LITMIR.BIZ

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mechanic to fix their cars. This was different. Unsettling. But Uncle Frank had taught her to always hold her head high, no matter how uncertain she might feel inside. If only he were here now.

      She scooted her chair closer to the desk. With a shaky hand, she raised the tiara from the box. “It’s so tiny.”

      Niko nodded. “My parents had the tiara commissioned for you to wear at the wedding. The small diamonds represent all the towns and villages. The three larger diamonds symbolize you, me and Vernonia.”

      “It’s hard to tell if it’s exactly the same one in the photo,” she said, knowing she was grasping at straws.

      “It’s the same one,” Niko countered.

      Izzy set the tiara on the desk. Next she removed foreign coins and dollar bills, a diamond pendant, an emerald bracelet and three stunning rings.

      Those jewels would be worth a fortune if real. Maybe that was why Niko wanted the box back so badly. Money could make people do almost anything.

      She picked up a photograph, a picture of a man and a woman.

      “Those were your parents,” Niko said softly.

      Her parents. Izzy wasn’t ready to believe it just yet. She stared at the handsome couple. They were smiling and holding hands. They looked happier than they did in the wedding photograph. “The woman is beautiful.”

      “You look like her,” Rowdy said.

      “I wish.” Izzy’s heart ached for some memory of the two people the prince claimed were her parents.

      “You resemble your mother,” Niko said. “But you have your father’s eyes.”

      Izzy felt a rush of excitement. No one had ever seen a resemblance between her and Uncle Frank. She removed more photographs. Baby pictures, family portraits, casual snapshots, of people she didn’t know taken in places she didn’t recognize.

      Next came an official looking piece of paper with foreign writing. “I don’t know what it says.”

      “Allow me,” Niko offered.

      She handed it to him.

      He glanced over the document. “It’s your birth certificate. Evangaline Poussard Zvonimir is listed as your mother. Aleksander Nicholas Zvonimir is listed as your father. Your place of birth is Sachestia, Vernonia. That is in the northern part of the country.”

      Jovan placed the documents they’d shown her earlier on the desk. “In case you are concerned about the translation and wish to compare, ma’am.”

      “My name is Izzy,” she corrected. “I would like to see a translation by an impartial person to confirm the document.”

      “How can you still not believe?” Niko asked.

      “I’m simply being cautious,” she admitted. “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble to find me. You could’ve just offered to buy the box and be done with it. And me.”

      “You are my wife,” Niko said. “I cannot pretend you do not exist and be done with it or you.”

      Izzy grimaced. “Too bad there isn’t some birthmark that would prove without a doubt that I’m royalty.”

      “Perhaps there is one.” Wicked laughter lit Niko’s eyes. “I would be happy to search for one.”

      Her cheeks warmed at the thought.

      His faced reddened, too.

      She hadn’t been expecting that reaction from Niko, but his embarrassment made him seem less a dark, formal prince and more … human. That made Izzy feel a little more comfortable with him even if her heart pounded like a piston engine each time she noticed him staring at her.

      She removed several pieces of paper stapled together. Again, the words were written in a language she couldn’t read. She handed the pages to Niko.

      He flipped through them. “This is your father’s will naming you the sole beneficiary of his estate.”

      “I will need a copy of the will, sir,” Duncan said.

      “Of course.” Niko handed it to the lawyer then turned his attention on Izzy. “Everyone believed you died with your parents so your father’s estate went to—”

      “You,” she said without an ounce of doubt.

      “As your husband, your inheritance passed directly to me.”

      “What kind of estate are we talking about, Your Highness?” Duncan asked.

      Niko glanced at Jovan. “What is the approximate net worth?”

      “Approximately twenty-five million euros,” Jovan said.

      She didn’t know much about foreign currency, but she knew a lot of money was at stake here. “You’re willing to give that to me for some box?”

      “The box and an annulment,” Niko clarified.

      Rowdy whistled. “It’s like winning the lottery, Izzy.”

      Yes, it was. She took a deep breath. That meant it was probably too good to be true.

      “Let’s not get too excited,” Duncan cautioned. “We have no idea how the legal system works in Vernonia. Each country has its own laws for estates and inheritance. Something like this could be tied up in the court system for years.”

      “I would never keep anything that rightly belongs to Isabel,” Niko stated firmly. “Vernonia might be a small country, but we have a parliamentarian government and a modern justice system. It will not take the High Court years to sort this matter out.”

      “Can’t something like this be taken care of in the U.S?” Izzy asked.

      “Your father’s property is in Vernonia,” Niko explained. “Besides, the High Court is private. There could be publicity if we used the court here in the United States.”

      She glanced at the lawyer. “Duncan?”

      “I don’t know anything about Vernonia’s court system, but Prince Niko is correct about the publicity. America loves royalty. The press would have a field day if they found out you were an American princess.”

      Izzy frowned. “I’m not—”

      “Come to Vernonia with me,” Niko suggested. “We will appear in front of the High Court and have this matter resolved quickly.”

      Apprehension washed over her. She never went anywhere. “I don’t have a passport.”

      “I can pull some strings,” Niko said.

      “Most definitely,” Jovan agreed.

      She bit her lip. “I don’t know. Maybe I should take some time to think about it.”

      Silence filled the room. Outside in the garage bay an air compressor sounded. A horn honked. A car door slammed.

      “There’s a lot at stake, Izzy,” Rowdy said. “Don’t let that stubborn streak of yours get in the way.”

      Stubborn streak? She wasn’t stubborn.

      “Listen to Rowdy,” Duncan advised. “Prince Niko believes you are Princess Isabel. He’s willing to give you a multimillion dollar estate. What more do you need to think about?”

      Her gaze bounced between Rowdy and Duncan. They made good points. Still she hesitated. Cautious. Nervous. Unsure.

      “Something else is in the drawer, ma’am,” Jovan said.

      She glanced down and saw a note-size envelope tucked away in one corner. The word Isabel was written on the front. The cursive writing looked feminine.

      As she picked up the small envelope, her hand trembled. The flap had been tucked inside, not sealed. Carefully Izzy removed sheets of paper and unfolded the pages.

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