Prince in the City [Harry Styles AU]

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Prince's POV:

"How the bloody hell are you going to pull that off, Harry?" Gemma all but exclaimed, a disbelieving laugh escaping her as she stared at me through her phone's camera. Her brows were raised in expectation as she waited for a response, biting off of a slice of apple.

I was sat on the couch in my flat, laptop resting upon my lap as I FaceTimed my sister on my Mac. I had just told her about my plan to move out of this five star flat complex and into the same one as Vera's—although said girl wasn't yet mentioned to my sister. Mostly because of the fact that Gemma would absolutely hound me with questions I didn't quite feel like answering. "Mum won't have to know," I finally answered my sister's question. "I've got my own bank account, Gem, that even Mum and Dad don't even have access to. I've got the means and the money."

"And what about the place where you're at now?" she inquired, brows still quirked in curiosity. It was obvious she was sitting in the gardens of the palace, the wind blowing around her short silvery blonde hair as she picked up another apple slice from her bowl.

"It's already been rented out for the year, so it's not like I have to make monthly deposits," I snorted out, the laptop screen split with Gemma on one side and the listing for the flat that I had my eyes set on. "And it's not like Mum's got spies or some shit. What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Gemma clicked her tongue, not looking too convinced as her eyes squinted slightly against the wind that was most likely hitting her face. "You never know with her."

I couldn't help but scoff and roll my eyes as I grunted, "Oh, for fuck's sake, Gem. It'll be fine. I've already spoken with the landlord of the other building and he's literally been sworn to secrecy."

"You can't trust people these days, H," my older sister softly rebuked before biting into the apple. After swallowing, she continued, "How do you know he won't just give away your location?"

Pursing my lips, I thought for a moment before answering in a monotone voice, "I'll pay him handsomely—more than what he's asking for—in rent. And I'll also take Dave with me. He's pretty intimidating."

My sister snorted out a laugh, covering her mouth because it was so unladylike—her words, not mine—before shaking her head at me. "That might actually work," she conceded. "Just be careful."

This time I clicked my tongue, shaking my head as I mused, "You worry too much."

"And you trust people too easily," she rebuked, a chastising tone in her voice as she glared at me through the screen. My lips pressed together at her words, since that was something Gemma always reprimanded me about. She was a bit like my mother in that way, not really trusting people outside of their inner circle, but at least she wasn't as bad as Mum was.

Sighing, I made a point to look into the tiny camera on my laptop as I firmly told her, "I'll be fine." Glancing at the time on the upper right corner of my screen, I added, "Alright, it's nearly ten-thirty and I haven't had breakfast yet. Talk to you later, yeah?"

Gemma nodded, and with a final goodbye, we hung up the call and I shut off my laptop, huffing slightly. Thank God Gemma didn't try to talk me out of switching flats, and I knew she wasn't going to tell Mum and Dad, so I wasn't concerned about that. Really, I was pretty confident in this move, and quite excited, but there is also one thing to consider: Vera.