Page 79 of His Beloved Princess
"That's not my problem, Miss Botegga," he barked, annoyance sneaking into the tone of his voice.
"It's your problem if you want her to work for us," I reminded him, crossing my arms over my chest. No matter what she did, she was my best friend, and I would take her side anytime against anyone.
"Are you really expecting me to visit some insane debt collector for the Algerian mafia?" Andreas raised one eyebrow at me, playing with his car keys. "Sorry, Electra, but I have two kids at home who need their father."
"So, it won't be a problem if I go there, right?" I inquired, shrugging and wanting to walk past him when he roughly grabbed my arm.
"You won't go anywhere near that fucking place," he growled, and the tiny hairs on my entire body stood up. I was frozen in shock. "Do you understand?"
"B-b-but..." I tried to come up with some objection, yet my brain shut down. Zoe's words about him being the last person she ever wanted to anger made perfect sense when I looked intohis furious face.
"No, but," he barked, pushing me out of the room with Zoe closely behind me. "I'll take care of it."
A feeling of victory settled in my chest when I followed him outside. Zoe cast me a few glances, but it wasn't the right time to discuss her sins. We both had to wait until the dragon spread his wings and flew away to breathe fire on someone else.
37
Little Secrets
Electra
"Now would be the time to tell me what is going on between Andreas and you," I pointed out, opening a bottle of Chardonnay. Zoe came to my apartment a few minutes ago, and I instantly started to bomb her with questions about the debt, but she was successfully dodging them. However, when I mentioned Andreas, she momentarily froze.
“Right after you tell me about you and Sebastian, Mrs. Thorn," she countered, plopping on the chair in the monstrous kitchen. I adored the place Bastian chose for us, but without him, it was just a golden cage, and I found myself thinking a few times about returning to my old apartment.
"Well," I sighed, handing her a glass of red wine. "Long story short, I slept with his brother. He freaked out, we argued, and he left." I shrugged while she stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. She would've known all of that if she wasn't so engrossed in her work.
"Please, do continue," she prompted me when I started to play with a napkin. Initially, I planned to tell her everything, but it felt too personal to say to her about my special relationship and arranged marriage.
"Handsome Pete, from the threesome, is Bastian's half-brother," I explained. Zoe's eyes almost fell out of their sockets, but she didn't interrupt me. She gulped the wine, pouring a generous amount into her glass while I slowly proceeded. "I had to come clean about sleeping with Peter, and we had a huge argument. Not because of the sex, obviously. It happened before we met, but because I lied to him."
"But how did you end up married? And when?" she asked, her brows furrowed.
"It's fake, Zoe," I whispered, raising my glass. "It's all fake."
She cast me a pitiful glance and gently took my hand, yet I didn't want her compassion. I would only start crying, and I had enough of it for a lifetime. I accepted my fate as Bastian's wife, even without him by my side. My only goal for now was to keep his companies on track and defend his reputation from Sarah Pearson. Other things weren't in my power to change.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't around to help you go through it, Ellie," Zoe said, moving glasses and bottles away and grabbing my hands despite my protests. "I'm the worst best friend ever."
"We both are." I smiled sadly, rolling my eyes. "When the hell did you start playing again?"
"I had to get to someone for the case," she uttered, avoiding my eyes. "He spent all his nights in the casino, and I just needed to fill in."
"Why didn't you refuse?" I inquired, opening the box with pizza and cheese rolls. My trainer wouldn't be happy about how many calories I planned to eat, but I didn't care. He would force me to run five miles anyway.
"I thought I had it under control," she replied, staring at the bottom of her glass. None of us said anything until she raised her head and pursued her lips. "Your turn now. How did you end up married?"
With an exasperated sigh, I told her everything since the day I started to work for Bastian, and I finished the story by signing the marriage certificate. I admitted having a Dom/sub relationship with him, his secret contract with Rosalind, and that Frederick and Peter gave me our wedding rings.
The massive diamond on my finger felt like a heavy boulder, yet I promised to wear it. I loved the heart necklace Bastian gifted me as a collar more than the engagement ring he had never seen. The press guessed the jewelry price at around half a million dollars, and my head spun from it. It wasn't necessary, but it supported the charade.
"So, are you or are you not Mrs. Thorn?" Zoe asked, clearly confused and shocked by all the information.
"Andreas made it bulletproof," I answered, thinking if it was a good idea to tell her about it. I trusted her with my life, but it was also Bastian's life, and his family was involved in it, too. "Just don't start investigating me," I joked, and she snorted.
"Your protector would publicly skin me alive as an example for others who would ever try to tell or do something against you." She winked at me, and I smiled. She was probably right. Andreas was very capable of doing it.
"What is between you two, Zoe?" I whispered, watching her closely. She did her best to avoid that question, but I wouldn't let her leave without an explanation. If she’d had an affair with him, I didn't care. I just had to know about it. I had to be prepared for everything from the press. Going through another surprising experience with hungry reporters wasn't on my to-do list.
