Chapter 5 - The Suspicious Phone Call

                                    

                                          
Eva stood there holding her breath, hoping the King would take his son's offer.
King Ferdinand looked calm and collected as he told Paulo, "Son, your mother and I didn't make this choice lightly. We took a long time to find the perfect woman that we want ruling over Spain by your side and helping you raise our grandchildren, the future rulers of our country. The reason we chose Eva isn't because of her beauty. The reason we chose her is because she's well known for her patience, kindness, generosity, and for being a very strong, intelligent woman. That's the kind of Queen I want by your side when you take over my throne. Many months went into this decision and I have no doubt we've made the right choice. Trust me. You'll be thanking us for this marriage one day."
What he said about her was sweet and all, but that wasn't what she wanted to hear. She wanted him to accept Paulo's offer and set her free from this arrangement. She looked over and noticed Paulo looked just as disappointed as she was.
Her father, King Hans, chimed in and said, "Ferdinand is right. You two may not agree with our choice right now but one day you'll understand that this was the best thing for both of you and for the future of our monarchies. Our decision stands and you two WILL be married tomorrow," he said in a firm, decisive tone that she knew meant his decision was final and he wouldn't be changing his mind.
Eva quietly said, "Yes sir," and hung her head as she walked back over to the grand piano, feeling defeated. She sat on the bench and pulled out her phone, googling 'Prince Paulo of Spain'. She saw photo after photo of him with stunningly beautiful women on his arm at movie premieres, pictures of him with celebrities, and others of him at a club standing close with his arms wrapped around groups of friends and smiling for the camera. There were pictures of him water skiing, skydiving, surfing, riding on an elephant and standing on the top of a mountain. 
He was definitely way more adventurous and outgoing than she was. Her idea of an exciting adventure was swimming at the beach and she only had two friends, her brother and Astrid and she had never been on a date or went out to clubs or done anything crazy like climbing a mountain. She spent her evenings reading and her weekends hanging out with her brother and Astrid. He seemed like her complete opposite.
She locked her phone and leaned forward, resting her forehead on the top of the piano and exhaling deeply, closing her eyes as a single tear rolled down her cheek and dropped onto the keys. 
"Hey," a deep voice said and she sat up and opened her eyes, wiping her tears away as she looked up and saw Paulo standing there. "Can I sit?" he asked.
"Sure," she said quietly with a sniffle, scooting over.
"My Dad thought you looked upset and he told me to come over here and cheer you up." He sat down on the piano bench next to her. "Apparently that's what fiance's are supposed to do," he said with an exhale. They both sat in silence for a minute, with their heads hanging down. 
She lifted her head and looked over at him, looking into his hazel eyes as she wiped a tear away and sniffled. "It was a nice try, what you did over there, trying to talk to them out of the arranged marriage. I'm sorry it didn't work." 
"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "I was doing it for both of us. This isn't right."
She nodded and couldn't help but notice how handsome he was and sitting this close to him made her heart beat a little faster. She had been homeschooled by tutors at the castle and wasn't used to being around guys her own age very often, especially not ones that looked like Paulo and it made her anxious. 
He took a deep breath in and let it out, before saying, "I don't think either of our Dads are budging. Especially now that the official engagement announcement has been broadcast to the entire world and all the paperwork has been signed. I guess your brother's right. We'll just have to try to make the best of this bad situation we're stuck in."