The applause was loud, filled with cheers and whistles.

Royce let go of my hand, only so he could slip it around my waist and hold me close. I stared up at him as cameras flashed, reminding me of all the press who’d begged me for an invite.

The prince at my side waved to the crowd. He legit waved to his adoring subjects, like it was an everyday occurrence. It looked like they were all eating it up too.

How many of them knew the version of Royce I did? Probably none of them.

“Chin up,” he said under his smile, his lips barely moving.

My chin lifted, I pulled on my smile, and swung my attention toward the audience at the base of the steps. A few of the people from my high school years were dispersed in the crowd. Sycophants to the Hales who’d looked down on me. Yet I was the one looking down now, wasn’t I? Did Royce’s arm around my waist puzzle them? Did it make the girls who’d been merciless bitches to me green with envy?

My smile grew wider.

Done posing at the top of the steps, he offered his arm to escort me, and I took it, grasping my skirt with my free hand. It was a regal march down the stone staircase that had been temporarily covered in red carpet as Alice had insisted the party be themed ‘Old Hollywood.’

We’d barely finished our descent before people rushed at us, congratulating him on his promotion and gushing about my dress.

It turned out to be easy to mingle when I was attached to Royce. No one wanted to talk to me. Hell, they didn’t really want to talk to Royce either—they wanted to talk at him. Because the party was so huge, they knew their face time with him was limited and they needed to make an impression.

He played his role flawlessly. He stayed engaged in the conversations and was witty, while I just smiled and nodded, offering nothing but my ability to turn oxygen into carbon dioxide.

“You better go while there’s a break,” Royce said when the couple he’d been talking with left to get another drink. “I see more people incoming, and I don’t have an exit strategy.”

I didn’t want to abandon him, but I was eager to escape. “Are you sure?”

“Go.” He brushed a kiss at my hairline in a gesture that seemed like we’d been doing it for years. “I’ll see you in a few.”

I’d spotted my family standing near the rose garden, and in my haste, I wasn’t paying attention to the faces around me.

“Marist.” A male hand grasped my elbow, pulling me to a stop. “Hey.”

The first thought I had when I saw him was that I couldn’t run in my dress, no matter how badly I wanted to. “Richard.” It came out forced and too-bright. “How are you?”

“I’m great. I was just accepted into the Leadership Fellows program at Randhurst, actually.”

“Oh,” I said. My gaze flicked to my parents, who seemed miles away. “Congrats. That’s awesome.”

“Thanks. I’m excited.” Richard’s curious gaze swept over me. “How about you? You look so different than the last time we saw each other.”

Was that supposed to be a compliment? “I’m starting my final year in economics at Etonsons.”

“Wow, cool.” He didn’t bother to make it sound believable. “Hey, so you and Royce?” He leaned in as if we were going to share a secret. “How’d that happen?”

I didn’t have time for this. “I seduced him.”

Richard laughed like it was the most ridiculous thing he’d heard, but when I didn’t crack a smile, he sobered. “No shit. Really?”

I sighed. “If you’ll excuse—”

A man stepped in and joined our two-person circle, making my exit impossible.

Richard brightened. “Dad. This is Marist Northcott. I don’t know if you remember her. We went to homecoming together one year.”

Liam Shaunessy extended a hand and a smile to me as if all the shit he’d done in the darkened dining room an hour ago had never happened. “Hello. Liam Shaunessy.”

It would be rude not to shake his hand, so I had no choice. “Prom,” I said.

“I’m sorry?”

“It was the prom,” I repeated. “Richard and I . . . Not homecoming.”

Richard clapped his hands together, suddenly remembering. “Oh, yeah.”

“I have to go. I’m sorry,” I blurted out.

Mr. Shaunessy’s smile was normal, but I felt his words were loaded with double meaning. “It was nice seeing you, Marist.”

I wove my way through the crowd, and when I finally made my way to my family, I began to regret my decision. My father was deep in conversation with one of his co-workers, my sister stared at me like I’d been diagnosed with cancer, and my mother’s eyes brimmed with tears.

“You look gorgeous,” she said. She reached out, her fingers tracing the diamonds at my throat. Her voice fell to a hush. “Is that my necklace?”

Tags: Nikki Sloane Filthy Rich Americans Billionaire Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net