Ditching the Prince

Twelve: The Chase

Chapter Twelve

The Chase

"I forgot that it's the Grand Prix season. Is this the main reason why we are here?" Pippa stated as she boarded the waiting vehicle. It was almost eight o'clock in the evening and they just landed in Monte Carlo after an hour and a half flight from Florence.

The small group was on their way towards their area of residence, Larvotto. "That's for sure. You see, Formula One racing is one of the prince's many interests. He never fails to see it every single time." Aris replied casually as he stretched his legs.

The Rashid brothers were driving ahead of them, leading the four-vehicle-convoy while Altair Nassar and the Prince were cruising in front of the Stevio Quadrifoglio carrying the small group.

The lady architect doesn't mind riding with the others, in fact, she's more than happy where she is right now. This gave her the chance to freely discuss the prince with the others.

No, they are not gossiping about him. It was just a casual question on Pippa's part. After their not-so-innocent last encounter, she tried her best to not think about him. She has drawn the line to save her from more heartbreaks.

Deliberately, she rechanneled their conversation. "I'm so relieved that you two are here at least I'll have some company." She smiled at the Filipino flight attendant.

Aris Ledesma grinned kindly but indifferently. "Oh no, no, Pippa, we'll be out of here tomorrow. We have to fetch the king's second wife from France and bring her back to Morocco." He disclosed.

Pippa's spirit dropped upon hearing Aris' words. It was clear that she will be left alone with the prince and his cousin, Altair and therefore, will have to endure solitude in the entire duration of this so-called business trip.

"When will you guys coming back?" She asked still hopeful that the others will be back soon.

Her somber tone pushed Amman to butt in, "Whoa, whoa, am I getting the right vibe? Is the workaholic gal missing us already or you're just queasy with the idea of being alone with the bosses?" He chuckled softly along with Aris Ledesma.

The Egyptian lad was sharp. He has readily picked up Pippa's number one dilemma.

They are good friends of her so Pippa has no qualms in telling them what she was really feeling, "To be honest, I'm not ready for this. I thought you two will be here with me all throughout this trip." She appeared truly dejected.

"And you are right, I will definitely miss you two and I hate the idea of being left alone with the bosses. I mean, who would want that?" She confessed.

The boys both threw her an apologetic look. "We are very sorry Pippa. We were so busy these past weeks that we forgot to tell you. We'll fly out first thing in the morning and will be back after ten days." Aris stated.

This piece of news affected her more. Ten days is more than a week and that's definitely too long for the lady architect. Her face dropped and her eyes appeared too shiny.

To cheer her up a bit, Amman spoke again. "But don't worry, as soon as we are free, we will ask the king's permission so we could immediately fly back here. I, myself will personally ask him. I promise you."

Aris hastily nodded his head in agreement upon seeing Pippa's glassy eyes. He patted the anxious woman's back. "We'll try our best to be back the earliest possible time." He whispered.