Princess

Chapter 7: The Bachelor Party

Ariadne

"Now you just tell me where it hurts, alright?" The boy nodded quietly as I palpated his stomach carefully and he finally winced at the lower right abdomen. "Okay, thank you, buddy."

Having sent them off for a surgery consult for appendicitis, I was finally done with my day after rounds at the ridiculous hour of 8 PM so I changed my clothes, packed my things, and headed to the dinner I was already late to.

Ever the prim and proper lady, Bella didn't want to have a huge bachelorette party but just a dinner with her closest friends and me. As maid of honor, I had to attend–well also because she's my sister and I loved her–but other than that, my only solace was that Robyn would be there. Bella's friends were often insufferable, the garden variety rich kids of NoHo and SoHo.

I was not trying to be elitist, but when the conversation rotated solely around gossip of people who did not concern me, latest fashions, and hottest brunch places–other than Sweetgreen, of course babe that's like totally basic now–I tended to go a little crazy. I had no idea how my sweet, genuine sister put up with them sometimes.

Leaving my car at the valet, I fixed my tight black dress one last time before heading in, already missing my sneakers and sweatpants. I stopped myself before I even began to wonder how Bella got reservations here. The things you could do with money. Even though I had it, I tried not to use my last name to influence because I didn't want anyone to know I was associated with Jackson Ryder.

As I walked into the restaurant, I could already hear the shrill voices and groaned internally. Swiftly taking my seat between Robyn and Bella, I sighed when the inevitable scolding about my tardiness left my sister's pouty mouth.

"You're as bad as Christian," she chided.

I scoffed. "No one is as bad as Christian. But I'm sorry, love. Work is crazy and it all starts again tomorrow," I said, throwing an entire glass of water back in one gulp. I'd rather it be wine or even better—vodka, but with work early in the morning, it was probably best not to take that chance.

"Thank you for coming," she smiled. "I know you must be tired."

My heart sang. She was so kind. I loved Bella with my heart and soul. She was everything. She was always there for me–unwaveringly loyal. At times, I envied her because she was such a people person and everyone loved her so much. Her presence was magnetic, always wrapped in something pink and sparkly.

Despite all that glitz and glamor, Bella was one of the best people I knew. She was generous and kind and changed one of the most damaged people I knew into the most loving. Francis was never comfortable with emotions but one thing he did know was love. And love Bella, he did. If it were anyone else, I wasn't even really sure I would let my little sister marry them. I was fiercely protective of her.

I shook my head and kissed her cheek. "You're my sister."

That was all I had to say.

Damon

"I'm only going to ask one more time. Tell me who the rat is."

Two families ran New York. The Hales and the Giovannis. Ever since I started to get more involved at 21, we had been inching in on their streets, their turf, their kingdom. I was determined to run them out of the East Coast and for the last eleven years was doing just that.

The difference between us and them was that our family was somehow more humane. For all the horrible things we did, we donated money to charitable causes, helped the community, and kept the streets clean.