Part 10. Hatred for Royals

“I don't like nobles,” Jane mumbled, staring at her friend. She did hope that the finality in her tone would throw Krista off. The bartender wasn't easily riled up, but once her mind was made up, she was stubborn and had a hard time letting things go. It was one of those things.

The bar was yet to open. They had to make sure everything was pristine and clean because Chuck booked another bachelor party. He was going to kill them all one day. 

“You don’t like nobles, sure,” Krista hummed, wiping the glass with the bar cloth, “Okay, I can understand that, but I've never seen you like this. So angry. He’s a bloody Prince of Walsh. You have to be calm with him. Like...he’s above us, and I’m sure that there might be some kind of punishment if we misbehave with him.”

At that, Jane rolled her eyes. It irked her. Everything about him being a Prince. The previous night was hell for her. She couldn’t stop tossing in her bed, hyper-aware of all the people waiting downstairs. Jane never felt scared to the length she couldn’t sleep, but the night before made her realise how delicate the situation has gotten. Especially for her. 

Fortunately, the neighbours didn’t barge in her flat as she thought, but they were staring at her. She felt their eyes following her as she quietly entered her flat and shut the door. The bartender hated being watched, scrutinised for every moment. 

“To hell with him! I don’t care if he’s the Prince or a freaking King of the country” Jane huffed, angrily wiping at the stands. They were already squeaky clean from the number of times she scrubbed the same spot over and over again.

Krista gave her a stern look before turning towards her, fully leaning towards the wall. “This is not easy on you but imagine how tough it must be for him, you know, and you can't just expect him to do anything. It’s a fragile situation, and he’s in the spotlight right now, so it is hard."

“Hard?” Jane scoffed. If anything he didn’t look least bit affected. Or maybe she just cannot tell from the blank look on his face. 

Krista sighed, “Yes. He was away from the media eyes for a long time, so everyone’s focus is on him at the moment. They will not let this go easily.”

“Fucking entitled Royals” Jane muttered angrily. There was a juice can on the bar which she pulled and took a long gulp, obviously trying to distract herself, when she raised her head and met Krista’s gaze just in time to see her best friend’s eyes widen, colour draining from her cheeks. The sudden change in her expressions made Jane frown, and she slowly turned around, following her gaze.  

Jane froze as she noticed Tristan standing near the barstool, a blank look on his face. He had his arms crossed against his chest, showing off those muscular biceps. 

She stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. No words escaped her mouth as his eyes fixated on her. There was no mistaking from the look on his face that he had heard everything she said. The sharp contours of her words must have pricked his skin, but it was the truth.

Tristan should have been used to it, though. There were more than enough people who sneered at the Royals because of how unfair their lives are compared to them.

Either way, it didn’t matter. Jane had voiced her opinion because she had every right to do it. It was on him if he accepted it or not. The way he was staring at her made her squirm. Screw it! He was the one who got her into this mess, so that’s the least he could hear. She had so many things to say to him, but the bartender was holding back. It was very humiliating for her to be mobbed right in front of her apartment on top of having an intimate moment violated by the media and public. Granted she didn’t know about his status, but he did, and he could have done something before it got messier.

Tristan squared his shoulders and started moving towards her. 

Why didn’t Krista tell her that Tristan was listening to them?! Jane had her back turned towards him so she could not have seen him. It made her face red as he did not say anything. 

She maintained a poker face as he stood a few inches in front of her. As the bar was not fully lit, she could only rely on the light that spilt through a small window. It was enough to emphasise one half of his face, bright as a day, showcasing the sharp cut of his cheekbones, the clear dark of his eyes. His dark brown hair was causally swept off his forehead, tousled in a way that might be careless like he just got out of the bed. Jane shivered, staring at his lips pressed into a thin line. 

He was dressed in another of his expensive blazer jacket with a crisp white shirt and chinos. As she tilted her head up, to meet his eyes, a lazy smirk crawled on his lips. She knew that he drew bitter satisfaction from being taller than her, towering oh so quickly. It made her shudder as she tried not to think about him crowding her against a wall, looming over her and easily manhandling her.

“You’re very judgmental, Ms Rossetti” He drawled, his voice smooth and gliding across her skin.

She made a face, “Call me, Jane.” 

“Also its the truth.” The bartender added, referring to the part where she insulted his kind. 

Tristan shook his head, “If you want to believe that I can’t change your mind.”

Exactly. There was no way he can change her mind about high society. It would be a waste of time, for both of them.

“Glad you understood that easy” 

“Anyways I came here to talk Ms Rossetti. It’s urgent.”

He was purposely doing it. She huffed, staring back at the stand. There was so much work pending, and they open in an hour. Also, how did they allow him to enter the bar when it doesn’t even open for an hour? 

“I am working. We can talk after my shift” 

Tristan rolled his eyes, “It won’t take much time. I have places to go.” 

Like she doesn’t have to be anywhere. Who did he think he was? Right. A freaking Prince! He was so overconfident and cocky that it made her furious. Why didn’t she see that before? Maybe it would have repulsed her enough to not sleep with him. Before she could yell at him, Krista tugged on her wrist. 

“You can go. I’ll handle it here.”

Jane frowned, “But-”

“Go” Krista widened her eyes. 

With a huff, Jane took off her apron and threw the gloves in the corner before trailing behind Tristan. He was walking towards the VIP couch in the corner, and she should have expected that. She saw him there a few times by now, so it was easy to expect it. 

“What is it?” She asked impatiently, not even bothering to wait for him to sit. 

He lifted his head, “You’re not very patient, huh?”

“I have to work unlike you, Tristan.” 

“Who said I don’t have to work? You don’t know anything about me, Ms Rossetti.” 

“And neither am I interested in knowing about your work. So spit out whatever it is” Jane scowled. 

Why would she even bother to get to know about his work? He’s a Royal so it won’t be a brainer to figure out he would be attending parties and escorting pretty ladies to their tea gatherings. Or something dumb like that. She had no interest to know in detail.

Tristan gritted his teeth, “My mother wants to meet you tomorrow.” 

Jane stared at him for a few seconds without blinking, hoping that he was joking. Her heart was beating like crazy in her chest as she thought about it. The Queen wants to meet her! Why would his mother want to do that? 

“Are you joking?”

“Like I have nothing better to do than come all the way here to joke about it” Tristan scoffed. 

She ignored his sarcasm. 

“Why does she want to meet me?! Did you say something?”

“No, but the papers surely did. We are on the headline again.” Tristan showed her the phone.

Jane gawked at the picture. She was gripping Tristan's hand like her life dependant on it. It was only because of how scared she was. Staring at the picture, it didn’t look that way. No wonder people must have speculated a hundred different things. 

“Oh, god!” She sighed, slumping down beside him. 

“So I will pick you up tomorrow.”

Jane sat up, “Tomorrow?! That’s too soon.” 

“I tried to postpone it, but you don’t know my mother. She’s very persistent.”

“Fine I’ll be ready tomorrow” Jane sighed, rubbing at her face, already dreading the next day. 

***

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