Free Billionaire's Runaway Princess by Mia Caldwell

entrance.
    “This is because of that runaway princess,” said Jerry derisively.
    “Runaway Princess?” asked Marisol.
    “Yeah, the princess of Dalay-what-ever-it-is. She took off and didn’t tell people anything.”
    “That was selfish of her,” said Marisol.
    Jerry shrugged. “Who knows why she did it? She might have had a good reason.”
    “To worry that many people, I don’t think so.” Marisol opened the door as they were still in the street because of a clog in traffic.
    “I’ll wait for you,” said Jerry.
    “You don’t have to.”
    “Yes, I do. It’s my job.”
    “Bye, Jerry,” she said. “It was nice to meet you.” Without a backward glance, she pushed past the people on the sidewalk to the entrance of the hotel. Here, she was stopped by a police officer. The beefy cop easily stood a head taller to her, and he held out his hand to barring entrance to the hotel.
    “This is a crime scene, Miss. You can’t enter.”
    “But I’m Marisol, the Princess of Dalyasia.”
    The cop laughed. “And I’m King Vattakov. Move along, princess. No one is getting in this hotel without authorization.”
    “Look!” she said indignantly. “Check it out. I am Princess Marisol. Call my father. He’ll identify me.”
    “And I said move along,” said the cop roughly. “Or I’ll be forced to put you in jail with the rest of the Princess Marisols that showed up here today.”
    Marisol stood there stunned. Never for a minute did anyone doubt who she was.
    She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to see Jerry’s concerned face.
    “Let’s go,” he said. “This isn’t a good idea.”
    “But—” protested Marisol.
    He shook his head. “You don’t want to get in bad with these cops. If they arrest you, it might be days before anyone can find you to get you out. Come on. I’ll take you back to the apartment.”
    She brooded all the way back to Ryan’s apartment, and even Danny’s cheerful face could bring her out of her funk. He gave her the key to the elevator and showed her how to use it. Marisol thanked him, but half-heartedly.
    On the ride up to Ryan’s apartment, she continued worrying about the situation. She’d already done it several times, and each replay only made things worse. She had nothing on her own, nothing that didn’t come with being Princess of Dalayasia. Her father had asked her to do one thing to secure the future of her country, but she couldn’t do it. Wilson was right. She was selfish.
    When she’d tried to make things right, she was turned away. Add to that she couldn’t do the simple job of housekeeper, and her one remaining family member in the world didn’t want her around.
    Could this day get any worse?
    Marisol felt it couldn’t. What was she going to do now? Hang around in the house of a millionaire who had prior commitments? Moon over a man while he walked around near naked in a bath towel.
    How did her life get so messed up?
    The door to the elevator opened, and she stepped into Ryan’s apartment. As she opened the service entrance, she almost collided with an older blonde woman holding a broom.
    Oh great. Ryan couldn’t trust her with the housework, so he’d brought in the cleaning service.
    “Hello, you must be Marisol,” said the woman. “I’m Cheryl Kelley, Ryan’s mom.”
    “Ryan’s mom?”
    “Yes. My son called me this morning and said you could use some help settling in.”
    “He did?”
    “Yes. And, no offense, but from the looks of things, you can definitely use some help.”
    At that moment the day, the morning with Ryan, searching for her uncle, and the rejection at hotel, overwhelmed her and she started crying.
    “Oh, dear,” said Mrs. Kelley. “I didn’t mean to sound harsh.”
    “You..you didn’t,” stammered Marisol. “It’s true. I’m completely useless.”
    “I don’t believe that for a second. My son has a good eye for good people, and if he has you in his house, you’re one.”
    “You don’t know,” said