Royal Bitch

"You may be Chuck LeGrande, but I am Fiore. And don't you ever forget it."

"Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate." - Sun Tzu

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Chapter 8

Fiore brought Mia and Gunnar back home and waited for James to show up. She was finishing Mia's bath when she heard the dog, Duke, start barking. When she opened the door her eyes narrowed. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Uncle Chuck!" Gunnar grinned as he sprinted at Chuck.

"Why are you here?" Fiore demanded.

Chuck grinned as he picked Gunnar up, threw him, then caught him again. "I came to check on Juliet." Chuck purred.

"Put Gunnar down."

"Certainly," Chuck smiled as he let himself in.

"Get out." Fiore warned.

"I can't say hi to the little ones?"

Fiore put Mia down and kneeled in front of them. "Gunnar, I want you to take Mia to her room. Help her pick out her nightgown for tonight. Can you do that for me, champ?" Fiore smiled.

"Mhmm. But why are you mad at Uncle Chuck?"

"Uncle Chuck knows why." Fiore dodged. "Now go on, I'll be up in a minute." Once Gunnar had led Mia away Fiore stood and glared at Chuck. "This is completely wrong. You know that. You need to leave."

"I'm honestly worried about Juliet. She had surgery today, didn't she?"

"Chuck, you need to leave. Xavier wouldn't want you in his home."

"Just tell me if Juliet is alright," Chuck asked, his teasing demeanor gone. "I heard she was rushed into surgery."

"She's fine. If Xavier will let you, you can see her tomorrow. She's not here."

"Is it just you?"

"No." Fiore deadpanned.

"Who else is here?" Chuck asked, his smirk back and an eyebrow raised.

"James. Plus Gunnar and Mia and if you're implying what I think you are the answer is absolutely no."

"You're thinking about sex again."

"Get out, Chuck. I have two little ones I'm taking care of and I don't have the patience to deal with your bullshit today." Fiore went to usher Chuck out, but he grabbed her hand.

"You're not still mad about that kiss, are you?"

"Mad? No, I'm furious. That event wasn't about publicity. You made it all about you. And yes, I know that you went behind my back and tried to get those other stories printed. I hope you know that you have put those publications you bribed out of business. I will see to it that they're both ruined."

"You're in intersting foe." Chuck smiled as he walked further into Juliet and Xavier's home. "You fight tooth and nail to protect the people in your company, and yet you'll put an entire company out of business."

"Chuck, I'm not going to defend myself to you." Fiore hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"I did want to check up on Juliet. You were simply the cherry on top. You canceled our lunch plans."

"You and I did have lunch when you crashed my charity event. Then you made a scene as we left."

"Is what I did really that bad?"

"Yes. My work is something I take seriously. You made a mockery of it. Those families deserve favorable publicity. I'm not a reality star. I am a representative of the royal family. Behavior like that is not acceptable." Fiore warned. "I am not a fool and I will not be made to look like one."

"What if I apologized?" Chuck mused.

"First, an insincere apology means nothing. Secondly, an apology fixes nothing."

"I still expect to have lunch."

"Chuck, you need to leave."

Duke started barking again when Fiore heard the scrape of a key in the lock and James opened the door.

"Fiore," he smiled, but his smiled faltered as he saw Chuck. "I didn't realize you had a guest." James offered as he cleared his throat.

"I don't. Chuck was leaving." Fiore growled.

"Actually, I came to check on Juliet." Chuck smiled. "It's good to see you, James." Chuck offered his hand to James and James shook it.

"She's doing well. Both the boys are healthy."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it."

"Are Mia and Gunnar in bed already?"

"No, they're just getting ready. Gunnar was helping Mia get her nightgown on." Fiore explained, her eyes never shifting from Chuck. She didn't trust him enough to turn her back on him. Not with the information she'd learned about him.

"I don't bite," Chuck grinned. "Well, no more than is pleasurable." He purred. Fiore crossed her arms as Chuck stalked forward.

"I'll go check on Mia and Gunnar," James excused himself.

"You know you missed me." Chuck purred.

"One night of sex doesn't make you my significant other. You of all people should understand that."

Chuck sighed. "Fiore," Chuck ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't how I imagined this."

Fiore raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how did you imagine this?"

"I'm used to women falling for my charms."

"Not earning brownie points."

"Fiore, woman," Chuck started, feeling his temper flare. "You are the first woman to challenge me in a long time. You're not like most women. I like that."

"Chuck, you've pretty much stalked me. You know that's not okay."

Chuck gave a mischievous smile. "Do I?"

"Yes, you do. Chuck you are far too intelligent for these games. They're beneath you."

"Beneath me, you say?" Chuck ginned. Fiore rolled her eyes at the innuendo and Chuck's face sobered. "So you think I'm smart."

"I know you are. That's the only way someone gets away with cooking their books and other illicit activities." Fiore rolled her eyes again. "Now, I'm not an idiot. Don't treat me like one."

"How did you see my companies' books?" Chuck demanded, suddenly more aware of how serious this situation was.

"Are you kidding? You may be Chuck LeGrande, but I am Fiore. And don't you ever forget it. Now get out." Fiore growled.