The Destitute Queen || h.s. au

68. Louis/Belladonna

Louis

The applause from the crowd grows louder each passing moment as I stand near Father, who has just made his announcement. I love the drama it's caused, seeing Harry's reaction to the news, but I can't help feeling overshadowed. This celebration supper was supposed to be for me, and now Father has made it all about Harry.

His wedding is going to be a week from mine, meaning the preparations have most likely already started. Father wouldn't announce a wedding that would take place so soon without at least having planned it in advance. It doesn't surprise me in the least, but I should have known that Father won't allow the spotlight to be on me for more than a few moments.

I see Lena from the corner of the room, she looks like she's about to pass out. Her former fiancé runs to her and catches her before she hits the ground. I sort of feel bad for the poor thing, honestly. But, I can't control what Father does. I can only sit back and watch things unfold. I turn to Harry, who's too busy staring at the ground to even notice that the girl he says he loves has fainted and is being carried out of the room by the man she used to love.

I turn to Bella, who's standing beside me, and say, "I need a drink. Join me?"

She wordlessly nods, and we both stroll towards the wine table, unnoticed. The servant at the table quickly pours a glass of red wine and holds it out for Bella. Without thinking, I snatch it away before she can and gulp down the whole glass.

"Louis!" She exclaims. "That was incredibly rude of you."

I sigh and turn to her as the servant watches, pouring another glass. "Sorry, I just really needed a drink."

She ignores my apology and takes the second glass, taking a small sip. I hate it when she doesn't accept my apology. It's hard enough for me to apologize in the first place, and it actually hurts when it's not accepted.

"Pour me another," I tell the servant, who immediately obeys me. I can see Bella's suspicious look from the corner of my eye.

"Something's wrong, what is it?" She asks, and I shrug.

"How are you liking the party?" I avoid answering her question. I'm not nearly drunk enough to be honest yet.

Bella frowns, setting her glass on the table. "You're dodging my question. Something's obviously bothering you."

"And why would you care?" I remark with a scoff and a smirk.

"Well, I'm not heartless," she responds with a tone I can't recognize. "You may be a spoiled brat and an asshole to everyone around you, but you're still human. I'm not going to treat you like you're a monster, so, in a way, I do care."

"That doesn't make any sense," I scoff once again, wishing I had more wine.

I'll never be willing to admit this, but something inside me has changed. Ever since I met Bella, I've softened up and it's absolutely sickening. She's annoying as hell and incredibly disrespectful towards me, but when I do something I know is bad and she looks at me with disappointment, something in me wants to make her happy.

The less of an ass I am, the more she seems to warm up to me. I figure that, if we're going to be spending the rest of our lives together, we should at least be on good terms.

There's also something remarkable about her. She doesn't take any bullshit from anyone, including me. Bella is the only person who's tried to control me and, surprisingly, she's succeeding. I'd hate to sound cliché, but she really is unlike any woman I've ever come across.