Chatper 371


    Chapter 0371


    “Piper and I have been having an affair,” Joyce said into the microphone.


    The King stepped forward and attempted to rip the microphone from his hands, but Joyce, younger and


    stronger, shook him off with rtive ease.


    “Let me speak my truth, father!”


    “You are out of your mind!” the King snapped back.


    “I’m not! I have proof!”


    The Queen stepped forward then. “Joyce, please. This is not the this. Let us speak privately.”


    way to go


    go about


    “So you can cover it up? So you can push the love of my life off onto Julian? No!” Joyce was frantic, so


    different from his usual, quiet persona. It was like looking at a different person.


    I felt the usation physically, like a blow, so I took a firm step backwards. Then I remembered Jane,


    “What have you done?!” I shouted,


    No one but Jane could hear me. The ballroom was now full of chatter and othermotion. Only Joyce


    on the microphone was louder than the rest.


    “We slept together,” Joyce announced to the entire room.


    My face burned. I’d only ever been alone with Joyce once, and that had been on the balcony that night


    he locked me out there. The entire conversationsted all of five minutes, if that.


    “I have proof!” Joyce said again. He lifted his cell phone high. Something might Thave been on the


    screen but I couldn’t see from this distance.


    Nichs made a move then. He snat ched the phone from Joyce’s hand and smashed it hard onto the


    ground. It shattered into pieces.


    “Hey!” Joyce shouted.


    A bit of hope shot through me. Nichs was protecting me yet again. Whatever photos Joyce had, had


    to be doctored. If they were destroyed, then


    Jane’sugh interrupted my thoughts. “Your boyfriend is such a brute. So typical of an Alpha. It doesn’t


    matter though. You can’t think I wouldn’t have copies? Oh, you did? How cute.” Looking at my face,


    sheughed andughed.


    1/4


    +15 BONOS


    At the same time, Joyce announced, “I have backups, which I would be happy to provide to the press


    as proof!”


    “Why are you doing this to us?” the Queen asked her son. “Why are you trying to hurt us?”


    “I’m not, mom, I…” For the first time, Joyce seemed unsure. He shook his head. “No, I know what I’m


    doing. This is about what’s right.”


    “Bulls hit,” came Nich s’s voice. He wasn’t as close to the microphone as Joyce. He was softer,


    farther away. But I would be able to pull Nich s’s voice out of a thousand people talking at once. The


    sound of his voice was so intrinsic to my being.


    It was my second most-loved sound in the whole world, with the first being Elva’sughter.


    “You aren’t having an affair with Piper. You are delusional. Have you taken something?” Nichs


    demanded.


    “Nichs!” the Queen gasped.


    Nichs gave her a look. He motioned to Joyce. “Does this seem normal to you?”


    “Don’t say such things,” the Queen said. She looked out over the watching crowd.


    “Like a tower of cards,” Jane said. “One tiny puff of air, and the whole thinges crashing down.”


    I realized something then. The photos wouldn’t have to be doctored.


    Not if they weren’t of me.


    “You didn’t?!” I asked Jane, outraged.


    She shrugged. “He’s not terrible-looking. And he’s so sweet. Gullible really. Such a good little


    scapegoat.”


    “You are a monster,” I said.


    She looked at me with a smirk. “Don’t put it all on me. Terry was the one who pulled him in first. Terry


    saw something in the brat, I couldn’t. But then… I


    clearly hadn’t been looking hard enough at the time. I see it now.” She snorted. Thanks, Terry. A ss


    hole.”


    >>


    “You have to stop this. It’s getting out of hand. Don’t you realize what this could do?”


    3/4


    +15 BONOS


    She lifted a brow at me. “For your precious reputation.”


    “For the kingdom! The people are already doubting the royal family. You can’t


    ))


    “You think I don’t know that? You think everything hasn’t been carefully fabricated? Newssh, dumbas


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    s,” Jane said cruelly. Her smile fell into a vicious snarl. “I want the royal family to fall almost as much as


    I want to see you fall with it.” She schooled her face back into a smirk. “Two birds, one night of passion


    with a quiet prince. It evens out.”


    Hardly.


    “Hold it!” shouted a new voice from the top of the stairs. Julian.


    I turned in time to see Julian descending. He sauntered straight up onto the stage and yanked the


    microphone away from Joyce. Joyce made a grab for it again, but Nichs caught him by the upper


    arms and forcibly held him back. Compared to Nich s’s strength, Joyce was weakness incarnate.


    “Hello, everyone,” Julian said with a smile. “I want to personally apologize for my wayward brother and


    his ridiculous ‘announcement,’ which we all know is absolutely untrue.”


    “How do you know?” someone shouted from the crowd.


    Julianughed, bright and loud. It startled most of the crowd into silence. He looked back to Joyce.


    “Name the exact day and time those pictures were taken.”


    Joyce lifted his chin in defiance. “Last Monday. At 9pm.”


    I desperately tried to remember what I had been doingst Monday. The days had blurred together


    somewhat. Either way, I knew I hadn’t been with Joyce.


    Jane, however…


    I nced at her now. She was watching the show with sudden annoyed interest. All of her smugness


    had vanished.


    “That f ucking as shole middle-child…”


    Julian, it seemed, was a thorn in her side. An unseen wrench thrown into the machinery of her ns. /


    Good.


    Julianughed again, good-naturedly. “That simply cannot be.” He shook his head as he turned from


    Joyce to face the crowd. “I’m afraid that Piper was with me that night. And I have pictures to prove it, if


    necessary.”


    3/4


    +15 BONOS


    Blood rushed to my face. Pictures? What pictures? He better be lying. Or maybe that’s where he was


    just now? Doctoring photos?


    G od, I really didn’t want to know.


    “Unless you are suggestion, brother, that I can’t satisfy my girlfriend?” He must have given the front row


    of the crowd his most swoon-worthy look. A few girls shouted. It looked like someone fainted.


    Nichs backed up Julian’s words, the muscle to his sh. He held Joyce firmly, and shook him every


    time Joyce tried to speak.


    “Don’t bother lying,” Nichs said to Joyce, so firmly and sharp that I heard it. He was growling with


    barely-constrained rage.


    “You’ve offended me, and you’ve offended my girlfriend, Joyce,” Julian said. His own voice had edge


    now, as he faced Joyce once more. “And you’ve offended all of these good people by attempting to


    disrupt this festival of fun and joy. You’ve picked a sad time to cry for attention.”


    Joyce looked around at his family. Then, though I couldn’t see from this distance, it almost looked like


    he started crying.


    “We should speak privately now,” the Queen said, cing her hand on Joyce’s shoulder. “Don’t you


    agree?”


    Joyce nodded.


    Julian turned back to the crowd. “Sorry for the unpleasantness, everyone. Please, return to your


    merriment with our best wishes. We will return to you soon.”


    He motioned for the orchestra to start again, then went with his family off the


    stage.


    Beside me, Jane threw her champagne ss onto the floor and jumped to her feet.


    Her rage-filled eyes found me, and she lunged.