Caught in a Lie ~ h.s.

♕ XXIV ♕

Keep it together. You are a poised, classy lady. You're a queen, and can uphold the classiest of attitudes even within the presences of a bratty young-adult.

From around the corner comes the man I've been looking for, his face buried against a clipboard, a pen stuck between his lips, and a cigarette behind his ear. He looks unfazed by his bartender's yelling, like everyone else in this place. Apparently her snarky attitude and yelling is nothing new.

"What is it, Al, I've got a ton of work to do -"

As soon as Louis lifts his eyes from the clipboard, his eyes meet my presence and all the burly men now scattered throughout his pub. His jaw drops, the pen falling out of his mouth and onto the floor and then he drops his clipboard, the wooden piece clattering to the ground loudly.

"What," The bartender questions, her eyes fitting from Louis and then back to me, "you know this broad?" Louis' eyes double in size at his employee's words as he rushes towards her.

"Alexandra," he hisses, "have you any idea who you're talking to?" With an uncomfortable laugh from his lips he turns his attention back to me. "Your majesty, my apologies for the behaviour of my bartender. She's usually fairly kind, must be having a rough go today." His words are sputtered out quick.

The realization, as he continues to stare over at me, is kind of shocking; he has absolutely no idea who I am. Yes, he knows that I'm the Queen of Weybridge, but he has no idea that I'm also Mary Claire, Harry's... girlfriend. With Harry and him being so close I would have figured that Harry would have told him the moment he found out. I wouldn't have blamed him for spilling my lies to his best mate, but I guess he didn't feel the need to, at least not yet.

"How may I help you?" I shake out of my brief surprised state and smile warmly over to the man I've known for a couple months.

"I need to speak with you, privately." If his eyes could grow larger, I bet they would have. Nevertheless, he nods, probably too scared to deny or question me as he motions towards the back of the pub. "Niall," I turn my head briefly towards him, "stay here; I'll only be a few minutes." My personal guard looks uneasy but I assure him it's fine and insist. My eyes fit back to Louis. "Your bartender wouldn't mind serving my men a drink, would she?" Alexandra's jaw falls open but before she can say anything Louis interjects.

"Of course she wouldn't. It's on the house." A smirk is painted on my lips as Alexandra reluctantly approaches Niall. "Follow me." Louis says, motioning towards the back of the pub, towards the staircase Harry led me up once upon a time ago. "I apologize again for the attitude of Alexandra, her mother made me hire her."

"Sounds like one persuasive mother."

"Well, she's my aunt so I didn't really have much of a choice." He says with a shrug of his shoulders. "Um, after you, your majesty." Louis stops short at an open doorway and motions for me to enter first.

The room appears to be his office, cluttered and slightly disorganized. It's a quaint room, with a desk, a desk chair, two other chairs, and a couple bookshelves and filing cabinets. The desk is covered in stacks upon stacks of paper and receipts.

"Ever thought of organizing this place?" I joke, only it falls short when I remember he doesn't know me like I think he does, and he barely chuckles.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is this all about?" He's rigid as he walks past me to his desk, waiting to sink into the leather of his desk chair until I've sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"You really don't recognize me, do you?" His mouth opens and closes rapidly as if trying to figure out what to say in regards to my words. "Does the name Mary Claire mean anything to you or ring any bells?"