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FOURTEEN

"Please enjoy some refreshments while you wait. The prince will be up shortly," the butler said, gesturing inside the chamber at the top of the tower.

Too breathless to reply after climbing all those stairs, Eden could only nod as she staggered into the room and collapsed onto the nearest chair. A chair sitting at a table set for two, with a bottle of champagne in a frosted ice bucket and two glasses, just waiting to be filled.

Eden would have preferred water, but any drink would do. She grabbed the bottle – thankfully, it was already open – and glugged a decent measure into the nearest glass, before tossing it back, followed by a second glass, before she forced herself to stop. She probably should have eaten something first to soak up all that alcohol, but she hadn't thought about bringing a plate of food up those stairs with her. Now...she needed to sit down for a moment to catch her breath.

Just in time to see the door click shut behind the butler.

Alarm bells clanged in Eden's head, as she lurched for the door, grabbing the handle, but it didn't budge. Even when she kicked at the door, it stayed shut. Locked, from the outside.

Fuck, she'd been stupid. She should have stayed downstairs in the ballroom, where at least there was food. Here, there was nothing but half a bottle of champagne, and...and...the most enormous canopied bed she'd ever seen. Fit for a princess. Or a prince. Or maybe both of them together...

No. She'd come here for donations for the sanctuary, and to find Diana. She was not hooking up with some guy who fancied he was her Prince Charming. Eden pounded on the door, and shouted for help.

No response. The butler was probably already halfway down the stairs by now, and no one else was near enough to hear her.

Fine. Eden poured herself another glass of champagne. When Prince Charming came though the door, she was going to brain him with the bottle unless he let her out of here. She might only be a scholarship girl at Mirror Academy, but no one grew up in the foster system and survived without learning some self defence skills.