Crowns and Pastries

Chapter Fourteen | Wine And Annoying Guys With Cameras

~E~

I was pissed.

And not the good kind of pissed.

After reading the article I'd gone straight to my father's office demanding answers. Turns out he'd made arrangements with Kathlyn's modelling agency about setting us two up.

I didn't even get a say in the matter.

"It'll be good for the image, Ethan. You haven't ever been seen in public with a girl and it's making the public curious." My father's words echoed through my head. I knew he was right but was this the only option he could think of?

Maybe if I'd just come out then and there. Maybe things would be different but I didn't have the guts to do it.

Everything was already set up. Kathlyn had been spotted leaving the palace, (staged obviously) before I even knew about this deal. The only thing I could do now was to go with it, whether I liked it or not.

They'd arranged for us to go on a date already, somewhere public and in the middle of London. Which is where I was going now. I'd spent the entire day in my father's office, reading and signing documents. After that, I got to meet Kathlyn which was kind of awkward. Neither of us seemed to have agreed with the arrangement which did make me feel a little better. I wouldn't have to worry about her actually initiating things other than what was required of us.

I'd acted distant when we met but she surprised me by being extremely nice and open. She told me she didn't want this arrangement either but her publicist insisted it would be good for her image if she wanted to make it big. She didn't have a choice either. We both agreed to just go with it and after talking to her some more I could actually see myself being friends with her.

The car was filled with silence as we drove through London. Kathlyn sat next to me, busy typing on her phone. Dylan sat next to the driver and two other bodyguards, Cal and Seth, sat behind us. Another SUV with multiple bodyguards rode behind us. I stared out of the window, not really seeing anything.

I was angry, but also scared. Because I knew that by now Corey must have seen the article and I hadn't had the chance to tell him about it. I hadn't had the chance to even contact him today.

"We're here." Called Dylan and my eyes fell on a building with the word "la Rêverie" written on it.

It looked like the kind of place that was exclusive to the rich and famous and I wasn't surprised my father picked this. There were paparazzi standing in front of the entrance and I spotted several celebrities leaving.

The door on my side opened and I got out, then walked around to open the door for Kathlyn. She smiled at me and grasped my hand as she got out. Our hands stayed intertwined as we followed Dylan inside.

Seth and Cal moved to walk behind us and two other guards from the restaurant jumped in to help as well. I tried to ignore the paparazzi by keeping my head low.

I felt Kathlyn grip my hand a bit tighter and I looked at her. She looked truly frightened at the commotion around us so I pulled her a bit closer to me to shield her from the cameras.

"It's okay," I mumbled as we reached the doors to the restaurant.

The white flashes of the camera's disappeared behind us as the doors closed and we were immediately greeted by our host, most likely the manager.

"Your highness." He greeted as he shook my hand. "Madam." He greeted Kathlyn the same way, even going as far as kissing her hand. "My name Ivo, I am the manager of la Rêverie."

"If you would follow me," he then said, urging us to follow him to our table.

Ivo ushered us through the restaurant and I could feel the eyes of several guests on us. I even recognised a few from TV.