Living Royal

Chapter Thirty One

Living Royal

Chapter Thirty One

"What? James? Are you sure?" Edward asked, shocked. James had been with them for ten years. He couldn't believe that he'd betray them that way.

"Yes, I mean, I think so. I heard him talking on his mobile phone just as I was about to come in here. He was saying something about being fed up with having to do someone's dirty work. I could be reading too much into it, I just have a feeling about this."

Bella watched Edward carefully as she spoke. His expression turned from disbelief to anger and his hands turned to fists on the table. Then he got up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Bella asked, frantic.

"To see my father, I need him to have the SS look into James' past."

"The SS?"

"The Secret Service. They usually do a background check on anyone who works here, but they must have missed something this time." He walked out of the room.

"Edward, wait! What if I'm wrong?" Bella ran after him.

"That's why I'm going to my father instead of directly to James. We'll find everything out, don't worry." He left Bella and headed to his father's study.

Bella was left to worry and pace for the next three hours until Edward finally came back.

"What happened? What took you so long?" She rushed to him as soon as he entered the room.

He ran his fingers through his hair before answering.

"Sorry, it took a bit of time for the secret service to figure out why James would spy on us."

"So it is him? You're sure?"

Edward nodded, "Yes, it all makes sense now."

"How? What did you find out?"

Edward looked at Bella calmly before he said, "James is Tanya's cousin." Le GASP!

"What? Her cousin? And you never knew that? I thought she was your best friend."

"She was, but apparently James is from the less fortunate branch of Tanya's family, so they don't speak of them very often." He explained.

"And she made him get a job here so he could spy on you?"

"That's what he said, yes."

"So, you've questioned him?"

"Yes, he admitted everything. She put him up to this so she could come between us. She wanted him to report back to her about my whereabouts. As if that would work."

Bella couldn't believe the lengths some people took to get what they wanted. Even if what they wanted could never belong to them.

"So what happens now? To James, I mean." Bella asked.

"He has to be punished; otherwise everyone would think that it's alright to spy on us, that they'd get away with it." Edward explained, gravelly.

"So you're firing him?"

Edward shook his head, "He's going to be tried. What he did is a capital offence, Bella."

Bella froze in shock, "But, isn't that too harsh a punishment?"

"Of course not! Can you imagine what sort of details could have been leaked to the public if we hadn't found out about him?" Edward asked, vehemently.

Bella could sense his anger rising but she couldn't keep quiet. She had to say something.

"I still think firing him is a harsh enough punishment, Edward." She insisted.