Prince Albert(79)

“Save your lectures, big brother,” Alex says, huffing. But she doesn’t walk off. She stands there beside me, surveying the room with her champagne in hand.

“Max didn’t like him either,” I note.

She looks beyond me toward where Max stood across the room. “Max should mind his own business.”

“I think you are his business, Alex.”

She gives me a ‘fuck you’ look, but then Belle comes into view and my attention is immediately diverted away from Alex. Belle walks across the room with long strides, pausing only once to smile and nod at a guest who interrupts her. She wears the same dress she wore earlier, the one I pushed up to her waist before bending her over the bed.

Her forehead is wrinkled.

I know that look. She’s upset about something.

When she reaches us, she puts a hand on each of our forearms, furtively glancing behind her before she speaks. “You guys,” she hisses. “Did you know about this?”

“Know about what?” I whisper.

“Did you know he was going to be here?” she asks. “Or that he was in Protrovia? Did my mother tell you?”

“I literally have no idea who you’re talking about, Belle,” Alex says, looking behind Belle and across the room. “I don’t see anyone. Who’s he?”

“Derek,” Belle hisses.

“What?” I ask. Irritation surges through me at the mere mention of the name of the asshole ex-fiancé who cheated on Belle.

“Who’s Derek?” Alex asks. Her voice is just a little too loud, and I “hush” her.

“My – just an assho – my fiancé,” she says. “Ex-fiancé.”

“Oh no,” Alex says, wrinkling her forehead.

“What should I do?” Belle’s face is ashen. “I don’t want to cause a scene in the middle of a charity event.”

I have an idea of what I’d like to do to her cheater ex-fiancé. It involves my fists and would definitely cause a scene.

“I’m just going to sneak out of the room that way and hope no one notices,” Belle whispers. “Right?”

“I’ll go with you,” I start, but Alex glares at me.

“No,” Alex says. “I’ll go with her. You don’t want to draw any extra attention to you.”

“Belle!” A group of people part and Sofia walks toward us, her hand outstretched toward Belle. Belle’s eyes widen as she looks at me before slowly turning around to face her mother.

“Did you do this?” Belle asks. Her hands are clenched into fists by her sides. I can’t see her face, but I can tell by her tone that she’s no longer anxious as much as she is angry.

Sofia draws Belle in to hug her, standing with her hands on Belle’s arms, smiling broadly. “Derek is here because he wants to apologize, darling,” she says, her voice soft but still audible. “He and that friend of yours are no longer together. He contacted me because he wanted to make it right. He flew all the way in from the States to surprise you and to support you publicly at this event. He still wants to get married. Isn’t that fantastic?”

“Oh, fuck that,” Alex says beside me, her voice too loud.

I elbow her hard. “Be quiet, Alex.”

“What?” Alex whispers. “That’s a load of bull. She’s going to take him back?”

Sofia clears her throat and glares at Alex. “Well, Isabella, I’m sure the two of you have some things to talk about. Perhaps in another more private room, Isabella?” She asks the question without waiting for a response before putting her hand on Belle’s back and turning her around to casually direct her through the crowd.

I stand there watching Belle walk away, like this whole thing is a damn train wreck, because that’s what it is.

Alex elbows me. “You saw that, right?”

“I saw it,” I say, my voice the epitome of calm. But that’s only on the outside.

“So Belle just walked off to meet her cheating ex-fiancé who wants to get back together with her,” Alex says. She sets her empty champagne glass down as a caterer passes with a tray and turns back to me. “And you’re standing in here.”

“Where else would I be?”

How about someplace like punching Derek in the fucking face?

Alex raises her eyebrows. “I don’t know, maybe stopping her from getting back together with him?”

“Why would I do that, Alex?” I whisper.

Alex cocks her head to the side as she looks at me. “I don’t know,” she says. “Maybe because you like her.”

“I never said I liked her.”

“Yeah, right,” Alex says. “You guys have been obsessed with each other since she got here.”