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...
"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies." ~Unknown
James
A year into Will and Lorraine's relationship, and I worried about how serious they were getting. While I was glad to see him happy, something nagged me in the back of my mind, telling me something was wrong. I couldn't help but believe they weren't meant to be together, that this relationship was merely a passing phase, something to keep Will occupied from his feelings for Annalise. But how could I ever tell him that? What gave me that right to ruin his happiness?
I kept my mouth shut and found myself doing the same thing Annalise: busying myself so I wouldn't have to participate in conversations with Lorraine whenever she was around. Anna had an incredible penchant for finding any excuse to avoid Lorraine, but the latter didn't seem to pay much mind to her anyway.
For the longest time, I could never place why Lorraine bothered me so much until Annalise finally nailed it on the head as we ate breakfast in her office. "I feel like I can't talk to him anymore, and I don't like it. I know they're dating, and she's his girlfriend and all, but it's like he has no time for either of us anymore, and we've been here for him much longer than she has."
"Do you know how long I've been trying to verbalize that for the past year, but couldn't?"
Annalise snorted. "I only just figured it out myself. I also worry that if I tell him something, he'll tell her, and I don't want her knowing anything about me. I don't know why, but I just don't trust her."
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"It wouldn't have anything to do with you having feelings for him, would it?"
Annalise bit her lip. "That might be part of it..."
"Wow," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Didn't actually expect you to admit that."
"I didn't either, and that's the only time I'll ever say it." She stood up and motioned at my plate. "I'm going to go run this back to the kitchen. Want me to take yours too?"
"Nah, I'll come with you. I need to move around." Grabbing my plate, the two of us headed towards the kitchen. As we passed the grand staircase, I heard Will demand, "Why did you tell them?"
Annalise and I both looked up at him. He stood at the top of the staircase, visibly livid. Lorraine stood behind him, her eyes flicking worriedly between him and Annalise.
Confused, I asked, "What are you talking about?"
"I'm not talking to you," he retorted.
"Me?" Annalise said.
"Yes, you. Why did you tell them?" Will demanded again.
"Why did I tell who what?"
"The media about my dad!" he snapped. "It's all over the news about his condition!"
