Suddenly Jane felt her throat dry all of a sudden. What did the Prince decide? Peeking at her nightstand, she noticed that the bottle was empty. Every single time. Why didn’t she take the effort and fill it? With a sigh, she stood up; phone clutched against her ear. The soft breath of Tristan’s could be heard from the other side of the phone.
Jane sighed for what seemed like umpteenth time that day. Her schedule was so messed up that she had no idea how to balance everything. Taking a deep breath, the bartender pulled her bag and sunglasses (the camera flashes are harsh on her sensitive eyes) before walking out of the apartment. She'll think on the way.
Florence grinned, her skin almost glowing under the sharp sunlight. Apart from that, she had a different glow on her face. She was still holding onto Tristan, staring at him with her narrowed eyes. Just then, the flashes got intense, almost blinding. The paps started cheering the louder, their voice alerting the general public.
The Queen had a blank face. She was elegantly sat on the couch in what seemed like Jane’s lifetime cheque for a gown. Unlike before her hair was tied in a neat bun, not a stray strand. It’s impressive. Then again she must have had like top hairdressers at her disposal being a Royal and all.
“Sit up straight.” Bella grabbed her shoulders, pushing them till Jane was straight.
Jane let her eyes roam around, taking a step forward in the direction of the main dining hall when she spotted Daniel. What was he doing here? She looked a little wide-eyed as he turned around and their eyes clashed. Last time they met, it didn’t turn out very well. The Prince asked her to stay away from him, his very own cousin for a reason unknown.
Jane stood on her feet instantly, rushing to the King as he collapsed on the chair. Her hand immediately flew to check his pulse by the time Queen started yelling. As soon as she studied his heartbeats, the bartender realised that it wasn't a heart attack. Despite that, the King was unconscious.
Tristan almost let out a growl at the sight of his cousin. The bartender was immediately on her feet, holding him back by tugging at his wrist. She didn’t want them to start fighting in the hospital of all places. The King was on his bed next door, and he wouldn’t appreciate it.
As Jane sneaked out through the back exit, she spotted Tristan grinning widely as he stepped out of the car. He only had one bodyguard with him, his trusted one, Alfred. Before she could take a step further, someone from her university yelled Tristan’s name.“It’s the Prince!” Another one joined.And just like that, they were instantly swarmed with the paparazzi and students, trying to take exclusive pictures of them.She felt suffocated with all the people approaching them, a wide grin on their faces as they tried to slid in beside the Prince and took selfies. That was new. Well, he was extraordinarily successful and handsome, so there’s that.Tristan was a pro. He didn’t shy away from the pictures, posing with the peace sign and a fake smile. The bartender knew that it was fake because he always had crinkles around his eyes whenever he smiled.
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.