“I have three siblings who are much younger than me, Rhiane. Trust me, you are acting like a child. A two-year-old kid who misbehaves whenever another kid shows up eyeing her toys.”

So far, walking out of an argument had worked for their short-lived relationship. It was exasperating how they seem to never agree on anything other than arguing until one of them gave up. Such was the vicious cycle the couple was trapped in – one would state a fact, they argue about it until one of them threw his/her hands in the air and stepped out of the space, then one or both would find a way to make it up to the other. But he was not about to let the argument die just yet. It may be true what he implied about the aircraft wasting fuel because its VIP guests were biding their sweet time, yet it was important to Luke that he made himself clear before they landed. The next few hours would be his fiancee’s game, anyway. Just like he trusted Anelle to take care of logistics, his plan to convince Sebastian was hinged on Rhiane's emotional state of mind concerning him. 

“Rhiane,” he sighed her name, ignoring her blatant refusal to take his hand. She was on her way out the door, but the cabin was not too big for him to cross. In the brief moment where she seemed to contemplate what to say next, he was in a space close enough to grab her. Her words that followed though, made him hesitate for a heartbeat. She had confessed once that she liked him without the title – it was not easy for him to believe that. Right before she swung the door open, she admitted something more on the same page. 

Luke was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of hydraulics pealing the door apart. He grabbed Rhiane by her wrist, not really caring whether it was the recently injured arm or not. Time did not allow him the luxury of choice. Octavia was at the other side of the opened portal and so was Tobias, who appeared to be ready to storm inside the room and whisk the princess away in his arms again. Anelle was already strapped in, but the redhead looked over her shoulder at the sound. 

“Tell him to circle the airstrip until further notice.” The prince half-dragged his future bride by her wrist back into the room. Without waiting for affirmations from the stunned passengers, the cabin door slid close and a red light at the side panel signified that it had been locked.

Her wrist was set free as soon as they had the privacy of their room. He watched her with the same guarded expression on his face as when he was speaking to his peers. Would she hit him? She could try. “We are not landing this plane until we settle our discussion. I will not have you two ladies using me to make the other jealous. You will not even try, Rhiane. It’s childish. It’s foolish. It’s pointless.” It was not even a guarantee that Anelle would stop flirting with him. "I don't ask you to make Tobias jealous, even if I hate that he makes you laugh and you will most likely pick him over me, because it doesn't matter. You are chosen to play a part in this PR campaign as much the queen chose Anelle for the job. Both of you need to focus on what should be done, provoking each other is an utter waste of time. Do your part, is all I’m saying. Work with her. Give her an idea where to shoot, which places to visit, because it’s part of your job. Besides, if you have not placed matters into your own hands yesterday, we could still have Luce Viscomi working with us right now.”

He paused after the last word escaped his mouth. It wasn’t what he would like her to hear from him, not when he wanted her to be more cooperative and not antagonized by his arrogance. “Let me handle Anelle,” Luke added quickly. “I’m not asking you to be like me, but for this campaign, set aside your personal emotions and do what needs to be done.”

His face softened a little maybe because he suddenly realized how he was the very person he was telling her not to become. A crack in his mask. His emotions ruled his logic, affected his words, consequently failing in negotiations. He took a step closer, tentatively touched his hands to her upper arm, as if he wanted to hold her and apologize, but he wasn’t sure if she would lean in. “She was a part of my past, Rhiane. We haven’t talked in years, because I don't feel like reaching out to her. Her flirting will not change anything. I never intended to catch-up with her. Between my duties and this tour, I have you to fill-in my schedule.”