The words escaped before I could stop them.

Her polished mask slipped, but she recovered quickly.

“You think Nathan wants you here?” Her voice softened dangerously. “Cute.”

I refused to look away. “Then why are you here?”

That hit closer to home than she expected. Her eyes narrowed. “Because, unlike you, I belong here.”

I almost laughed. “Really?”

That one word made her jaw clench.