Black Rose

Chapter 17

"Well excuse you, but it isn't. This dessert comes with my spending a peaceful time with my fiancé, which you are actually intruding on. Your rude self didn't even ask to join us. I don't know you, and you haven't even made the effort to learn my name, even after your best friend just introduced me as his fiancée, which I don't know, but to other normal people, would be a big deal. Anyway, I'm not bothered by that, but I am bothered by the fact that you're choosing this moment to have whatever the hell you want to call this. Right now, is my time with my fiancé, so yeah, this is bigger than my stupid dessert, but it's also bigger than your disloyal ass!"

I think I shocked them both with my outburst, but he was irritating me. Phyllis warned me that he was a piece of work, but I didn't know just how accurate she was. He wasn't just a piece if we're being honest.

"Does Val know about her?" he ignored me and instead proceeded to ask.

"Not that I see the relevance of your question, but yes, she does," Olivier replied.

"And Daisy?" Michael asked.

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to figure out where he was going with this. "I haven't spoken to Daisy in months now."

"How long have you two been together?" Michael asked.

Vexed, I got up and left, heading to the car. I didn't want to be around the asshole, and I didn't care that he's my fiancé's best friend. I just wanted to leave them to talk while I went to get my head straight outside.

"Rose?"

I turned back to see Celia there. She was with a man, so I assumed it was her boyfriend. I hadn't seen her in a while, and I hadn't gotten around to returning her texts. I turned to fully face her and her eyes zoned in on my stomach.

"Oh my God!" she said before arms wrapped around me.

"I'm sorry about him," my fiancé said to me.

Celia gasped while I turned to face him. "It's fine. I just want to go home."

"Let me get the car then," he said before kissing me and walking away.

"I... You... He..." Celia trailed off.

"I know," I replied.

"Is this why you left the school?" she asked.

"You could say so," I said.

"Rose..." she trailed off once more.

"Look, I know what you think of him, so I'm not really expecting you to say anything. I know what I'm doing, and I'm happy," I said, stopping her before she could judge me.

I could just see it in her eyes.

Luckily for me Olivier's SUV arrived and the valet opened the passenger door for me before I got in. As we drove away, I spotted the concern in Celia's eyes and it irked me to no end. What had started out as a crappy day, went to being a great one, and then ended up right back at the crappiness.

To say I was pissed off was an understatement.

"Who was that woman?" my fiancé asked after a while.

"Her name's Celia. She's one of my friends from King Francis, or at least she was," I replied.

"Was?" he questioned.

I sighed. "She's one of the people who don't think very highly of you. When Grace came to King Francis, she was one of the first people to warn me to stay away from Grace, let alone you."

"And that upsets you?" he asked.

"The look she just gave me when she put two and two together is what upsets me. I knew that reactions like that were coming, but I guess I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was. You throw people like Michael in the mix and you just have me feeling like ripping someone a new one," I admitted.