Prince and the Pauper

Chapter Two

Defeated. That was the only word I could think of that summed up how I felt in that moment. The minute the words left Harry's mouth I felt all air leave my lungs, and my mouth run dry. There was no possible way my current minimum wage job was going to afford me to  up and move. Especially to the trust-fund area. I'd have to become a street worker to simply pay for the moving truck, let alone buy a new house. My face contorted at the thought of me having to sell my body to filthy, old men just to stay with my brother. My heart shattered itself then and there on the street, for all eyes to see. I fell to my knees and tears were sliding down my cheeks before I knew it.
"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "You're lying." I hissed up at Harry who was looking down at me with pity. Screw him, and screw his pity.
"I'm so sorry, Devonne." Harry said, his voice portraying emotions I was not willing to believe.
"No!" I yelled, earning more than a few side glances from passing strangers. "You're lying, you're a Styles. Lying is what you do best. They aren't moving my brother away from me. They can't." I vigorously shook my head.
"I..." Harry paused, running his fingers through his long yet perfectly groomed hair. His shampoo alone was probably worth more than all the clothes on my body together. "I know my brother did something unspeakable-"
"No. Unspeakable is my brother. He can't speak because your brother tried to kill him!" I screamed, not giving a damn about the people that had stopped to spectate our confrontation. Harry looked frazzled, giving reassuring smiles to people who clearly recognized the son of the founder of the town. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I ruining your clean cut image? Is it bad publicity to be seen mingling with street scum? Mud-ruds?" I seethed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a sleek, black van slide the door open, and a bulky man in a vest with camera in-hand approach and snap a photo.
"I don't think of you like that!" Harry argued, raising his voice for the first time. My shock clearly matched his, because he shook his head again and gestured to his beyond fancy car behind me. "Please, get in and we can discuss this away from prying eyes and the paparazzi." He urged, looking unsettled that his image was getting threatened with every snap of the man's camera.
"Like I would get in the car with you." I spat, contemplating literally spitting in his face. How was father dearest going to handle that on the front page of the local newspaper?
"Do you want to stick with your brother or not, Devonne? I can help you, but you have to co-operate and get in the damn car." He looked determined now. His friendly edge dropping slightly, and coming across much more like the Styles family I had been raised to know of and hate. I opened my mouth for another snappy remark, but his comment on my brother made me, for once, hold my tongue. I sighed with anger and bitter agreement and pulled on the handle of the car behind me, but it wouldn't budge. I groaned and I saw Harry raise his hand with his keys and heard the "beep" of his remote unlocking the car.
"Smart ass cars." I grumbled under my breath and climbed into his car, slamming the heavy door shut behind me. Harry dashed around the front of his car and climbed in, shoved the keys in the ignition, and pulled off from the curb.
"Your car didn't squeak." I muttered, glaring out the window.
"Sorry?" Harry asked, clearly puzzled.
"The door. It didn't squeak when I opened it. You might want to get it fixed." Harry laughed at my comment, all tension erasing from his attractive face. Even when he stopped laughing a slight smile remained upon his lips.
"You're something else." He muttered to himself. I glared at him, his comment angering me more than it should have. Especially given the fact it wasn't necessarily intended as an insult, but since it came from a Styles, I had to hate it. They were a filthy family with filthy riches. Anything they said should be taken with a grain of salt.
"Where are you taking me to anyway? The dump to remove  mud-rud trash?" I gestured to myself, making Harry release an exasperated sigh.
"No. I'm taking you to Styles Enterprises." He glanced in my direction, his face showing he was already anticipating my protests. Something he was justifiably bracing for.
"N-"
"Before you cut off the idea," Harry held out his hand to stop the retort on the tip of my tongue, "This conversation is possibly the only thing that can lead to you staying with your brother." I let my prepared comment dissolve on my tongue, but my emotions still simmered. The streets blurred by as why raced uptown to his family business, probably much faster than the speed limit that didn't apply to a family of Harry's stature. The rest of the drive was in awkward silence as I ignored any remark Harry made in hopes of initiating any coversation, and by the time we pulled up at tall, daunting building Harry looked a little relieved. He turned off the ignition and slowly turned to look at me.
"What are we doing here Harry?" I sighed, gesturing limply to the building outside the car. Harry hesistated a beat, contemplating his words carefully, before finally speaking.
"You hate my family, I get that. I understand why you hold us all responsible. And whilst I don't agree you can rightfully blame me for my brothers actions, I still feel obligated to help you. You need to stay with your brother, and to do that you need better pay." Harry took a deep breath, and with a look that told me he knew I was going to hate what he said and locked eyes with me.
"So welcome to your new job."