“Papa,” Cassie protested. “Levi is here to help us.”

“To help us, or to spy on us?” Alejandro’s eyes met Levi’s. “Would you like to tell her who you really are, or shall I?”

Levi’s tongue lodged in the back of his throat. Had Alejandro learned of his association with the CIA or simply of his extensive involvement with Meridia’s intelligence service?

“Your friend here is an American.”

“What?” Cassie shook her head. “He’s from Meridia.”

“No, my dear, he is not.” Alejandro spoke the words as though they were poison on his tongue. “Levi Marin is an agent with the CIA. He is an American spy.”

Levi’s eyes darted to Cassie, and he silently pleaded for her to forgive him for the deceit.

Cassie’s mouth opened and closed once before she managed to speak. “Is this true?”

“My assignment to protect you came from the Meridian royal family. I have answered primarily to them since arriving in Bellamo two years ago.”

“But they aren’t the only people you answer to,” Alejandro said.

Levi fought against the lump in his throat and forced himself to speak the truth. “No.”

“You have been playing me this whole time.”

“No, Cassie, I haven’t.”

“That’s Princess Cassandra to you.” Her chin tilted up, and her royal mask fell into place. “I can’t believe I trusted you.” Her hand lifted, and she motioned to the door. “I believe you know your way out.”

“Don’t do this,” Levi pleaded. “My feelings for you are genuine. I’m not here to spy on you. I’m here to protect you.”

“Then why did you plant a tracking device on my daughter’s computer?” King Alejandro asked.

Levi hesitated a fraction of a second too long, and he knew it. “That was a tool I used to make sure I could find her again in case someone managed to get through our defenses.”

“Or you wanted to keep tabs on my daughter’s whereabouts for your agency.”

“No. The CIA doesn’t have access to the tracking code. They don’t even know about it.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s true. I love your daughter. I would never do anything to hurt her.”

“I believe you already have.” Alejandro nodded toward the door. “As Princess Cassandra said, you know your way out. Darius can make arrangements for your transportation back to Meridia. From there, where you go no longer concerns us.”

Levi looked from Alejandro to Cassandra to find twin stares of animosity. As much as he wanted to convince Cassie of his affection, he knew she was beyond listening to him. Levi’s jaw clenched, and he took a step back. Without another word, he turned and left the room.

* * *

The door to her father’s apartment closed, and Cassie’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces. From the day they had met, Levi had succeeded in chipping away at her royal facade to find the woman so few people really knew, and now she knew the truth about him. Levi had been deceiving her all this time.