Princess

I first met Owen Harrison when I graduated from the Agency’s training programme. Granted, he was cute but that wasn’t what I had paid much attention to at first. I was simply interested as to how he managed to succeed in everything that he’d tried (and I did mean it. He really did everything perfectly just by applying effort. You could say that he was a natural) and started a casual friendship with him, briefly chatting between classes.

Our relationship was perfectly innocent, although Jeanne-and I cringed just by thinking about her-would always tease me, saying that there was something about Owen that attracted me to him. I always brushed off her comments but after she left…I needed someone.

And Owen was there.
***
“Well, what did you expect from me?” Owen all but screamed at me.

I eyed him distastefully, realizing the captive audience we had. Smiling civilly at the guests around us, I hunted for anyone who could get me out of this stupid conversation with an equally stupid guy. Aside from guests, some of which I recognized from case files, I didn’t see anyone.

Since there was nobody here to help me, I had to help myself so I started walking away from him but he caught me by the elbow and somehow spun me around until his arm was around my waist and we were inches apart.

Shocked, I simply gawked at him.

“You just piss me off so much sometimes,” whispered Owen before enveloping me in a hug and kissing me on the forehead.

I have to admit. At first I was still reeling from the shock so all I did was to stand there. It took me a while to shove him away from me, since the hug was far from innocent. It had been the very same thing that he’d pulled on me before he left me alone in the rain two summers ago.

Composing myself, I turned towards Owen, fully prepared to yell at him but to my surprise, I found Dylan already there, giving Owen a punch that looked like it really hurt.

And then all hell broke loose.
***
“What on earth were you thinking?” whispered Tia.

We were in her guest room, which was very…posh, I guess. It was all creamy tones and beige furniture and no personality at all. There was no need for her to whisper but I had enough yelling a few minutes before to appreciate the quiet now.

I shrugged. “I don’t think it’s a question of what I was thinking. I think it’s if they were thinking at all. Why are you whispering?”

Obviously, I was referring to Dylan and Owen. After getting that punch from Dylan, Owen looked like he was going to retaliate with something more painful (and we had enough training to know which part of the human anatomy-and I am not talking about the sensitive bits-would really hurt if hit) but a few guards muscled their way between the two guys and pulled them apart before dragging them out of the room.

Tia then quickly appeared, smiling the practiced smile of a girl who had to adjust to fistfights at her engagement ball, and allowed me to quickly escape from the tension-filled room of curious guests.

“I think I’ve heard enough noise to impair my hearing. And don’t try and change the subject. It’s what you were thinking that mattered.” She gazed at the mirror, lining her lips perfectly. “I haven’t seen Dylan lose his cool around a girl like that…and I’m pretty sure that it’s got something to do with the way that guy you brought was holding you."

I groaned aloud.

Owen Harrison was a dead man… how was I supposed to make a guy like me when he’s already so pissed off? Why was Owen even here anyway?

As far as I knew, and I didn’t really know very much about the jerk, he was supposed to be in Paris on a vacation. Yet, here he was doing his utmost best to mess up my already screwed up case. Nor did I didn’t get a chance to ask him to get lost either because after Dylan and Owen met, he immediately shut up and observed the situation leaving me to flail around for a reason as to why Owen was there when I was supposed to leave with Dylan for Tia’s ball.
“What’s the deal with him and you, anyway?”

I shrugged again, for the lack of a better response.

“You never tell me anything…” She pouted.

I rolled my eyes. “That may have worked on any guy but it doesn’t work on me.”

“Fine…” She went back to the mirror. “You have got to make up your mind though. It’s either that weird dude or Dylan.”

I didn’t bother telling her that the weird dude was not here because I wanted him to be.
***
When the fuss over the fistfight had ended (or at least died down as much as it would), Tia and I reappeared. I wasn’t exactly concerned over what they would do to Owen because I doubted that even with their resources that they knew Owen’s true identity.

And kind of because I felt like Owen deserved it.

When Tia made her rounds around the hall, smiling like she loved every moment of this, I looked around for Luke but couldn’t find him. When I thought about it, I hadn’t actually seen the guy today or during the week. How could he be missing at his own engagement ball?

“Christina…right?”

I jumped, thoughts interrupted and turned to face Jenna Fuller.

Decked out in a dramatic royal blue evening gown paired with her suddenly intimidating height, she looked…awkward. I supposed the overall effect should have been stunning but her expression was just almost, faintly sheepish. Considering I was the one who had caused trouble, I wondered what she was feeling uncomfortable about.

“Yeah, that’s right. You’re Jenna, Dylan’s older sister.” I said this as though I wasn’t sure.

She smiled; her entire face lighting up with this simple change. It was odd but it seemed familiar somehow, her smile I meant. Shifting her weight from foot to foot, she said, “Your friend’s been…thrown out. Perhaps you would like to ensure his wellbeing?”

Jenna was being suspiciously polite and well, nice to me. It was the exact opposite of what she had been the last time. If I recalled correctly, she was prickly and guarded. “No, I’m sure he’ll be fine by himself…”

There was a pregnant silence where we both watched Tia proceed around the room before I remembered something. “Um, Jenna, if I remember right there was something that you were hinting at the last time before I left.”

“Oh. That.” No trace of the impish characteristic, even taunting, smile appeared. “It was nothing important really. I’m not sure if I remember what exactly it was.”

I nodded, though I didn’t believe her. For some weird reason, Jenna Fuller’s attitude towards me had changed and although whether she was sincere was entirely questionable, I chose to accept it at face value.

Then I saw a familiar figure. I shouldn’t have been happy to see him but I was. Perhaps it showed too because before I could excuse myself politely from Jenna Fuller, she held onto my arm and said, with more caution than I had seen from her, “But I do have another piece of advice for you, Christina—stay away from my brother if you know what’s good for you.”

“Are you threatening me?"

She paused. “No. No, I’m not. But…it’s just something I hope you’ll in account… before it’s too late… before you fall for him.”

I stared at her. If I was the dramatic sort of person, I probably would’ve gasped to heighten the tension but being me, I laughed loudly. “Are you kidding me?”

A small smile developed on her face but the moment Dylan appeared; whatever emotion she had disappeared, replaced with a careful disinterest.

He looked at both of us but this time, he doesn’t act as rashly as he had previously when we were at his house. He simply took me away but didn’t ask what his sister had told me, instead, he looked at me seriously and said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have hit him.”

I smiled. “No, that was fine. I think the person you should be apologizing to is Tia and Luke. It’s their engagement ball that you disrupted.”

“I’d already apologized to them but Tia thought that I should apologise to you as well.” His Adam’s apple bobbed and he continued, “Considering he was your…guest.”

“Believe me; I’d preferred if he hadn’t followed me here.”

His eyes brightened suspiciously. “Does that mean that he’s not your ex?”

I stared at him. It would probably have been better if I lied but somehow, I couldn’t find the words to do so. Instead, I told him the truth, “Yeah, he was.”

My reply had a weird effect on Dylan. His expression darkened, turning into someone I wasn’t sure I knew. It reminded me of Jeanne and what had happened after. Seeing the same thing happen here scared me.

“There you are, Dylan!”

We turned and found Tia’s parents, her mother carrying a toddler. They smiled politely at me but it was clear that they were speaking to Dylan when she said, “We know how much you like kids. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to take care of Thomas for a while. We have some things we need to…discuss with Luke’s parents.”

“Sure.” His face was open now, friendly almost. Her parents handed Thomas to Dylan and went off.

In the movies, girls always fell for the guys who were good with kids and I half expected such a parade but then Dylan turned to me, with a sneaky grin, and said, “Hey. I think I’ll let Thomas get acquainted with you, Christina.”

Before I could even protest, he had the toddler in my arms. I struggled to hold Thomas and I was pretty sure I looked ridiculous in my expensive dress and awkward baby-carrying position. The slight upturn quirk of Dylan’s lips was the only proof I had that I looked weird.

I didn’t want to continue with the direction our conversation had been going, so I changed the subject, asking, “Whose kid is Thomas anyway?”

“Tia’s parents.”

“Why did Tia’s parents want another kid…? 13 years is pretty wide an age gap.”

It didn’t seem that my choice of subject cheered Dylan up any. Though his expression didn’t give away anything, his tone told me that he wished I had asked something easier. “They’re trying to replace Tia.”

I had seen the signs myself, the way they’d mentally blocked out the fact that today was Tia’s engagement ball. They had barely even managed to say those words and had chosen to lavish attention on Thomas even when they had been asked by their relatives what well wishes they had for Tia and Luke. But I couldn’t believe that he would be so brutally honest with me when for everything else, he had not.

There was something I was curious about though. “Why would they do something like that?”

“They’re not happy that Tia’s ending up with Luke.” He played a little with Thomas before continuing, carefully studying my expression as he did so. “I haven’t told you this before but my family’s rather rich.”

I rolled my eyes and plastered a smile on my lips though I felt anything but cheerful oblivion. “You didn’t have to tell me that, I could already tell from the Aston Martin you gave away.”

He allowed a brief smile that didn’t reach his eyes. It appeared that he hadn’t thought much about the ball because of Owen and me. But now that he realized where he was, he seemed to be as unhappy as Tia’s parents. “My father’s obsessed with security, the idea that I would unprotected in anyway scares him. That’s why Luke was adopted, you know. My father had the wiseass plan to train him to become my ultimate bodyguard or something like that. Whose parents would be happy knowing that their daughter was going to be married to a man who’s supposed to be my bulletproof jacket?”

“But that’s insane.”

Dylan seemed surprised by the anger that caused my voice to shake. It was rare that I had the chance to surprise him and found myself pleased that I had. “Why’s it insane?”

“You’re suffering from a case of too large an ego. It may be true that it’s wrong for Luke to be your ‘bulletproof jacket’, but I doubt that that’s the only reason behind their unhappiness. Haven’t you thought that they may be, just a tiny bit, upset that their kid hasn’t even gotten the chance to grow up before she’s engaged?”

Thomas struggled in my grasp, alarmed at my angry tone. Realising that there was no way I could handle the baby, I shoved him (as gently as possible. Although I was no good with children, I did know that I couldn’t manhandle them) into Dylan’s arms.

“You may be right.” He sounded surprised again.

I smiled.