/Tristan POV/
After Jane let go of that scarf because she was running low on cash, they moved to the nearby stall. He wanted to buy that for her instead, but he had no money, and the vendor doesn’t accept cards. The Prince was aware that he could get it for free, but Jane would never appreciate it.
Tristan mentally reminded himself that he should withdraw some cash and tuck it in his back pocket for emergencies like these.
They started talking about the stress of city life and how difficult it is to walk in the crowded markets. It took them more than ten minutes just to navigate to the end of one street. The Prince let out a sigh, his eyes roaming around the narrow streets and people rushing to get out. Everyone was in a hurry.
“All right, Princeling. I'm sure you are a fantastic rider, no doubt about it, but I have something important to ask.""Ask away."Jane swallowed. “Can I bail out of the party?”The bartender had no idea how she was going to keep her sanity at the party. Those people scared her. Above all, she didn’t belong in that crowd. It would be so easy just to pick her and toss out of that elite mob. That’s the only thing she kept thinking on her way back home.“No! I already told you, Jane.”She sighed, staring at the wardrobe full of clothes. The biggest problem was she didn’t have anything that would make her blend in with the crowd. Something that won’t make her an easy target.Chewing on her lips. “I am scared.”“Of what?”&ldquo
Jane stared at the Queen, her eyes wide and mouth parted.&n
Jane quirked her lips at the girl in front of her. Who was she? The bartender couldn’t help but admire her beauty. She was imperially slim, tall and gorgeous. The purple lace dress showed off her curves with a slit at the thighs, exposing those sun-kissed legs. Her blonde hair was held by a flower pin, the long strands extending till her waist. Not a hair was out of its place. The girl had milky white skin, the purple shimmer on her cheeks, making her stand out. “Florence” Tristan breathed, his tone edgy.She even had the prettiest name! Jane flickered her eyes between the both of them trying to connect dots. But she failed. Florence smiled, “Good evening, Your Highness.”The Prince shook his head, “Oh, stop with that already! How are you?”His friends shared a knowing smile which made Jane frown. Was she missing something? It appeared as if Tristan’s friend knew her and whatever happened between Florence and Tristan. The thought made her stomach. She could totally picture them toge
Jane held her breath as the Prince stalked towards them. She could feel the sound of her heart thudding loudly against her chest. Blood rushed to her cheeks. Eyeing the Prince standing in front of Daniel, she shifted on her feet.
She opened and closed her mouth as the scene unfolded in front of her. The rancid stench of the vomit followed by the Queen's glare on her was making it difficult to hold her stare. Jane heard the murmurs around her, the hushed voices making fun of her clumsiness.
Jane gaped as those words sank in. Tristan's mother wanted to see her. That's the worst thing she heard in a while. It scared her shitless because she puked on the Queens expensive gown. As she thought about the incident, it made her shiver. What was she thinking?
A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as those words sank in. What did the Queen want to talk about? Several thousand scenarios kept running through her mind. The bartender was sure that it had everything to do with the previous night incident. Her grip tightened on the seat.
/Tristan’s POV/“Now, with your talk with my mother is out of the way? Let’s get down to business.” He stared at Jane.
Jane looked up from chopping her onions when she heard her fathers noise. He was pointing at the screen. Surprisingly, her father was not yelling like he usually did in front of the television. As soon as she got home, her parents were so emotional seeing her they all hugged. No one talked about the tabloids or the papers. For the meantime, she's glad about it.
Tristan stormed to Ivanka's room, his jaw clenched the entire time. He couldn't believe it that she would something so stupid. Ivanka voluntarily talked to the media and made the matters worse. Of course they twisted her words and dragged Jane to the filth, as far as making her to be the home wrecker. The people bought into anything so it wouldn't be surprising if they blindly believed the article. Oh god. What if they were already camping at Jane's place as well? The Prince had some bodyguards watch that place just in case if things started getting out of hand.
Jane barged into the Palace; she had a clear motive in the back of her mind. And that was to meet the Prince and demand some answers. How could he tarnish her name like that? What was his entire team doing? Just thinking about the article made her blood boil. Its been eighteen hours since that single tabloid published the interview, but hundred different publications quoted the same thing.
Jane felt a harsh nudge in her side. Looking up, she noticed her friend glaring down at her. Krista had an arm resting on her hip, brow arched.
/Tristan's POV/When the Prince woke the morning after, the bathroom door was ajar, and the shower's running. He quirked his brow at that. Who was showering in his bathroom? Even though he could just knock and confirm his
"I didn't know" She shakily breathed, staring at the Prince standing in front of her. Jane couldn't trust anyone, huh. Why didn't Daniel tell her anything? They talked about so many things. He could have mentioned that to her.
Jane ended up walking back to the room assigned to her. There was no use wandering in the hallways anyway. As soon as she’s in the comfort of the bed and huge duvet, the bartender stared at her contact list. The only thing she managed to grab from the nightstand without collapsing on the bed.
Jane froze in her spot, staring at the stranger hugging her boyfriend. Fake boyfriend actually. Also, she referred to him as “babe” like they have known each other romantically. That knowledge twisted something inside her. An ugly feeling crawled over her chest, gripping at her in an instant.
When she climbed back up the ladder,Tristan was sitting next to it, his legs dangling over the edge. He looked so soft and warm as he’s watching her, a radiant smile on his face. The bartender couldn’t handle that, can’t handle him. She shook her head,spraying the Prince with droplets of water.