Page 9 of His Beloved Princess
“Of course.” I smiled, and he kissed my forehead. With one last stare at Frederick, who was casually leaning against the bar with one hand in his pants pocket, looking like he posed for a photo, he left.
Glancing around but not seeing anything interesting, I took the glass of champagne and walked closer to Frederick, who scrutinized my every move. I felt like a bug under the microscope.
“Are you looking for someone?” he asked with a grin, not taking his eyes from my face. A great idea popped up in my mind, and I quickly decided to use his company.
“Do you know Rose Adelaine?” I inquired, changing the empty glass for a full one and handing him one. He wrinkled his nose, and his smile quickly disappeared.
“I went to university with her,” he answered, cautiously watching me. He didn’t like talking about her; I could feel it from the tone of his voice.
“So, you know what kind of relationship Bastian has with her.” It was more of a statement than a question, and he narrowed his brown eyes at me.
“He doesn’t have a relationship with her,” he replied, drinking his champagne in one gulp.
“He dated her, and two weeks ago, he signed a contract with her,” I pointed out, watching his face closely for any sign of nervousness.
“Why don’t you ask him?” he countered, his eyes glued to my mouth. It felt weird to notice him watching my lips move.
“I will,” I reassured him. “I just want to be prepared for everything.”
“Or,” he looked over my shoulder, making me frown, “you can ask her.” With a slight nod, he motioned behind me, and I turned my head to see Rose walking towards us. My stomach twisted with uneasiness, and a stab of jealousy pierced my heart when I stared at her. She looked so elegant and stylish.
“Hello, Frederick.” She smiled sweetly at him, stopping before us, not sparing me a glance. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Hi,” he said, not attempting to greet her like a proper gentleman. “What do you need?” He circled the liquid in his new glass, watching her raise her eyebrows.
“Where are your manners?” she teased, leaning her elbow on the bar between us and showing me her back. It was rude of her, and I didn’t understand what she was doing.
“I need to tell Miss Hernandez something.” She abruptly turned around, startling me. There was only a few inches of free space between us when she glared at me like she wanted to put me six feet under.
“Hold on,” Fredy growled, snatching and hauling her from me. I stared with my mouth open at his broad back when he turned her to face him and leanedcloser while she was killing him with her eyes. I followed them from a safe distance so I could hear every word.
“You won’t tell her anything without me seeing it,” he hissed, deepening my confusion. It didn’t make any sense.
“I don’t take orders from you,” she spat, shaking with rage. She clearly had a hard time controlling her temper. Something beyond my comprehension was happening here.
“Not yet,” he pointed out, letting go of her arm. I noticed a red mark on her skin. He wasn’t fooling around; he was angry. “I suggest you leave Electra alone, or I’ll ensure you won’t set foot in our company.”
“You’re not the boss,” she announced confidently, crossing her arms over her chest and holding her head up high. I admired her confidence to oppose him.
“My name is on that fucking building. Bastian won’t stop me from kicking your ass out of there,” he stated, sure of himself. At that moment, his expression was the same as his brother’s—icy-cold, arrogant, and self-assured, typical for the members of the Thorn family.
“We’ll see,” she seethed, giving me one last deadly glare before she walked away with a fake smile plastered on her face.
“That was intense.” I sighed, handing him another glass of champagne.
With this speed, we will be drunk till Bastian comes back,I thought, mentally grinning.
“She’s frustrated, so she acts like a bitch. It’s nothing new.” He shrugged, taking the whole tray with canapes from the waitress, flashing her a charming smile.
“Because of me?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “Is she jealous?”
“Bastian is here with you, publicly showing that you’re his girlfriend. I think she feels threatened,” he explained, offering me delicious-looking pastries with savory topping. It was a good idea to eat something because I started to feel the effects of alcohol.
“She’s invasive,” I remarked, picking bread with olives and cheese, even though I was already full. It tasted delicious. “May I ask why you told her you need to see something?”
Rose hadn’t shown us anything, so his statement was confusing. I was nervous about not detecting something noteworthy.
“When she turned to you, I couldn’t see her face. That’s why I stopped her,” he replied matter-of-factly, stuffing his mouth full of ham and cherry tomatoes. We certainly gave an impression of savages in the middle of a regal party.
