Chapter 42
“How could you allow him to speak to you like that?” He asked. “You’re the branch manager. Not to mention the CEO’s sister.”
“They don’t know I’m David’s sister,” I reminded him. “I chose not to inform them because ! wanted them to respect me as a hard worker and not a princess. He’s one of the top shareholders of the company; what he says goes.”
Sean sighed and offered me his arm to escort me to my seat at the front of the vard. I took his arm and held it tightly as we began walking through the crowd again. The meeting was about to begin; my father was already standing from the throne and walking toward the podium.
“What the hell is she doing here?” I heard a familiar voice hissing.
I paused and looked over at Ella and Tina who were standing beside a wide–eyed Joseph. He looked a bit wary and worried to see me there. He glanced from me to Sean, looking uneasy.
“We shouldn’t be surprised. Of course, someone would need a prostitute escort and she’s the most popular one in the kingdom,” Tina sneered, eyeing me.
“Duh,” Ella agreed. “What a whore.”
Sean tensed again and I could feel him tugging forward like he was about to attack them, but I tightened my hold around his arm and kept him near me.
“Don’t you ladies have anything better to do than spread nasty rumors about someone you hardly know?” I asked, keeping my tone low and even.
“What did she just say to us?” Tina asked Ella as if I wasn’t standing right there; I had to keep from rolling my eyes.
“She’s obviously delusional from all the paid sex she’s been having,” Ella chuckled. “It’s quite sad that she can’t get through life without selling her body. Not sure what we expected from a poor orphan.”
Tina stared at me for a long while; I was biting my tongue, trying to maintain my calm.
“You have no business being here,” Tina hissed to me. “This is only for the important ones of the kingdom… not poor commoners.”
“Important ones?” I asked. “Then, why are you here, Tina? What importance do you bring to the kingdom?”
She opened her mouth to yell some more but Joseph stepped in between her and me.
“Stop it,” he growled to them. “I’ve said this time and time again to leave Anna alone. Stop with the bullying.”
I scoffed.
“Why does he bother standing up for us?” Alice asked, she also scoffed. “3 years and he never bothered doing that before. Why now?”
I didn’t answer her because I wasn’t sure what to say.
I began to turn to walk away but Joseph’s voice stopped me.
“Anna,” he said quickly. “With everything going on, the rumors and stuff, it’s probably best if you kept a low profile. I’m not sure why you’re here…” he paused for a moment to glance at Sean before looking back at me. “But maybe it’s better if you left.”
Before I could say anything to him, my father’s voice boomed through the yard. We were close to the front, but I didn’t think he could hear everything that was going on. Apparently, he was listening though because his next set of words had everyone, including me, frozen.
“Enough!!!” He roared; the crowd of wolves in the yard shivered with fear as they stared up at my father. But my father was staring directly at Ella and Tina. “I have stood by long enough, but I will not idly stand here and allow you to continue harassing and bullying my daughter.”
