The Disgraced Husband Is Actually Royalty In Hiding

Chapter 3_The Ring

For a long moment, nobody spoke.

The washing machine hummed in the corner. Ethan could hear his own heart beating.

Sophia held up the gold ring. The little wolf seemed to stare at him.

"Ethan," she said again. "Answer me."

Ethan walked slowly into the room. His face was calm, but his mind was racing. One wrong word, and twelve years of hiding would be over.

"That old thing?" he said, and gave a small laugh. "I bought it at a pawn shop."

Sophia frowned. "A pawn shop?"

"Three years ago. Before we met. It was cheap, and I liked the wolf." He shrugged. "I sewed it into my coat because I was sleeping in shelters back then. People steal everything in those places."

"It's gold, Ethan. Real gold. Look how heavy it is."

"Is it?" Ethan made his eyes go wide, like a man who was surprised. "The old man at the shop said it was fake. He sold it to me for forty dollars."

Sophia studied his face for a long time. Ethan did not look away.

"The man on the news last night," she said slowly. "King Viktor. His palace had this exact same symbol on the gates. A crown and a wolf."

"Really?" Ethan took the ring from her hand and looked at it, as if he was seeing it for the first time. "Maybe somebody from that country sold it. Lots of people ran from there years ago. I guess some of them needed money."

He put the ring in his pocket.

Sophia did not move. Her eyes were still on him.

"You're a strange man, Ethan Cole," she said quietly. "You know that?"

"I'm just a dishwasher," he said with a smile.

"No." She shook her head. "A dishwasher doesn't look at people the way you looked at Brandon last night. I saw it. For one second, you looked like you wanted to destroy him. And he saw it too. He stepped back from you."

Ethan's smile stayed on his face, but inside, he went cold. He had not known she was watching so closely.

Before he could answer, Diane's voice screamed from the front of the house.

"Sophia! Sophia, come quickly! Brandon is here!"

Sophia gave Ethan one last look. Then she turned and walked out.

Ethan leaned against the washing machine and let out a long breath.

That was too close.

Brandon Sterling stood in the living room like he owned it.

He wore a dark blue suit and carried a huge bunch of red roses. Diane and Chloe stood around him like he was a movie star. Gerald sat in his chair, smiling nervously.

"There she is," Brandon said when Sophia walked in. He handed her the roses. "For the most beautiful businesswoman in Boston. Congratulations on getting your contract back."

Sophia took the flowers without smiling. "How did you know?"

"I told you," Brandon said with a wink. "I hear everything."

"Brandon," Diane said, holding his arm, "be honest. It was you, wasn't it? You called Mr. Harlow and fixed everything."

Brandon looked surprised for half a second. Then he smiled.

"Well," he said modestly, "I don't like to talk about the favors I do. But let's just say I made a few calls."

Diane screamed with joy and hugged him. Chloe clapped her hands.

Ethan stood quietly in the doorway, holding a dish towel. He almost laughed.

Brandon had made Harlow cancel the contract. Ethan had made Harlow bring it back. And now Brandon was taking the credit.

Fine, Ethan thought. Let him enjoy it. For now.

"So," Diane said, turning to Sophia with bright eyes. "You know what this means, darling. Brandon kept his promise. Now you keep yours. The divorce papers are in my desk."

The room went silent.

Sophia's fingers closed tightly around the roses.

"Mom, I never promised anything."

"Sophia!"

Brandon raised his hand. "Mrs. Whitmore, please. No pressure." He smiled at Sophia. "I'm a patient man. In fact, I came tonight with something better."

He reached into his jacket and took out a thick golden envelope. The paper shone like real gold. On the front, in black ink, was a strange design. A circle made of twisted vines, with a small key in the middle.

Diane gasped. Gerald stood up from his chair.

"Is that…" Gerald's voice shook. "Is that what I think it is?"

"An invitation to the Winter Crown Ball," Brandon said proudly. "Hosted by the Circle."

Chloe looked confused. "The what?"

Diane grabbed her daughter's arm. "The Circle, Chloe! The most powerful families in the world! Old money. Royal blood. Presidents beg to get invited, and they say no!" Her voice was almost a scream. "Nobody even knows who the members are!"

"I am a member," Brandon said quietly.

Diane put her hand over her heart like she might faint.

"The ball is this Saturday," Brandon said. "I have arranged invitations for the whole Whitmore family." He turned to Sophia. "And Sophia, I would be honored if you came as my date."

"She's married," Ethan said from the doorway.

Everyone turned.

Brandon's smile became cold. "Oh. You're still here."

"I live here," Ethan said.

Brandon laughed. He opened the golden envelope and counted the cards inside. "Let's see. Gerald. Diane. Chloe. Sophia." He looked up. "Hmm. Strange. There's no card here for a dishwasher."

Chloe burst out laughing.

"Don't worry, Ethan," Diane said sweetly. "Somebody has to stay home and feed the cat."

"We don't have a cat," Gerald said.

"Then he can clean the bathrooms," Diane snapped.

Sophia stepped forward. "If Ethan doesn't go, I don't go."

The laughing stopped.

Brandon stared at her. For one second, real anger showed in his eyes. Then he hid it behind his perfect smile.

"Of course," he said smoothly. "Bring him. It will be… fun." He pulled a pen from his pocket and wrote something on a small card. "There. Plus one. But Sophia, you should know, the Circle has very strict rules. Every man must wear a black tuxedo. A real one. Not something from a thrift store."

He looked Ethan up and down and smiled.

"I'm sure he'll figure something out," Brandon said. "Maybe he can borrow one from the waiters."

That night, after everyone went to bed, Ethan climbed out his window again.

At the garage, Leo was waiting for him. His face was serious.

"You have news," Ethan said.

"I do." Leo pointed at the big screen. "First, Felix Brandt, the hunter. We lost him. He changed hotels this morning. We're searching."

Ethan's jaw tightened. "And second?"

"Second is the Winter Crown Ball."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about that already?"

"Because it's a problem, sir. A big one." Leo pressed a button.

A new photo filled the screen.

It showed a tall, elegant man in his sixties. He had silver hair, sharp blue eyes, and a thin smile. He wore a dark coat with a silver pin on the collar.

Ethan knew that face.

He would never forget that face as long as he lived.

"Count Dorian Kael," Ethan said quietly.

"The Grey Fox," Leo said. "Your uncle's spymaster. The man who planned the attack on your parents twelve years ago."

Ethan's hands slowly turned into fists.

He remembered that night. The smoke. The fire. And standing at the top of the palace stairs, calmly watching the soldiers drag his father away, was Dorian Kael. Smiling that same thin smile.

"He's coming to Boston," Leo said. "He will be at the Winter Crown Ball on Saturday. As a guest of honor."

"Why?" Ethan asked.

"The Circle has many friends of Ardenia. Rich families who gave money to your father years ago. Kael is coming to make them choose sides. He wants them to support Viktor when parliament closes." Leo paused. "And sir, Kael has seen your face. He saw you when you were sixteen. You've changed, but not that much. If he looks at you closely…"

"He'll know," Ethan finished.

"Yes. And if he knows, he'll kill you that same night. And probably everyone with you."

Ethan stared at the photo of Kael for a long time.

"Sir," Leo said carefully, "you cannot go to that ball."

"Sophia is going."

"Then let her go with Sterling. You stay home. It's too dangerous."

"No," Ethan said. "Brandon Sterling is a member of the Circle. Kael will be there. Felix Brandt took a photo of Sophia's house. Leo, think about it. Everything is pointing at her. If I let her walk into that ball alone, she won't come back."

Leo opened his mouth to argue. Then he closed it. He knew that look on Ethan's face. He had seen it on Ethan's father many years ago.

"Then I'll find a way to protect you," Leo said finally.

"Find me a tuxedo," Ethan said. "A cheap one."

Leo blinked. "Cheap?"

"Brandon wants me to look poor. So I'll look poor." Ethan almost smiled. "Nobody looks closely at a poor man, Leo. That's how I've survived for twelve years."

Ethan got home just before three in the morning. The house was dark. He climbed back through his window, lay down on his small bed, and closed his eyes.

He had almost fallen asleep when the black phone buzzed under his pillow.

It was Leo again. Ethan answered quietly.

"What is it?"

There was a long silence on the other end.

"Leo?"

"Sir." Leo's voice was rough, like he was trying to stay calm. "It's Tomas."

Ethan sat up. Tomas Novak was one of his most loyal men. He lived in Prague, and for ten years he had secretly carried messages between Ethan and his father's old friends in Ardenia. He had a wife and two little girls.

"What happened?"

"Tomas is dead, sir. They found him two hours ago, in his apartment."

Ethan closed his eyes. Pain hit his chest like a hammer.

"There's more," Leo said. "They left a message. Written on the wall above his body."

"What did it say?"

Leo took a deep breath.

"It said: *The boy is in America. And he has a wife.*”