“Well, isn’t that… sweet?” Mrs. Prince said, insincerity coating each word.
Romeo and I snapped our attention back to his parents, whose matching scowls showed they were not impressed by our little show of affection.
The elderly maid re-entered the room, breaking the awkward moment, carrying our drinks, and proceeded to hand us each a glass. I quickly took a sip when no toast was made and Mrs. Prince finished hers in one long swig, topping up her scotch from the large bottle in front of her on the table.
“So, Molly, I suppose you’re aware of Romeo’s plans after college?” Mrs. Prince asked.
“With football?” I answered, slightly confused by the strange tone in her voice.
Romeo’s parents laughed loudly with patronising expressions.
“Absolutely not! We’re talking about his duty to take over the family business,” Mr. Prince lashed out coldly.
“Daddy,” Romeo warned.
“She needs to know, Rome,” he responded with a sneer. I could see he was building up to something. “She needs to know that you won’t have time to continue your player lifestyle.”
“Leave it!” Romeo snapped, this time with much more force. “I won’t do this with you tonight.”
Mr. Prince’s face deepened to a scarlet flush at Romeo’s reprimand and the tension became stifling as father and son stared each other down.
I cleared my throat. “May I use your bathroom, please?” I needed some space, needed to take a moment to calm down and brace myself for the rest of the night.
Romeo fixed me with a worried look, breaking his glare at his father. “I’ll show you where it is, baby.”
We stood and headed out of the room without looking back, leaving his parents muttering to each other on the couch.
As we entered the expansive hallway, I froze mid-step.
“Unbelievable!” Romeo spat, his free hand clenching into a fist.Shelly was entering the house, wearing a tight black dress, skyscraper heels and a cunning grin on her face.
Romeo tensed. “What the f**k are you doin’ here?”
Shelly gave a small wave and stopped right before us. “Romeo, darlin’. Your momma invited me to see you tonight.”
My stomach dropped and disappointment took hold of me. They had set us up.
Romeo and I watched as Shelly sauntered through the parlour into the welcoming arms of the Princes, then all three of them turned their attention onto us.
Romeo’s mother stood proudly behind Shelly with a cruel smirk on her overly Botoxed face, all fake pleasantries now completely gone.
Romeo stepped forward, his taught muscles bunching under his shirt. “How dare you do this to us!”
“Do what? Shelly is family and Molly needed to be informed of a few things that may affect your little… relationship,” Mr. Prince said with a calm voice.
Romeo recoiled. “Don’t start this shit again, and while you’re at it, treat Molly with some f**kin’ respect!”
Mr. Prince exaggerated a regal bow towards me, a derisive smile on his lips. “Your Majesty, how is the queen?” Shelly and Romeo’s mother laughed at his actions, and my scalp prickled in humiliation.
“You invited us here for dinner, to meet her, why?” Hurt laced every note in Romeo’s voice. “Was it all bullshit? Was your plan to rip on her the minute she walked through the damn door?”
Mr. Prince snarled. “Why the hell would we want to meet a gold-diggin’ whore, let alone entertain her at dinner? She probably struggles to even use cutlery she’s so friggin’ poor. Shel’s told us a lot about your girlfriend.”
I didn’t flinch, trying to seem unaffected. I wasn’t sure if it was working.
Mr. Prince laughed at my silence. “Tonight was an intervention. We had to get you to bring your new titbit before us somehow. A dinner invite seemed best. So, now you’re here and we have your attention. You’ll do as instructed and end this charade. Immediately. Send your little British slut on her way… preferably back across the Atlantic.”
Romeo stumbled. “You invited us here to break us up? Christ, this is extreme, even for you!”
His mother laughed and her fully replenished amber drink splashed over the edge of her glass. “Molly here needs to know that her scheming won’t work.” She met my gaze. “Leave him alone. You have no idea who you’re taking on, do you? Shelly is engaged to Rome and some trailer-trash nothing will not get in the way of that. It’s been arranged for years.” Her cold eyes were beyond scary. “I always get what I want, darlin’. You just remember that.”