Page 13 of Expecting Royal Twins!
He glanced over the document. “It’s your birth certificate. Evangaline Poussard Zvonimir is listed as your mother. Aleksander Nicholas Zvonimir is listed as your father. Your place of birth is Sachestia, Vernonia. That is in the northern part of the country.”
Jovan placed the documents they’d shown her earlier on the desk. “In case you are concerned about the translation and wish to compare, ma’am.”
“My name is Izzy,” she corrected. “I would like to see a translation by an impartial person to confirm the document.”
“How can you still not believe?” Niko asked.
“I’m simply being cautious,” she admitted. “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble to find me. You could’ve just offered to buy the box and be done with it. And me.”
“You are my wife,” Niko said. “I cannot pretend you do not exist and be done with it or you.”
Izzy grimaced. “Too bad there isn’t some birthmark that would prove without a doubt that I’m royalty.”
“Perhaps there is one.” Wicked laughter lit Niko’s eyes. “I would be happy to search for one.”
Her cheeks warmed at the thought.
His faced reddened, too.
She hadn’t been expecting that reaction from Niko, but his embarrassment made him seem less a dark, formal prince and more…human. That made Izzy feel a little more comfortable with him even if her heart pounded like a piston engine each time she noticed him staring at her.
She removed several pieces of paper stapled together. Again, the words were written in a language she couldn’t read. She handed the pages to Niko.
He flipped through them. “This is your father’s will naming you the sole beneficiary of his estate.”
“I will need a copy of the will, sir,” Duncan said.
“Of course.” Niko handed it to the lawyer then turned his attention on Izzy. “Everyone believed you died with your parents so your father’s estate went to—”
“You,” she said without an ounce of doubt.
“As your husband, your inheritance passed directly to me.”
“What kind of estate are we talking about, Your Highness?” Duncan asked.
Niko glanced at Jovan. “What is the approximate net worth?”
“Approximately twenty-five million euros,” Jovan said.
She didn’t know much about foreign currency, but she knew a lot of money was at stake here. “You’re willing to give that to me for some box?”
“The box and an annulment,” Niko clarified.
Rowdy whistled. “It’s like winning the lottery, Izzy.”
Yes, it was. She took a deep breath. That meant it was probably too good to be true.
“Let’s not get too excited,” Duncan cautioned. “We have no idea how the legal system works in Vernonia. Each country has its own laws for estates and inheritance. Something like this could be tied up in the court system for years.”
“I would never keep anything that rightly belongs to Isabel,” Niko stated firmly. “Vernonia might be a small country, but we have a parliamentarian government and a modern justice system. It will not take the High Court years to sort this matter out.”
“Can’t something like this be taken care of in the U.S?” Izzy asked.
“Your father’s property is in Vernonia,” Niko explained. “Besides, the High Court is private. There could be publicity if we used the court here in the United States.”
She glanced at the lawyer. “Duncan?”
“I don’t know anything about Vernonia’s court system, but Prince Niko is correct about the publicity. America loves royalty. The press would have a field day if they found out you were an American princess.”
Izzy frowned. “I’m not—”
“Come to Vernonia with me,” Niko suggested. “We will appear in front of the High Court and have this matter resolved quickly.”
Apprehension washed over her. She never went anywhere. “I don’t have a passport.”
“I can pull some strings,” Niko said.
“Most definitely,” Jovan agreed.
She bit her lip. “I don’t know. Maybe I should take some time to think about it.”
