Chapter 2 2

ESTEFAN'S POV

After two excruciating hours which felt like a lifetime, our plane descended to the ground and stopped moving. My father, King Estevan Borbon-Anjou of Spain, stood up from his seat and moved towards the exit as my younger sister, Princess Esmeralda and I followed behind him.

A cold breeze greeted me as I stepped out of the plane and descended the stairs. Seven years ago, I swore to myself that I wouldn't come back to this city but here I was, stepping my feet on the soil of London.

'Some things are just not under our control.'

A red carpet lay on the ground from the bottom of the stairs to the entrance of the white Limousine waiting to pick us up. With my hands shoved deep into my pants pocket, I strode to the car behind my dad with Esmeralda beside me.

"This place is beautiful." Esmeralda gasped as she looked out of the moving car.

"Hmm," I replied as I stared out at the "beautiful city" that took everything away from me. The city didn't change a single bit, it was the same as how I left it seven years ago.

"Which part of the city did you grow up in?" She asked with her hazel eyes which she took from Dad, staring at me with amazement.

"West London."

"Can you take me on a tour when you're free?"

"No."

"Why?" She whined.

"Nothing."

"Has anyone ever told you your one-word answer is annoying?"

"Yes."

"You're hopeless." She huffed, leaning into her seat as she folded her arms. "Dad, can I attend a university here in London after I'm done with high school?"

"I don't know. I'll think about it," he replied with his eyes glued to his phone. "Estefan, do you want us to go to Knight Tech now, or we should make it tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

The car stopped in front of a Five-star hotel building and the chauffeur opened the door for us to climb down from the car. The hotel's main door opened and we were greeted by all the staff lined up at the entrance in a red and white uniform.

"Your Highness," they chorused with their head bowed as they parted the way for us to pass through. The owner and the manager led us to our suite at the top of the building where I parted ways with my dad and sister.

I stepped into the room with my assistant carrying my luggage behind me.

"Your Highness, do you need anything?" He asked as he placed the bag on the ground.

"Yes." I turned to him. " Get a car ready for me downstairs in fifteen minutes."

"Okay, sir." He bowed and exited the room.

Placing my luggage on the bed, I opened it and fished out a white shirt and a blue pair of jeans. I took off my three-piece suit to change into the outfit, pairing it with a pair of white Nike sneakers. Ruffling my dirty blond hair, I stood in front of the mirror as cold amber eyes stared back at me.

Those eyes used to be full of life but they died seven years ago after that terrible incident. I shook my head at myself before sitting at the edge of my bed. Moving away from the mirror, I sat at the edge of the bed as I waited for fifteen minutes to be completed.

The moment it was up to fifteen minutes, I pushed myself off the bed and put on a white jacket to keep myself warm before making my way out of the room. When I got to the entrance, I met my assistant, Bernard standing outside beside a white Lamborghini.

A smirk formed on my lips when I remembered the last time I sent him on an errand like that and he came back with a blue car. I didn't do much but I made sure he knew never to get me anything in any other colour apart from white except I gave the order for him to do so.

'One can never go wrong with white.'

He handed the keys to me as I approached him and entered the car.

"Sir, where should I tell your father you went to if he asks for you?"

"Just tell him I went to see someone important." I drove off without waiting for him to reply.

My fingers tapped continuously on the steering wheel as I drove across the streets of West London. I stopped by a flower shop and picked up some lilies before taking off to my initial destination. After driving for a few minutes, I stopped the car in front of Kensal Green Cemetery.

Taking a deep breath, I picked up the flowers from the passenger seat and stepped out of the car. I forced my legs to move as I walked through the gates, and my hands tightened on the flowers as I wandered among the series of tombs.

I stopped in front of a tomb that read, 'In loving memories of our dear sister and mother, Adina Perez'.

I hadn't been able to come back here to visit since the day of the burial and I guessed no one had because the tomb looked like it had been left untouched for the past seven years.

I dropped the flowers on the dirty tomb. "Hi, Mom." I squatted in front of the tomb. "It's been a while. I know my visit is overdue but I've been really busy. Busy adjusting to my new life you never told me I had." I sighed.

"I'm good now, I feel like my life is finally falling into place. But there's one last thing I need to do before my mind would finally be at rest which is the real reason why I came back to this city. I won't tell you what it is because I know you would be disappointed in me but I just have to do it."

I stood up to straighten my aching legs. "I'm going to be around for a while, so I will be coming to see you from time to time. Bye for now. I love you, mom." A lone tear escaped my lips as I turned to walk away.