21. Christian
Rage courses through my body as I stumble my way out of Cataleya’s apartment complex and enter the limousine that awaits me. My driver adjusts his cap as I take my seat. Immediately, I reach for the champagne bottle and pour myself a glass.
Drinking this early is never a good sign.
“Where to, Your Highness?”
“Bring me to that bar… Hole in the Wall.”
Slowly, he turns around in his seat to give me a look. “Are you sure about that?”
“Please don’t question my decisions.” My hand trembles as I down the champagne glass and pour myself some more. “Just drive.”
Without another word, he does what I ask him to. Soon enough, we arrive at the establishment, and I walk in after sending a brief nod to the security guard that stands by the door. He nods and removes the velvet rope to let me inside.
That’s when I head straight to the bar, telling the bartender to get me the most expensive and potent drink possible. I hardly notice the tap on my shoulder as I wait for my drink.
“Christian Vanecourt,” the man says. It takes a few seconds to recognize this as Leland Walters, a friend of Caesar’s. He’s a dark-haired, dark-eyed man with a voice as gravelly as the hiking trails back in Solvaria. “I never would have expected to see you here, especially not at this time.”
“Well, life is full of surprises.”
“Corny,” he replies, sniffing loudly before taking a sip of his drink. “Seriously. What’s going on? Should I call Caesar?”
“No need. I’m just here to think.”
He eyes the dark brown liquid in the tumbler I just received. “Right.”
“I’m not in the mood to get patronized right now, Leland, so just…”
“Nah, I know I’m not your dad. But I am a friend of the family, don’t you forget it,” he replies, nudging my shoulder. “And it’s unlike you to act like this in public. You’re the one who used to berate Caesar every time a bad headline would come out against him.”
“Thankfully, he now has a wife who has cleaned up his ways.”
Leland’s eyes narrow at me. “You’re acting hypocritical.”
My God, what do I have to do to get this man away from me?
“What happened to letting a man sulk in peace?”
Leland shrugs. “It’s not good to be alone like this, drinking your heart out at eleven a.m. Come on, Christian. What happened?”
“It’s nothing, I…”
My gaze narrows in on a familiar-looking face across the room. He sits at a small table with a skinny blonde woman across from him. He throws his head back as he laughs, flaunting a watch that he probably bought on clearance.
Leland raises a brow, turning around to find who I’m looking at. Then he scoffs, jutting a thumb over his shoulder. “Derek Reeds? That slimeball movie actor? What are you mad-dogging him for?”
“He…” My jaw clenches. Suddenly, I’m unable to see or think straight. I only want to confront him. Maybe drive his face into the table in front of his date. “He and Cataleya, he…”
Leland shakes his head. “What the fuck are you talking about, man?”
“I’m going to beat his ass,” I say, gesturing towards Derek. “He’s not going to have any teeth left to smile with when I’m done with him.”
“Woah! What the—”
As I make my way towards his table, Leland jumps to his feet and puts himself between Derek and me. This is Caesar’s friend and I really don’t want to hurt him, but he’s getting in my way. He’s only asking to get a beatdown, too.
“Christian, calm the fuck down!” Leland hisses. “Are you trying to get kicked out of this place?”
“They would never kick me out. I’m the future King of Solvaria.”
“Is this the type of behavior the future King should be exhibiting?” Leland challenges, holding me by the shoulders. “Christ, man, think about what you’re doing!”
“Hey, is there a problem here?” Derek calls out, gesturing to his half-eaten meal with his date. “I’m in the middle of something important, so if you could pipe down, that would be great.”
Making the move to lurch forward, Leland responds by quickly holding me down. He refuses to let me beat this man up and I don’t know why.
Of course, you know why. The alcohol is making you act like a fool and he’s saving you from a nightmare.
“Do not do this, Christian,” Leland whispers. “You’ll regret it really fucking badly.”
“...You’re right.” My gaze meets Derek’s. “Why were you in the tabloids with Cataleya Fitzrelzon?”
“That?” Derek laughs loudly. “Oh, man. Listen. I just needed a quick payday. It’s nothing serious. What better woman to get associated with than the future Princess of Solvaria? It was a great fucking idea. I need to thank my agent for that.”
At this point, I’m seeing red. If it wasn’t for Leland, that man’s face would have been shoved through the glass window already.
But no. He’s right. I won”t stoop down to such a pathetically low level. Instead, I beckon over the nearest security guard. “Can you please escort this man out of the building? He’s making too much noise for my liking.”
“Certainly, Mr. Vanecourt.”
The man works quickly at taking Derek by the arm and guiding him out. Of course, Derek squirms and flails, doing his best to keep his seat. In the midst of the chaos, he somehow grabs his glass and flings it straight at my head.
It makes contact, cutting my skin and bruising my neck. Leland shouts at the man while the security guard warns him that they’ll call the police on him for that. Above the noise, I hear that they’re banning him for life for that stunt.
I wonder why they let a cretin like him in here in the first place.
“Shit! Christian, are you alright?” Leland says, eyeing my injuries. “Are you going to press charges on him?”
“Of course. I’m not letting him get away with that.”
“Mr. Vanecourt!” the manager exclaims, bringing a bag of ice for my oncoming bruises. “Sir, we are so sorry this happened to you. Would you like a complimentary meal for your troubles? How about free drinks for the rest of the night?”
“Free meals and drinks for myself and my friend would be great,” I say, placing my hand on Leland’s shoulder. “Thank you for your graciousness.”
“Certainly. The meals will come right away!”
The manager hurries off to the kitchen while Leland and I return to our seats. Once we plop down on the bar stools, I let out a sigh as I press the ice bag to my neck.
“Thank you for holding me back,” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t know what got into me back there. I wasn’t thinking straight at all.”
“Yeah, I could fucking tell,” he jokes. “Was it jealousy? I mean, I saw that paper with Cataleya and Derek on it. I didn’t think much of it. You know how the tabloid tends to fuck with people nowadays.”
“...Really?”
“Here in America, the papers will post any wild story just to get some sales. The other day, that same tabloid posted about a sea monster sighting off the coast of New York and their only source was a man with dementia who lives by the sea.”
What have I done? I’ve trusted a tabloid like that over Cataleya’s own words.
Leland notices my stony expression because he places a hand on my shoulder. “Feeling alright? Should I get you an IV to help with the hangover?”
“No, no, I’m fine. Thanks, though. I just made a huge mistake and I’m trying to figure out how to fix things.”
“Well, if you ever find yourself wanting to beat someone’s ass like that again, let me know. I don’t mind holding you back and taking some punches if it means getting free food and drinks afterwards.”
Even as the warm meals and drinks come, I don’t have the stomach to eat anything. I can’t even focus on Leland’s stories. All I can think about is Cataleya and how I’ve screwed up our relationship by trusting the media.
How could I have been so blind?
The thought of Cataleya with another man enraged me, yes, but none of that was true. Absolutely none of it.
Cataleya was loyal to me all along, and this is how I repaid her.