Chapter 34: Out of the Closet

'Why did you decide to sponsor me?', I found myself asking Sebastian, although I kind of knew already why he wanted me here. I fully expected a story about how Harper and I were meant to be, and it was evident from the moment we first laid eyes on each other. 

It was practically written in the stars, or so Sebastian wanted to believe. 

'I saw something in you that I thought Monaco needed…Hope', he said.

His words made me stumble a little bit in my place. His words were the last thing I expected to hear. That was an understatement. I hadn't expected it at all. It made me feel all sorts of self-conscious, and I certainly wasn't liking it very much.

'Hope?', I asked and gulped hard. My mouth was suddenly very dry, and I wondered if I could drink the water running before us.

'I know that you might not see it yet, maybe not ever. But you have a quality about you that makes me feel that you're just the right person to rule Monaco one day.'