the royals ✅

chap 4: balls are simple affairs

I scowl for a few seconds before I force a polite smile at his parents.

Muhammad, taking one glance at my face, hooks his arm in mine, and offers his parents a smile. I watch Blair's eyes narrow as she spots this gesture, but she doesn't say anything. She knows better then to say anything in front of her parents. "Alexis" his father greets, and then nods at his son politely. I know that Muhammad and his father have never had a great relationship. His father is borderline abusive, emotionally pushing his children into misery. Blair is the child that seems innocent, she listens to the simple rules her parents set for her- be respectful, don't embarrass us, and follow the family pathway. Her parents are lenient in almost every other area- as they are not first generation citizens.

"Father" Muhammad greets respectfully, and his mother raises an eyebrow as to acknowledge my presence. Then she smiles at her son, taking his hand. His mother doesn't like me. I suspect it's because she knows me. She knows who I am, behind all the pretty makeup and the masks, and the ball gowns. The little girl who ruins people's lives for fun. 

She pulls him towards the end of the hallway, and she speaks in hushed tones. He replies, clearly agitated, and I watch them without realizing it. Finally prying my gaze away from them, I stare at Blair, who has her eyes locked on me. Her eyes are cold. She doesn't seem sorry.

I'm slowly losing my patience. This is foolish. Muhammad's mother is lecturing him, Blair is staring at me as if I'm at fault, and his mother doesn't like me. I have no reason to stay here, at all, "I'm going to go find my father" I say shortly, and I leave them without another word, walking off in the distance.

I move through dozens of people, searching for my father.

"Alexis" A voice jovially says, and I stop, turning to stare at Celia. She's a close friend of my father, and they often work together. I respect her. Her passion for business- her aim, her goals, her ambitions. One day, I want to be her. A powerful woman, building herself from the bottom up.

I return the smile, "Celia" I greet, and I wrap her in an embrace. She returns it, and we stay like this for several seconds before I finally pull away. She's almost like a second mother to me, even if she doesn't live close to us.

She lovingly smiles at her, "I would love to catch up but your father is waiting for you" She gestures, and she points to the end of the hall. I smile as I catch the figure, my father, standing with a champagne glass in his hand. He meets my gaze and smiles at me, his hazel eyes crinkling. His white hair is stark against his tanned skin. Years of hard work has made him the man he is today. He's influential, important, and runs in the right circles. But he couldn't have done any of it without his hard work, and his motivation.

She's almost running through the crowd, not paying attention to the various looks she receives, "I missed you," I say as soon as I run into his arms, and he hugs me back, holding me in his arms. I know Blair is here, but for months now, I've told her that my father forces me to put on a front. She believes me.

His eyes crinkle at the corner, "I missed you too darling" He murmurs as he releases his grip on me. He looks at me slowly, and then then he smiles.

Her father looks further aged, stress clearly taking a toll on him, "Everyday, you look more and more like your mother" He finally remarks, looking at my face. My mother isn't dead. My parents are simply divorced.

"You've said" I say with a soft smile. My father is the only person I would do anything for, and I stand by that. He's always been here for me, through the tough times, and the good times. And he provides me with everything I need and more. And for me, that's enough. The divorce had been rough, tearing both of them apart, and me. It was the end of an era. The end of an era that had caused many sleepless nights, many tears, and many furious conversations.