53
“HUH? Damn it! How does she know I’m here?”, Raghav asked.
Terry giggled.
“She is not the last person to know about your whereabouts, she has eyes everywhere now”.
Instantly, a familiar female voice ranted the air few distance away from them.
“Ohhhh, Zoya? You came around”, the voice laughed.
Raghav growled, that her annoying laughter, he couldn’t yet see her as she hadn’t entered their corner.
“I will see you later, let me see my prince”, she laughed again.
The lady which just entered the bar portraying herself as Bella couldn’t just be Bella, I mean, she looked totally different, only her voice still stood.
She now looked slimmer and more curvy in her shape, her nose more pointed, her eyeballs more bigger, infact she just changed.
She was putting on a short and skimpy black Houston gown, and a red stilletos. Her strong perfume filled the bar as soon as she entered and Raghav’s nose twitched, this was indeed an expensive one.
She turned to Terry and stretched out her hands for a handshake.
“Hi Terry”, she said smiling broadly.
“Latest model in New York”, Terry hailed.
She smiled.
“You can say that again”.
Then she turned to Raghav who just sat watching her.
“Maharana, it’s good to see you again”, she said and bowed slightly.
“Mm”, he scoffed.
Bella rolled her eyes, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Come on, don’t pretend like you don’t want to see me”, she said giggling.
He sighed and sipped wine.
“How you been?”, he asked.
“Missing you my prince”, and she stooped low then wrapped her arms around him.
“I know you have missed me too”, she whispered then gave him a peck on his cheek.
Raghav just watched on, he just couldn’t stop her. Immediately Terry’s phone on the table rang out. He picked it up and peeked into it, then turned to Raghav.
“Larry”, he said.
Raghav nodded.
“Hear him out”, he said and Terry got up, bowed and left the bar.
“I will be back in a jiffy”, he called back.
Bella smiled sheepishly and sat down on the seat vacated by Terry, then she dropped her phones on the table.
“My prince, you didn’t tell me you were gonna come around”, she said as she picked up an empty glass tumbler and began filling it with wine.
Raghav scoffed.
“I don’t need to”, he said.
“Ugh, don’t say that”, she pouted.
“Well I’ve actually been so busy with work and that’s the reason I’m just coming to see you. Flying from state to state, receiving endorsements and all that. You know, my next step gonna be big, I’ll be doing some modelling for Stacy Fashion Nova, I’ve been granted that”, she laughed.
Raghav looked at her as she talked nonstop, she had really really changed, not just in her body and personality, but also in her dispositions. Bella was no longer the shy girl he used to know, she now had guts.
“What’s with this your model stuff?”, he asked.
She rolled her eyes.
“Oh! It’s my new found joy, I enjoy it”, she replied.
He sighed.
“You never liked all these celebrity stuffs, body surgery and all? Why the change?”, he asked.
Bella simpered. So he could actually feel for her and ask such questions? Wow.
“Well if you must know my prince, I actually did this for you”, she drank off the remaining wine in her cup and began refilling it.
“Did I ask you?”.
She looked intently into his eyes.
“I’m not doing this for just it, I’m doing this to get your attention, to get you back”, she said in a hushed tone.
He kept mute for a while, playing with the drink in his cup. What was wrong with this babe? He looked at her.
“Have I ever told you I get smitten with all these?”, he asked and waved his left hand at her.
Her countenance dropped.
“What do you mean?”.
“They don’t matter to me, they don’t bug me”.
She cheered up again.
“Whatever. What matters to you then?”, she asked.
He scoffed and looked away, saying nothing to her.
“You are not saying anything”, she nudged him.
“Nothing”, he shortly replied.
She smirked nodding.
“I see, I promise to find out. I will go extra miles just to get you, just to get your attention”, she got up.
He scoffed, what a lady!
“I will be back tonight at the estate, I’ve really missed you”, she licked her lips, rolling her eyes.
Goodness, what sort of a lady was this? She’s really changed as far as he was concerned.
Then she moved closer to him and within a twinkle of an eye, kissed him on his lips. Then she chuckled, what an achievement today.
“What achievement?”, he asked.
She was taken aback.
“Oh, nothing. See you tonight”, and she dashed out the bar.
*
*
*
Rina walked into the living room together with the maid who had gone to call her. She walked up to the queen while the maid walked up to her position behind the queen.
Rina was shaking like a leaf under the wind as she stood before the queen, why not? She has just been summoned.
Queen Arya still in her state of fury and anger looked at Rina and she looked away, avoiding her gaze.
Arya looked intently at the maid who had the guts, the audacity to disobey her. Hold on, she recognized her, this was the maid she had caught her son working with few months back, yes it was her.
“How dare you maid?”, she asked.
Rina shook. She didn’t mean to disobey the queen, she was only trying to protect the royal family.
“I’m sorry your grace, I was only trying to protect…”.
“Shut up!”, Arya interrupted and she flinched.
“I’m sorry”, she stuttered.
“I said shut the hell”, she repeated.
“Who are your parents?”, she asked.
“My… my dad, Mr Doween died about two years back. My mo… mother is Mrs Selena Doween”, she stuttered.
She pulled up a disgust face. She knew the family, they were one of the low elites in the kingdom, to put it mildly, they were paupers.
“Ew, that poor family?”, she asked and Rina looked up at her, her eyes widened in shock. Why would she say that?
“You were the one working with my son the other time”, she said leaving Rina confused. Was it a question or just a statement?Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.
“Ye…yes your grace”, she reluctantly replied.
“What’s going on between you two?”.
Huh? Rina was taken aback, she was afraid to utter a word. If anyone was to tell her she and the prince are in love, it shouldn’t be her.
“I don’t repeat questions”, she said.
“Um we… nothing really, he only offered to help me”, she shrugged her shoulders.
She kept quiet for a while, staring at the lady before her, then she spoke up.
“You dared disobey my order, you flaunted it”, she fumed.
“I didn’t mean to…”.
“No one, absolutely nobody does that and goes scot-free”, she whispered.
“You are fired!”.
“What!”, Rina exclaimed, her eyes already watery.
“Leave the palace!”, she ordered.
*
*
*
“Hahaha”, Zaina laughed out as she slapped on Prince Zashil’s left shoulder.
“You know that right?”, Zashil asked, he was also laughing.
Well, their date has been going on smoothly fine and awesome. She had told him virtually everything about herself and he’s been accomodating, he had made her relax and feel at ease with him.
The anxiety and tensive atmosphere wasn’t there anymore, she now felt at home.
Zashil took her left hand and kissed the back of her palm, her cheeks blushed. He was apparently sitting next to her as he had left his seat on the other side of the table.
“You are so funny”, she said.
He sighed.
“I feel honoured”, he said.
“Huh? I’m the one who supposed to say that”.
“Whatever”.
“Can we please eat now, my stomach is rumbling”.
“Sure, your wish is my command my Lady”, he got up and walked over to his seat and sat.
“Should I serve?”.
He nodded.
“Serve us, or do you want a maid do that?”, he asked.
She smiled.
“I have got hands”, and she began dishing out the food.
When she was done, they started eating.
“Alright my prince, it’s your turn now”, she said.
He nodded.
“Go on, what do you want to know?”.
“Tell me about your last relationship, what happened?”, her eyelids flickered.
Zashil smiled and looked at her.
“Curious girl”, he said.
“Yeah”, she looked down at her food, avoiding his gaze.
“Oh well, she cheated on me, I caught her with some guy on the day I was going to propose to her”.
“What! On the day you wanted to engage her?”, she asked.
“Yeah”, he said as he drank some water. “You know, it was so disheartening, so cruel and bad for me that I…”.
“Ahhhh”, she suddenly shouted, interrupting him and he dropped his cutleries and looked at her, she was splaying her right hand on her chest and her eyes flickering open and close.
He got up and moved to her.
“What’s it?”, he asked.
She instantly took the glass cup and drank some water, still beating her chest.
“Zaina, calm down, just relax. What is the problem?”, he asked again.
She opened her eyes and looked at him.
“I sense trouble my prince”.
Zashil looked befuddled.
“What trouble?”.
“My best friend, she’s in danger”.
“The one you just told me about?”.
She nodded.
“Yes, I perceive she is not safe”, she began coughing. Her body began heating up as she suddenly started feeling dizzy, her head twirled.
Zashil was worried, what he gonna do?
“Take it easy Zaina, take it easy”, he calmed her down, picking his words one after the other.
“What do you want me to do?”, he asked her.
She looked up, her eyes were now red and watery. She felt weak and dizzy.
“Call Prince Raghav”, she said and passed out.