Cream Puffs and Courtship

Chapter 44- The Save

Anthony recoiled as Tina shook out her natural blonde hair and glared fiercely at him. Anthony looked incredulously at her and then a slow, rumble of a laugh escaped his thin lips.

"Wow." He said, folding his arms over his chest, completely unconcerned that the princess was standing in front of him. "You really are a gold digger, Evelyn."

"Don't you dare insult her!" Tina shrieked, pulling Evie's small body closer to her.

"You wanted me to stay here with you for what? For my money right? You wanted to use my money to try and buy your baby sister back. And now that you don't have me, you're using the royal family for their money."

"It's not like that and you know it, Anthony!" Evie screeched, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You know that I never cared about your money!"

"Well then what did you want from me? You were always telling me how I should've stayed with you, helped you get Ella out of the system. So if you didn't want my money for a lawyer, what did you want from me?"

"I wanted you to love me!"

The silence in the bakery was so tense that the occupants could feel the electricity buzzing around them. No one swallowed, no one breathed as Evie opened her mouth and whispered, "I was so in love with you. I just wanted you to love me back. To support me when I had to go into court, to help me do the dishes, to take Ella to school on the days when I just needed a break from all of the responsibility. But you were never there. You never loved me."

"I did, I do love you, Evie," Anthony whispered taking a step closer to her and frowning when Tina and Kennedy both protectively stepped forward and rested a hand on Evie's shoulder as if to stop her from running back into his arms. Their protection was unneeded though because Evie smiled bitterly and shook her head.

"You loved the idea of me. Your pretty, smart, friendly high school sweetheart. But you didn't love me."

Just as Anthony was about to reply, the door to the bakery opened and in strode Prince Devon. His curly hair shaded his face and his perfectly groomed eyebrows were raised as he silently walked over to Anthony, his two bodyguards trailing behind him.

"Are you the twerp who has been verbally assaulting my sister and her friends?" He asked, his smooth voice coming off rough and low.

"I have never abused anyone," Anthony replied, his voice displaying no emotion.

"I'm going to ask you to leave this bakery."

"Not without my girlfriend," Anthony replied, reaching forward to grab Evie's wrist again.

Evie flinched back, but Devon was already in front of her, blocking Anthony's wrist. He simply raised a finger and both of his guards were on top of Anthony, handcuffing him and holding him away from the girls.

"She's not your girlfriend, clear?" Devon said, bring his face closer to Anthony's. Their noses were almost touching when Anthony smirked.

"Possessive are we your majesty? I see how it is now." He paused until Devon backed up a bit allowing Anthony to see Evie. His smirk only grew at the sight of Evie's pale face. "You're the girl from the paper aren't you? So not only are you using the princess, but you really are some teenage slut. Let's see, how much did he pay you to get a good publicity kiss? 1000? 5000?"

"Shut your mouth," Devon muttered, pulling his fist back to punch him. Tina ran forward and just barely pulled Devon back in time. She signaled for the guards to take him away and only then did she release her hold on Devon.

As soon as Anthony was wheeled out of the bakery, Evie's knees buckled and she collapsed onto the floor. Kennedy rushed forward and collected the sobbing girl in her arms.

"Kennedy, I need you to get everyone out of here. Lock the place up and the tell Carla what happened. Valentina, start the car. We're taking her to the palace," Devon said.

"Shouldn't she go home?" Tina asked, not even bothering to correct her brother on the use of her full name.

"No way," Devon said, gesturing to the few customers who were still in the bakery. While there weren't many, it was clear that those who had stayed knew exactly who the royal siblings were. Their phones were out and set behind napkins, a terrible disguise that allowed them to film the entire ordeal. "a video of this will be all over the internet by nightfall. She's not safe at home anymore."

Tina nodded sadly and left the building quickly, using her free hand as a visor in a useless attempt to cover her face. Kennedy looked up at Devon, reluctant to leave her friend but knowing that she had to close down the shop. The prince sighed and crouched down to take Kennedy's place.

"Don't you dare hurt her any more than she already is," Kennedy hissed into Devon's ear as she stood up.

"I won't," He replied, wrapping his strong arms around his ex.

Kennedy gave him one more suspicious look before she started hustling people out of the cafe. Devon held Evie the entire time, making sure that her face was hidden from view and her clothes never rubbed along the dusty floors.

Once Kennedy had gotten everyone out of the building and Tina had brought the car to a stop right in front of the bakery, Devon leaned down and whispered to Evie.

"Evelyn? It's time to leave."

"I can't," She whispered back. "What if he's outside waiting for me?"

"Evie, I promise he's not going to bother you again. I've got my best guards watching him," Devon soothed, pulling Evie into a standing position. Her legs wobbled as she struggled to find her center of gravity again and her eyes blinked rapidly trying to slow the flow of tears that were dripping down her face.

"Dev stop," Evie said weakly, pulling away when he tried to bring her towards the door.

"Evie, we've got to get you somewhere safe. This place is going to be swarming with reporters in a little bit-"

"Devon, I don't want to-"

"We have to," Devon said, stepping closer to Evie who was shaking near the counter. Evie bit her lip and shook her head.

"I can't," She whispered. "What if he escaped the guards? What if he's out there waiting to drag me away to America? I don't want to go with him, Devon! I really don't-"

"Evie stop," Devon commanded. He walked over to her and very gently pushed her hands back down to her sides. His hazel eyes bore into her vulnerable orbs as he gently used his thumbs to rub soothing circles on her palms. "I will never let you get hurt by him again."

"You can't promise that-"

"I swear on my life and my royal throne, I will never, ever, let him hurt you again," Devon said, gently intertwining their fingers. "Now, do you trust me?"

Evie hesitated for a moment, her eyes flashing towards the door before they landed back on Devon.

"Evie?" Devon asked, staring at her expectantly.

"Yes," She whispered, looking up to meet his eyes.

"Then come with me. Just walk outside with me. I've got you, Evie. You just have to trust me."

Evie nodded her head slowly and stepped forward, grasping Devon's hand tightly.

"Let's go to the palace."

A/N- IM OFFICIALLY ON WINTER BREAK GUYS!

School has been kicking my ass this year so, I'm hoping to write a couple chapters during the break so that I can upload them more consistently. Thank you guys for all the support (as always) and I hope you have an awesome holiday!

Love you all,
Maddie