Page 93 of Wicked Queen

“Yeah, I know.” Sarah took a deep breath, glancing between us and Pepper as if making a choice. “But I’m beginning to think you’re the trash.”

Pepper let out a strangled cry and lunged for Sarah, who looked too surprised to get out of the way. I held Belle back from getting involved, gesturing to the security guards who had already caught Pepper by the shoulders and were pulling her away. She fought them for a second before realizing it was a lost cause.

“Your Highness?” The guard prompted Sarah, waiting for instructions before realizing his mistake and looking to me.

I shook my head and pointed to Sarah. This was a decision I would leave up to her. She hesitated for a second before ripping her eyes from Pepper. “I think you should leave.”

Pepper protested as they led her away from the scene of her meltdown, and Belle waved at her as she went.

“You know what happens to trash, Pepper?” Belle called. “It gets taken out.”

“You enjoyed that too much,” I muttered to her.

“It might have been better than the time I broke her nose,” Belle admitted.

“You broke her nose?” Sarah stared at Belle in awe. “I thought it looked different. I’m sorry about what she was saying. I don’t know why she hates you so much.”

Belle and I looked at each other and began to spill the running list.

“I broke her nose.”

“She was after Alexander.”

“She broke up my engagement, but Philip dumped her,” said Belle

“Then I called her out for sleeping with your dad.”

“But before he dumped her, he begged me to take him back. And then I told her that.”

“And she was completely banned by Alexander for selling stories to the media.”

“Holy shit,” Sarah said, her eyes moving between two invisible points at her feet like we’d overloaded her brain.

“Sorry,” I said, clapping a hand over my mouth, “I probably shouldn’t have told you all that stuff, especially about your Dad.”

“I’m glad you did. That’s…” she couldn’t seem to come up with a word of appropriate magnitude.

“Mental?” Belle offered as we headed back to the party.

Sarah nodded. “To start with. Why did you invite her?”

“She’s your friend and this is your birthday.”

Sarah looked like she might start crying, so I pulled her into a hug. “By the way, we’re absolute shit at parties. I’m never throwing you another one.”

“Everything goes wrong,” Belle agreed.

“My wedding?” I said.

“Legendary,” Belle said. I shot her a look. “I didn’t mean that in a good way, but you know…”

“So I should have a good time?” We’d gotten Sarah to laugh, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Just because this night was turning into another failed party for the ages didn’t mean it should be the same for her.

“I, for one, would like to find my husband and make him dance with me,” Belle said devilishly, “and I’m pretty sure that every single guy down there is waiting to dance with you.”

We reached the gallery just as Anderson drifted into view wearing a black tuxedo. Sarah snorted and cocked her head in his direction. “Any more single guys that are also my half brothers? I’m little wary of flirting with strangers these days.”

“That’s the only one.” I stopped myself from adding that we know about. I didn’t want the poor girl to be perpetually single.