Jasmina’s shoulders tensed as she watched Jenson with a practiced neutral expression. Her poker face was coming in handier with every passing minute.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” she said, tossing the chicken into a pan.

The meat began to sizzle instantly, the aroma spicy and flavorful. Jenson took a deep pull from his wine glass, his eyes still on her.

“Dragging me through the city, not so subtly bringing up all those homespun stories about how wealth isn’t everything. I’m not that dense, Jasmina.”

She smiled, then, relief pouring from her. He wasn’t that dense, but he was dense enough to not see through her false security threat.

“Ah, you’ve caught onto my scheme, have you?”

“Of course I have. You are a terrible liar, Jasmina.”

“You would know,” she said.

She stirred the chicken, lifting her wine glass and taking a sip, the drink relaxing her instantly. It had been a busy and tiring day, and the wine soothed her soul and her senses.

“Still, I hope some of my lessons were absorbed today,” she said, casting a sideways glance at Jenson.

He shrugged. Jasmina noticed that his first glass had already been drained, and he was pouring himself a refill.

Why not? she thought.

It had been ages since she allowed herself to let go even a little bit. She took another gulp of red wine, emptying her own glass.

“Ahem,” she said, wiggling it out in front of him.

“But where are my manners?” Jenson said, the corner of his lip curling as he tipped the bottle, filling her glass.

“I’m used to much better service, I must say,” Jasmina teased.

“I’m sure you are, Sheikha. Is that chicken ready yet? I’m half-starved already.”

“You are not. We ate quite well today.”

“That was ages ago. If you haven’t noticed, it’s dark out now. Stomachs have this weird way of processing food and needing more on a pretty regular basis.”

“You’re explaining biology to me now? I had no idea you were a professor on top of everything.”

“I’d wager there’s quite a lot you don’t know about me, actually.”

Jasmina pulled the chicken from the burner. She had set a rice cooker to steam, and was pleased to see that the rice was ready to eat. She plated the food like a professional, setting a plate in front of Jenson.

“Let’s eat at the table, like civilized people,” he said.

Jasmina shrugged.

“As you wish. I’m not picky.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“What? Just because I’m a royal? I spent four years as a college student, you know.”

“But did you get your degree?”

Jasmina’s eyes darted to her plate as she sat across from him at the small kitchen table.

“No,” she said, taking a bite and quickly changing the subject. “You’ll like this. It’s a little spicy.”

Jenson’s eyes were probing as he continued to stare at her.

“Why not?”

“Why not what?”

“Why didn’t you get your degree? You’re clearly very intelligent. What happened?”

“My father died, forcing me to return home just weeks out from receiving my degree.”

“Can’t you just retake a course?”

“I suppose I could, though I don’t exactly have a lot of free time these days. Someday I imagine I will. Until then, here we are.”

Jenson sat quietly for a while, taking another sip from his glass. Jasmina was beginning to feel the effects of the wine most acutely. Her belly felt warm, her head a little woozy. Her guard was coming down, and she didn’t have the energy to care anymore.

“I’m sorry,” Jenson said.

Jasmina’s eyebrows shot up.

“An apology from Jenson Black? I must have done something exceptional to warrant that.”

He shrugged.

“I never gave you my condolences for the death of your father. I knew the circumstances of course, but from my vantage point it represented an opportunity. I wasn’t seeing you as a person, and I want you to know that I’m sorry about that. If we are going to be married, we should learn to see one another as people.”

“I’ve never seen you as anything else,” Jasmina said.

Jenson smirked.

“Come now. We both know that’s not true. You’ve seen me as the biggest villain of your life. Admit it.”

She stared him down, wanting to disagree, to tell him that she was better than that. The lie couldn’t quite reach her lips.

Jenson nodded, taking a bite of the chicken.

“This is delicious. Well done, Jasmina. A wife who can cook—what a treat for me!”

“Like I’ll ever really be cooking for you, outside of extreme situations.”

“For an extreme situation, this has been a pretty good time. It’s a good thing I left my wallet at home, though. We spent quite a lot today.”

Jasmina’s eyes narrowed.

“Where does this money-focused attitude stem from, anyway? What made wealth the number one thing you care about?”

Jenson glanced up at her, then back down at his plate, as though deciding just how much to share. In the end the wine must have won out, because he sighed deeply before he answered.

“I grew up in one of the richest families in Vermont. We had estates everywhere—New York, Paris, London, you name it. I grew up with the world at my fingertips.”

“That sounds rather nice, if you ask me,” Jasmina said.

Jenson laughed, and it was a bitter sound.

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you? The one thing I never had, the one thing I wanted more than anything in the world, was my parents’ approval. Even a sliver of their attention would have been something, but they were always too busy making deals, finding new avenues of income. I would try and try as a child to get their attention. First I tried getting perfect grades and making captain of every sports team. When that didn’t work, I tried getting into trouble. The first time they really took notice of me was when I started my own business, started making money. That was their language. It was the only way I could get through to them.”

“Who raised you if your parents were never there?”

“Nannies, mostly. Some of them I liked. Most of them I didn’t. I was very good at getting them to quit.”

“That sounds awful.”

“It was what it was,” he said, a little defensively. “I never knew love in my home, and the only thing my parents ever valued was money. I learned that it was the be-all and end-all of everything, and it drove me to become the man I am today.”

A loaded silence followed, and Jasmina watched him carefully as he continued to eat as though he hadn’t just admitted to her one of his biggest secrets. In this light, she felt as though she were seeing him for the very first time. The poor little boy who had had everything in the world except the one thing every child desperately needed: love. It was the first time his cocky veneer had been peeled away, revealing a part of the true man beneath, and, seeing him so vulnerable, she wanted to reach across the table and comfort him.

She leaned in a moment, then paused, suddenly uncertain. Would a man like Jenson want her comfort? She couldn’t know. She still barely knew him, and they were due to be married so soon it was frightening.

Jenson cleared his throat, breaking the silence, his shoulders squaring once again.

“Anyway, it makes no difference now. While it wasn’t the happiest childhood, it made me who I am today, and I wouldn’t have a fraction of my success without the drive my parents instilled in me. My love of money has provided me with a very good life, and I have no regrets. It’s just who I am.”

Jasmina frowned as she saw his bravado sink right into place once more. She took a quiet sip of her wine, her mind drifting to how else she could help him see that everything he had known, while it had been useful to him in many ways, wasn’t the whole truth of the world. She remembered that it was a Sunday night, and an idea struck her.

“Come with me,” she said, standing and leaving her unfinished plate on the table.

Jenson stared up at her in bewilderment.

“Where?”

“We’re going out.”

“What? I thought you just said we shouldn’t be out at night! Have you completely forgotten there is a threat to your life somewhere in this city? What if you’re recognized?”

“How many people saw us today and didn’t realize who we were? It’s going to be fine, Jenson. Just get off your bum and come with me!”

He stood slowly, moving like molasses. Impatient, Jasmina grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door.

“Have you lost your mind?” he asked.

“Have you lost your sense of adventure?”

“Last I checked I never had one. The only adventures I have involve the world of finance. Does this involve the financial district?”

“It relates,” she said, purposefully vague.

“Uh-huh,” he grumbled.

She pulled open the front door and tugged Jenson out before locking it behind them. She started down the stairs, but turned when Jenson didn’t move. His eyes were lit with a trace of humor.

“I’m not going anywhere unless you drag me there.”

“You just really want to hold my hand, don’t you?”

“I’d much rather kiss you again.”

Jasmina rolled her eyes.

“Grow up,” she said.

“I’m quite grown up actually. Would you like some proof?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes at him, but when it was clear that he wasn’t budging she trudged up the steps and grasped his hand again, tugging him along toward the center of the city, where a steep hill loomed over the metropolis. Once they reached the base, Jasmina began the climb up through the light vegetation, grass brushing against her ankles as they trudged upward.

“You know, if you were planning on a hike you could have said so before we drank half a bottle of wine,” Jenson said through labored breaths.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” she breathed back.

“Then what spontaneous nonsense is this? Let’s go home and drink more! That sounds way more appealing than this!”

“Just wait and see. I have something I want to show you.”

“You could always just tell me about it.”

“And yet you aren’t the best at absorbing important information unless faced with what you’re talking about. I noticed that about you today.”

“I already told you I saw through that ruse.”

“But it got you talking about it, and even being nice to me! There is hope for you yet, Jenson Black.”

“Hope,” he grumbled, breathing heavily as they reached the crest of the hill.

Jasmina released his hand, then, and gestured beneath them.

“Behold, Tyra. My city.”