Annalise Stark, orphaned after losing her parents in the military, is desperate to find a way to pay off her sister's medical debts. She finds work at the palace, home to the infamous Prince William. Despite her efforts to ignore him, Annalise soon...
"A true gentleman is one that apologizes anyways, even though he has not offended a lady intentionally. He is in a class all of his own because he knows the value of a woman's heart." ~Shannon L. Alder
Mark
I'd been in a foul mood most of the day. So much so that my parents ordered me to cook rather than serve dishes. They asked me what was wrong, but I didn't want to explain it, mostly because it sounded pathetic and wrong.
In a nutshell, I was upset that the girl I was madly in love with was now engaged to my best friend. That's shitty of me. Even worse, her fiance had been cheating on her practically since they'd started dating. I never told her, not thinking it was my place, nor did I have an idea of how to bring it up without sounding like I was trying to break them up.
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But now that Everly and Eric were engaged, I regretted not telling her. I should've at least asked Annalise to inform her for me. Of course, while Anna and Everly were friends, they didn't hang out often. Annalise probably wanted to tell her as well but didn't think it was her place either.
Finally, thankfully, my shift ended. I exited the bar to find Eric sitting on a stool, flirting surreptitiously with a leggy brunette.
Maybe I was fed up with him and his flaky friendship.
Maybe I was fed up with his selfishness.
Maybe I was fed up with his dishonesty.
Maybe I gave in to my own selfish desires of wanting to be with Everly. Whatever the reason, I decided enough was enough. Everly deserved to know the truth. If that meant she hated me for it, then so be it. But at least she'd know the truth.
I walked out the door without saying goodbye to Eric. He didn't even notice. I made my way to Everly's luxury, high-rise apartment in one of the capital's most sought after buildings. I rang up to her penthouse, and Everly immediately buzzed me in. Between always coming to Donaldson's with Eric, going out to lunch with Eric and me, or stopping by Donaldson's with her friends, she and I had become close.
"Hey!" Everly greeted enthusiastically. Her face fell when she saw my expression. "Get in here. What's wrong?"
I stepped inside her apartment. Her Chihuahua, Eliza, trotted up to me. I stopped down to pet her.
"What's wrong?" Everly repeated.
"I should've told you this a long time ago, but I didn't know how or know if it was my place, and I didn't want it to seem like I was jealous of Eric, and if you get mad at me, I totally understand, and-"
"Mark!" Everly interrupted. "Just tell me what's going on."
"Eric's been cheating on you," I blurted.
Everly deflated, hanging her head. "I hoped it wasn't true..."
I blinked. "You knew?"
"I suspected," she corrected. "But I turned a blind eye to it because I thought he'd change for me. I thought... never mind." Everly stalked towards the kitchen. I hesitated, not knowing if she wanted space or if she wanted company until she shouted, "Well, come on!"
