Chapter 111
“Crystal, we need to talk.”
Those were not the first words that I wanted to hear when I sat down at the mansion’s dining table that night. I swallowed against the knot that had developed in my throat.
“About what?” I asked.
Andrew grabbed my hands in both of his. The butterflies in my stomach climbed up my esophagus.
“About us…and our relationship.”
My hands trembled inside of his. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was afraid of the worst.
“I love you so much,” he continued, gripping my hands tightly. “I want to share my love with the world. I think it’s time for us to take our relationship public.”
I let out a small breath that I didn’t know I had been holding. He wasn’t breaking up with me.
Then it hit me.
He wanted to take our relationship public. He wanted to tell the world that we were dating. My heart pounded in my ears.
“Crystal, are you okay?” Andrew asked. He rubbed his thumbs over my hands. “You aren’t saying anything…”
I shook my head to clear it.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” I moved forward in my seat to get as close to Andrew as possible. “Are you sure that you want to do this?”
“Yes, of course, I’m sure.”
“But have you thought it through? What about…the controversy surrounding me? My recent arrest, my prison time?”
Andrew waved the notion away with one hand.
“The charges were dropped, and people have forgotten about your prison time by now. The rest of the controversy surrounding you has been whether you’re dating me or not, so we’ll only be clearing rumors up.”
I couldn’t argue with Andrew’s reasoning, but something in my gut still told me that things could go terribly wrong if we went public with our relationship.
“Are you sure that you want people to know that you’re dating someone like me?” I asked in a whisper.
Andrew’s face melted into a sympathetic expression. He pushed his chair back and motioned towards his lap.
“Come, sit here,” he said.
Uncertainly, I sat sideways on Andrew’s lap. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. I leaned into his torso and rested my head on his shoulder.
“Crystal, I am proud of who you are,” he said confidently. “You are beautiful, kind, intelligent, and creative. Of course, I want people to know that we’re dating.”
He used his hand to move my head to face him. Our lips were only inches apart, his breath billowing onto me as he spoke.
“Don’t you ever think, for even a moment, that I don’t want to be seen with you. I love you. Never doubt that.”
He pressed his lips gently against mine.
I sighed against his lips.
“Will this really make you happy?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Then…let’s do it.”
A couple days later, Andrew and I dressed in matching crimson outfits and stood at a podium before the assembled press. We held hands beneath the podium, squeezing each other to the point that our knuckles turned white. I forced a smile for the crowd, but on the inside, I felt as though I were going to throw up.
Jeffrey flanked my right, and a guard named Paul covered Andrew’s left. The rest of Andrew’s personal guards, as well as a few new hires to round out security, spread out across the venue’s floor, some in plain sight but most in hiding. With everything that had happened, especially Mr. Brown’s murder, Andrew didn’t want to take any chances.
With one last smile towards me, Andrew cleared his throat and bent down towards the microphones.
“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the press, for gathering here today,” he began. “I have invited you out for some very important news regarding my oft-discussed relationship status.”
Murmurs broke out among the reporters. I dug my nails into Andrew’s skin, and he rubbed my hand reassuringly.
“As many of you have noticed, I have been spending a lot of time with my daughter’s wedding planner, Crystal Blanchard of Ever After Weddings,” he continued. “She and I have come here today, with a united front, to announce that we are officially dating.”
The murmurs grew louder. I went to take a step back, but Andrew held firmly onto me.
“We will take questions now.”
The reporters leapt to their feet and waved their hands, trying to be the first to catch Andrew’s attention. Andrew gave careful consideration to the ensemble in front of him before he selected a female reporter in the front row.
“Emily Chang,The New York Times,” she introduced herself. “Your Highness, given Crystal Blanchard’s recent arrest under suspicion of murder, do you really think that is a wise decision for you to go public with this relationship now?”
“All charges against Crystal in relation to that case have been dropped,” Andrew replied. “I completely believe in her innocence, and I am proud to be in a relationship with her. I see no reason to keep our relationship a secret under such circumstances.”
Reporters recorded notes on their notepads, iPhones, and iPads. They then returned to their handwaving until Andrew selected a man in the third row.
“Oscar Nowak,Werewolf Gazette,” he announced. “Andrew, is there a possibility that Crystal will become your new Luna?”
Andrew’s face remained composed, but I noticed his neck muscles clench. His grip on my hand grew so tight that I could barely keep from showing my pain to the crowd.
I placed my free hand on his arm and tapped it twice, trying to bring his attention to the pain he was bringing me. His eyes darted to my hands, and he loosened his grip on me slightly.
“I love Crystal very much,” he said. “However, we have not yet discussed the possibility of her becoming my Luna. We are taking things slowly, and we will cross that bridge when we come to it.”
As reporters took their notes, Andrew called on a man in the second row, I assumed hoping to move on from that uncomfortable subject.
“Dakota Rain,The Daily Moon,” the new man said. “Crystal, do youwantto become Andrew’s new Luna?”
I stiffened. It was my turn to squeeze Andrew’s hand impossibility hard, but my grip did not hurt him. I did not dare look at him for fear that someone might interpret it as him coaching me.
“I love Andrew very much as well,” I began, “but until I learn more about the Luna position, I am perfectly content to just be Andrew’s girlfriend. Like Andrew said, we are taking it slowly, and we will cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Andrew released my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist. He gave me a gentle squeeze and planted a small kiss on the top of my head. The message was clear: I had answered that perfectly.
The next morning, Andrew and I were enjoying a late breakfast at the mansion when he received a message on his phone. When he groaned, I knew that it had to be from one of his advisors.
“Who this time?” I asked as I bit into some toast.
“Dennis. He says it’s urgent.”
Dennis Andreas, Andrew’s media advisor. He seemed to be the biggest pain in Andrew’s side, alerting him to every social media and tabloid faux pas with nuclear urgency. I wondered if it was really worth the urgency this time.
As Andrew’s jaw and neck clenched, I realized that it was.
“What’s wrong?” I set my toast back down. “Did something happen?”
Andrew rubbed his chin, as though contemplating whether he should tell me what was going on. At last, he turned his phone towards me. On the screen was a tabloid article with the headline:
LISA DUBOIS TELLS ALL ABOUT FATHER’S NEW GIRLFRIEND
Beneath the headline was a video of Lisa on theWake Up, Night Dwellers!show. As I skimmed the article below it, I saw the words I did not want to read:Lisa also revealed that Crystal spent five years in prison for manslaughter.
As I scrolled down the page, I came face-to-face with my own mugshot.
