Chapter 2
The armed men pushed through security guards with terrifying speed.
Marcus stepped backward in shock.
“What the hell is happening?”
The older man grabbed Alina’s arm urgently.
“They found you.”
Alina’s face turned pale.
Richard stared at her.
“Who are those men?”
Her voice shook.
“The people who killed my parents.”
The ballroom exploded into chaos.
Security guards rushed forward, but one of the armed men fired a shot into the ceiling.
Guests ducked and screamed.
“Nobody move!” the gunman shouted.
The leader stepped forward calmly, keeping his eyes fixed on Alina.
“You’ve hidden long enough, Princess.”
Alina slowly backed away.
Richard looked stunned. Just minutes ago she was serving drinks. Now armed assassins were hunting her in the middle of his party.
Marcus whispered, “This can’t be real…”
But it was.
The older man leaned toward Richard desperately.
“You must help her.”
“Why should I?” Richard snapped.
“Because if they capture her tonight, Velkria’s royal bloodline ends forever.”
The gunmen moved closer.
Alina suddenly turned and ran through the ballroom kitchen.
The armed men chased after her immediately.
Richard hesitated only one second before following them.
Inside the kitchen, cooks screamed and scattered as Alina pushed through swinging doors into a dark service hallway.
Her breathing grew heavier.
She had spent years hiding under fake identities, moving city to city, working ordinary jobs just to survive. She thought America was finally safe.
She was wrong.
Footsteps thundered behind her.
One gunman grabbed her arm violently.
“You’re coming with us.”
But before he could drag her away, Richard slammed a metal tray across the man’s face.
The attacker crashed into the wall.
Richard grabbed Alina’s hand.
“This way!”
They sprinted through the hotel corridors while alarms echoed throughout the building.
“You should’ve stayed out of this,” Alina warned breathlessly.
Richard glanced at her.
“Too late now.”
They reached a locked rooftop access door. Richard punched in a security code and shoved it open.
Cold night air rushed toward them.
Helicopters buzzed faintly in the distance far below.
Alina stepped onto the rooftop, exhausted.
“There’s nowhere left to run,” she whispered.
Richard looked at her carefully.
“For years, people thought the princess of Velkria was dead.”
Alina stared at the city lights.
“Sometimes I wish she was.”
Suddenly the rooftop door burst open again.
The armed men emerged slowly, weapons raised.
The leader smiled coldly.
“End of the line, Your Highness.”
Richard stepped protectively in front of Alina.
“You’ll have to go through me.”
The gunman laughed.
“You have no idea what she’s worth.”
Alina closed her eyes for a moment.
Then something changed in her expression.
Fear disappeared.
The terrified maid was gone.
Standing there now was someone else entirely.
Someone royal.
Someone powerful.
Princess Alina slowly stepped forward.
“You destroyed my family,” she said coldly.
The gunmen hesitated.
“And tonight,” she continued, “the world learns I survived.”
Police sirens suddenly roared below the hotel.
Red and blue lights flooded the streets.
The gunmen exchanged nervous looks.
The leader cursed under his breath.
“This isn’t over.”
Within seconds, the men retreated through the rooftop exit before police could reach them.
Silence returned.
Wind swept across the rooftop as Alina stood staring at the city skyline.
Richard looked at her in disbelief.
“So it’s true,” he said quietly. “You really are a princess.”
Alina looked down at her maid uniform.
“For a long time,” she whispered, “I tried to forget.”
Far below, reporters already gathered outside the hotel after hearing rumors of gunshots and a mysterious royal survivor.
The hidden princess was no longer hidden.
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And by morning, the entire world would know the truth about Princess Alina.
