Page 19 of His Beloved Princess
To my knowledge, I was famous only in some circles. I wasn't an actor or singer, with many fans who were really into me. Yes, I had a train of women at my feet. And, of course, I received weird messages from females worldwide, but this was unbelievable. Electra was a classy woman—elegant, beautiful, kind, and funny. She didn't deserve any of this just for being with me.
"Yeah." She put a piece of orange into her mouth and shrugged before leaving the kitchen.
"Princess, wait," I called out to her, but she didn't even spare me a glance.
I understood she was hurt, butshe shouldn't act like it was my fault. I never said those words, and I respected her in every way. Her ignorance cut deep into my already wounded heart, and I demanded an explanation.
"Electra!" I yelled, but she didn't answer. I entered the living room, assuming she was there, yet instead, my brother, Andreas, halted my movements, frowning at me.
"Trouble in paradise?" he asked, giving me a pointed look. We should've departed an hour ago, but I postponed it because of the situation with my princess. And I still wasn't ready to leave just yet.
"Shut up," I growled, walking past him. I wasn't in the mood to deal with him. He could be an incredible asshole sometimes.
"If we don't leave in the next two hours, Elliot will spend another night in jail," he announced, but it was just a statement. He didn't care about our youngest sibling being in prison.
I turned around, staring daggers at him. I hated being blackmailed or pushed into a choice I didn't want to make. There was no Electra or Elliot. I had everything under control.
"It won't hurt him to be reminded that he screwed this big time," I hissed through gritted teeth, fisting my palm. Elliot had been getting on my nerves for quite some time, but I always protected him. Whenever he did something ridiculous, I was there to save him. I had enough of him for a lifetime, yet I promised my mother to look after him. However, when I had to choose between him and my princess, there was no choice.
"It's your call, Bast." Andreas shrugged, pulling his phone from his jacket. "You can leave him there for as long as you see fit."
"Postpone the flight," I ordered, ignoring his last comment. My mind was with my girl, not him or my idiotic younger brother.
I peered at my watch, seeing it was already 8 a.m. Electra should be at work at nine, but with me being at home, no one would reprimand her. I mentally prepared for an argument, even when I hoped she wouldn't want to go there. Yelling at each other because of this wasn't a solution. I was ready to send one of mymanagers to the opening to give that stupid speech if it meant putting things back in place with my gorgeous woman.
Without knocking, I entered the master bedroom, only to find Electra dressed in my T-shirt, standing in front of the mirror. Her eyes widened when she noticed me, and she turned around.
"Why aren't you on the way to the airport?" she asked, sounding like she was scolding me. I came closer to her, placing my hands on her hips, and leaned down, pecking her nose. She didn't react in the way I hoped; basically, she didn't react at all. She was standing in front of me with her arms by her sides, looking into my eyes with evident sadness.
"Talk to me, princess," I whispered, kissing her cheek. She didn't push me away but also didn't do anything else. I felt horrible for not knowing what the issue was. It couldn't be because someone told her that she was fat. She was old enough to know that those people were desperate creatures who had miserable lives, so they were trying to make it miserable for others.
"I'm fine," she mumbled, but I didn't believe her.
"You're not," I objected, pulling her closer. "Something is bothering you."
"It's nothing, really," she muttered, biting her lower lip. It pained my heart that she didn't believe me or just couldn't be honest with me.
"You know that we have a rule about this, right?" I reminded her kindly, stepping away from her. "Nothing isn't considered a proper answer."
Electra sighed heavily, hesitating for a moment before she wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her face on my chest. I enveloped her in a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head while thinking about all the things that could have happened to her.
I wanted to help and protect her from the world, but it wasn't possible. Most people in my life were like vultures. They were surviving thanks to other people's suffering. They would’ve been ecstatic if they had seen her at this moment. They crushed her with one statement. They pushed her to her knees with those foolish comments and posts, and I couldn't do anything about it. Yes, I could findsomeone to erase it, but the damage had been done. She had already seen it, so what was the point of doing it?
"Tell me what’s going on, princess," I whispered into her hair, which smelled like peaches. I loved that aroma; it always reminded me of her.
She took a deep breath, pulling away from me. Her sad expression was breaking my heart.
"During my teenage years," Electra started quietly, setting her palms on my chest, "I was told a million times that I was not good enough." She gulped, probably gathering strength to continue, while I frowned down at her, hating the beginning of this story.
"My mother never stopped telling me that I was a ridiculous excuse for a child who would never achieve anything in life." She lowered her head, hiding the wetness in her eyes. I felt the sudden urge to hold her and never let go. I didn't know about any of this. No background check could provide insight into her feelings. This was horrible, and I didn't want to push her into telling me all of this if she wasn't okay with it, but before I could intervene, she proceeded.
"I told my mom about us a few days ago," she whispered, raising her head to look at me. "She laughed for two minutes, saying it was the best joke ever. She didn't believe me that a man like you would want to be with me."
Describing my feelings at that right moment would be extremely difficult. I was furious and sad. I wanted to smash a coffee table with my bare hands while hugging my beautiful girl. I craved to do something, anything that would prove to her that this between us was real, that we were okay, and those absurd statements couldn't tear us apart.
However, what hurt me the most was that her mother started all of this. No matter how much of a pig my father was, he never humiliated or undermined his children. He loved us. He supported us in every way. This, with Electra's mother, was something unimaginable.
"Do you trust me, baby girl?" I asked, brushing her hair with my fingers while she was sobbing into my T-shirt. I had to do something.
