Page 30 of His Beloved Princess
16
The After Party
Electra
The reception after the main program was an endless parade of luxury. A trendy band was taking care of the music while the people enjoyed terrific food and drinks, and I secretly admired the stylishly dressed waitresses offering us extravagant drinks.
"Look at her legs," Peter whispered behind my back, and Frederick chuckled. Obviously, Pete knew about his brother's disability and made sure that he saw his face when he talked. I often noticed that he only mouthed so no one could hear their gossiping about the sexy girls.
I turned to them, raising my glass, and Fredy winked at me while Pete flashed me one of his best smiles.
"Of course, you're the queen here, Electra," he stated, wiggling his eyebrows, but I ignored him. My mood was too good to be destroyed by his lame attempts to flirt.
"I would like to know where my king is," I said, reminding him that his comments and compliments were inappropriate. I suspected he was doing it intentionally, but I couldn't be sure. And I didn't want to draw more attention to us than necessary.
"He'sdealing with some unpleasantness," Fredy clarified, handing me another glass of champagne. I took it, mentally noting that I shouldn't drink more before Bastian's return.
"Oh, you must be kidding me." The sweet, mocking voice of no other than Rose Adelaine cut through my ears, and I grimaced. Just the person I wanted to avoid. "A secretary, bastard, and," she gave Fredy a quick once-over, smirking, "have you thrown a bucket of yellow paint at yourself, darling?"
"Good evening, Rosalind." Frederick smiled at her, acting like she didn't insult them, but his brown eyes glowed with anger. "Are you here to enjoy our company?"
"I'm here because I'm the best manager working for your brother, sweetie," she pointed out as if we should already know it. "The real question is, what are you doing here?" She directed her attention to Peter. "What kind of scandal are you planning for today?"
Peter didn't look fazed by her words at all. He was probably used to being humiliated by people because he was an out-of-wedlock child.
"Something surprising, of course." He winked at her, placing the empty glass on the table and approaching her. I heard what he said because I was only a few feet from her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known how he wiped that stupid, arrogant smile from her gorgeous face.
"A few weeks ago, I saw a video, and the main actress looked exactly like you, you naughty girl." Her expression fell, and her eyes widened in shock. In a millisecond, she looked horrified. "What will all these people say if they know that you love latex and ropes?"
"H-how?" she stammered while I was watching them with my mouth wide open. She had a dirty secret, and somehow, Peter knew about it. He may have been a troublemaker who made some stupid mistakes, but he surely understood the power of that information. And he knew how to use it to his advantage.
"It doesn't matter how, you little whore," he whispered, and she gulped, staring into his face. I took the tiniest step closer, acting invisible, wanting to hear what he was saying to her. But even if I didn't comprehend his words, Fredy walked to the other side with a perfect view of his brother's mouth.
"Call me bastard again, and you'll find out that Bastian is nothing compared to me when it comes to being vindictive." He gave her a fake smile and showed her his broad back while she was fuming. I expected her to yell profanities or insults at him, but she didn't. She clenched her palms, and with one last deadly stare, she left.
"You didn't make a scene. That's new." Fredy slapped Pete's shoulder hard. His dark eyes glowed with pride. I could only imagine why he was so happy about his younger brother handling this situation like an adult man. Peter had a reputation as a hot-headed person with a long list of escapades.
"I don't want Bastian to kick my ass out of here just after he invited me in," he mumbled, taking a glass of whiskey from the waitress. I noticed his hand slightly trembled, and his expression was somber. He was angry.
"C'mon, you're not a bastard," Fredy stated, studying his brother closely. I didn't know what kind of relationship they had, but I was sure Fredy meant his words. He accepted him as his other sibling, and he was on his side.
"Who isn't a bastard?" I winced when Bastian spoke from behind me, and he chuckled in my ear and pulled me into his chest. Pete shot him a glance before he drank the remaining whiskey.
"I just threatened your best manager to show her cunt to every person in this country if she calls me a bastard again," he announced, probably waiting for Bastian to scold him.
"What?" my man muttered, and I turned my head to the side to see his flabbergasted expression.
"Rose," I whispered, exactly as I thought it was enough for him to understand.
"What the hell did she say to you?" he rumbled, letting go of me, expecting an immediate explanation from his brother.
"It's not important." Pete waved his hand, plastering on a broad smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm going to say hi to a lovely woman I noticed before." And he walked away.
Surprisingly, Bastian didn't stop him, but after a few seconds, he turned to me. "Can you please tell me what happened?" he asked, and I glanced at Fredy, who grinned and left us alone. Great! They both knew Bastian would be livid about Rose's words, and I was the one who had to calm him down.
"She was bitchy as usual," I replied neutrally, trying to avoid his probing gaze. He was overprotective about his siblings, and despite Rose being, well, Rose, she didn't deserve to suffer his wrath when Peter discreetly reminded her that she should be nice.
"I would like to—" Bastian started again, but I cut him off. I didn't do it often, yet I didn't want to spend the night thinking about that woman.
