Fight Fight Fight
The roar of an angry crowd rose from the floor below, and Preston Vance's knuckles went white. Shock, then pure fury, flashed in his eyes.
He sucked in a sharp breath, fighting the primal urge to throttle both Princess Solana and the Fourth Princess.
But one was royalty and the other a high-ranking noble; even with the Vance family's hundred-year legacy, he couldn't just murder them in public.
His gaze swept the room and landed on Ryder Sinclair, who was just standing back and watching the chaos unfold.
All at once, Preston's rage found a new, much more satisfying target.
"I never thought you had it in you, Ryder Sinclair," Preston sneered. "I wonder if your father, the Grand Tutor, knows his son is skipping his studies to write this kind of garbage."
Ryder had been thoroughly enjoying the show, but he froze as the accusation hit him out of nowhere. The mention of his father was like someone stomping on a cat's tail, he shot up instantly.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" he snapped. "Say that again."
Seeing he'd struck a nerve, Preston's smirk widened. "Such a shameless little hobby. I bet if Tutor Sinclair found out, he'd be absolutely furious. He'd probably regret ever raising such a, "
Before he could finish the insult, Ryder lunged forward and planted his fist squarely in the corner of Preston's mouth. He hated, more than anything, when people dragged his father into things.
The crowd immediately forgot about the play, their attention swiveling to the brawl that had just broken out between the two wealthy young men.
Seeing a fight, Cassidy Sterling couldn't resist. She slipped into the fray, sneaking in a few well-aimed kicks of her own while no one was looking.
*Go for it, Host! Fight, fight, fight!* the System cheered in her mind, excitedly waving a tiny virtual handkerchief.
Whether it was the intense background music the System was suddenly blasting in her head or just its over-the-top encouragement, Cassidy's kicks grew more and more enthusiastic.
Princess Verity was pacing nearby, on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. Did these two idiots forget this was the grand opening of their Spring Breeze Tower? How could they possibly start a brawl right in the middle of everything?
*Can't you people just act normal for once?*
Cassidy, meanwhile, had her priorities straight. *Making money is way less important than watching a good fight. And while nobody's looking, I'll just sneak in a few more kicks. Every one that lands is a win.* She'd been annoyed with Preston Vance for a long time, anyway.
Preston, busy trading blows with Ryder, suddenly felt a suspicious number of extra fists and feet connecting with his body. He spun around, furious, and caught sight of Cassidy's foot just as she was pulling it back.
Cassidy casually lowered her leg, dusted off her shoe, and stood there with a perfect poker face, as if nothing had happened at all.
*If I don't admit it, no one can prove it was me.*
Heck yeah.
*I'll get you again next time.*
The System was a little disappointed when she stopped. *Host, get back in there! He's not down for the count yet.*
Cassidy shot back in her mind, *Get lost!* This damn System was always trying to get her in trouble, and she was a good, law-abiding citizen.
Princess Verity marched over, glaring at Cassidy's smug expression. "You're the owner of this theater!" she hissed. "Why are you joining the fight instead of stopping it?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Cassidy replied, feigning offense. "When did I fight?" To prove her point, she immediately turned and shouted to the staff, "Somebody get over here and throw these two out! They're disturbing the peace in our establishment!"
As the guards hauled him toward the door, Ryder stared back in disbelief. *Didn't you tell me I was the third owner of this place? Is this really how you treat your business partners?*
But his indignation faded the moment he looked over at Preston, who was also being tossed out. Seeing his rival's miserable state, Ryder felt a whole lot better.
"Wow, you're really out of shape," Ryder taunted. "Must be spending all your time in brothels. You look completely worn out." He grinned. "I barely even tried, and you're already a mess. How can someone as weak as you act so high and mighty all the time?"
Everyone at the entrance was now staring at Preston. Limping, he quickly covered his bruised face with his sleeve.
"Ryder Sinclair, you just wait," he spat. "This isn't over."
After delivering the threat, he and his servants scurried away.
Ryder watched them flee in disgrace, feeling fantastic.
He started humming a little tune as he walked around to the back door of the theater to head back inside.
In the past, he and Preston had always been an even match, but he hadn't even used his full strength just now, and Preston still got wrecked.
It seemed his fighting skills had gotten a lot better lately.
With the troublemakers gone, the gongs and drums on stage fell silent. Lydia Sutton walked gracefully to center stage.
"Distinguished guests," she announced, her voice ringing clear, "this concludes the first half of 'Young Lord, Your Little Darling Has Fled Again.' If you wish to know whether the Young Lord Vance and Scholar Dawes can overcome their differences in status, survive the Vance family's scheming,
and finally get their happy ending, please return to the Spring Breeze Tower at this time tomorrow to find out."
As soon as she finished, the hall erupted in disappointed groans.
"How can it be over already? Keep going! When will the Young Lord get his memory back?"
"Yeah!" someone else cried out. "That poor Scholar Dawes! Are we just supposed to watch the Young Lord accept his family's arranged marriage to some other woman?"
"Those Vances are the worst, making him marry someone he doesn't even like just for the family's benefit."
The guests were buzzing, looking like they wanted to grab the actors and demand to know what happened next. Even the Empress Dowager was frowning.
"Cassidy, why are you only showing half the play?" she said, clearly put out. "It was a huge hassle for me to get out of the palace. Hurry up and have them finish it."
"Grandmother, I can't," Cassidy said, putting on a pained expression. "You can't ask me to break the rules of my own theater. Our plays are performed in two parts. If I make an exception for you today, other guests will demand the same thing, and it'll be impossible to run my business."
But the Empress Dowager was hooked and desperate to know what happened next. "How about this: just send the actors to my private residence to perform for me tonight?"
"Grandmother, no," the Fourth Princess chimed in, hugging the Empress Dowager's arm and whining playfully. "We only have this one troupe. If they go perform for you tonight, they'll be too tired for the show tomorrow."
The Empress Dowager finally realized these two little rascals had tricked her into coming out just to leave her hanging. She decided to play hardball. "You keep saying no to everything. How am I supposed to see the rest of it, then?"
Cassidy felt a prickle of regret. Asking her grandmother to come had been a huge mistake. Thinking fast, she said, "Ryder Sinclair wrote the script. If you really want to see it, you can just ask him to perform it for you."
At that exact moment, Ryder knocked and entered the private room to pay his respects. He froze mid-step, a look of pure, unadulterated confusion washing over his face as he realized he'd just walked straight into a trap.
*Is she serious right now?*
Meeting the Empress Dowager's expectant gaze, Ryder quickly finished the bow he'd started.
Then he rushed to explain, "Your Majesty, the idea for the script was all Princess Solana's. I just wrote down what she told me. If you want to talk about who really understands the heart of this play, it has to be her."