This time it's gonna be me
The last thing that you ever see
An Armageddon of my devicing,
There's no way you can escape what I do
So leave you half-hearted souls
For me to bully and rule
A sly magician of compromising
To conjure all that is false until it's true

**Lyrics from Wonderland "I Will Prevail"

That afternoon, Riley headed toward the stairway with Chance at her side, mulling over the remainder of the planned activities Madeleine had stacked up for her. Within a few hours, everyone would be arriving at the palace to begin the rehearsal events, and everything from there would be non-stop, from the rehearsal itself all the way to the wedding. Just one more day and she would be standing next to the man she loved with everything inside of her as they officially exchanged vows and became united as one in front of all of Cordonia.

She was so lost in her thoughts she almost didn't see Barthelemy standing at the bottom of the staircase, blocking her path. "Oh! Mr. Beaumont, excuse me."

"Duchess Riley." He nodded solemnly in greeting.

Something in his tone was very off, and she didn't like how it sounded. Neither did Chance, who was letting out a low growl at her feet. "I'm... sorry, I don't have much time to chat at the moment. I have a lot to prepare for today. If you'll excuse me..." She started to move past him, and she tensed up as she realized he was not moving out of her way. Her heart started pounding as two other unknown gentlemen stood at his side. "What is going on here?"

"There's been a change of plans, my dear lady... and you have no place here."

His statement and the coldness in his voice was bone-chilling. It was bad timing that Mara and the rest of the King's Guard were in a meeting, finalizing extra security measures for the wedding. They had no reason to believe there was currently any threat within the palace walls. And with her friends scattered everywhere, preparing for their part in the wedding rehearsal, she was left alone at the moment. She steeled herself, forcing her voice to remain composed as she answered. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're the one who's out of place here. You have no right to speak to me like that."

"I'm out of place? Unlike you, I was born into my role, as any true noble would be. I didn't luck into my title by making friends in high places..."

As if last night's rounds of insults weren't annoying enough... She glared at him. "That is your King you're questioning..."

"Yes, well, Aidan is young still. And if I'm not mistaken, he was very smitten with you during the social season, correct? I'm certain such a lovestruck puppy would do almost anything to keep you around, even hand off an undeserved title and an equally undeserved duchy."

"If you have a problem with Aidan's decision, perhaps you need to take it up with him." She attempted to move past them again, only to be unsuccessful. "Look, I'm on a schedule here. I really don't have time to deal with this."

"You're right. Let's cut to the chase. I spoke with my son last night, and it's been decided that the wedding will not move forward."

"Excuse me?"

"My son has realized his error in entering into this marriage arrangement with you so quickly. I have come here to inform you that he wishes to terminate this hasty proposal effective immediately."

She felt sick to her stomach at his words and again tried to dodge away from them. "I think I'll let him tell me that himself."

"As you wish." Barthelemy pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Maxwell? Yes, Riley wishes to speak with you personally about last night..."

She slowly took the phone he offered to her, noticing Maxwell's number was indeed on the display screen. "Maxwell? What's going on? Your father is out here telling me—"

"Riley!" He interrupted her, the angry, cold tone of his voice nearly stunning her into silence.

"Maxwell?"

"I don't think this is such a good idea anymore..."

"What? Where is this coming from?"

"I don't know what I was thinking, but now this seems like a mistake..."

"Maxwell, where are you? I think we just need to—"

"No. I think it's best if you just go."

Her heart caught in her throat as the line disconnected, and she stared up at Barthelemy, who wasn't even trying to hide his smug smile. "What have you done..."

"I only showed him the truth. You were never fit to be a part of this house, or anywhere in Cordonia for that matter."

She could feel the burning of her tears threatening to force their way out, but she held back, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her break. "I'm still going to go find him and talk to him." She shoved one of the men aside, catching him by surprise as he stumbled back.

"Perhaps you should honor his wishes." Barthelemy stepped in front of her. "I think, my dear lady, if you love my son as you say you do, you'd leave now."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Maxwell walked into the boutique, where Bertrand, Aidan, and Drake were waiting. "Aww yeahhhh, the groom dream team is in the house!"

Drake tossed a jacket to him. "Easy there, skippy. Don't dance yourself to death before the big day."

"Impossible! Oooh, maybe we'll have a dance-off to end all dance-offs at the end of the reception! Dance to the death!"

"I doubt that would please Madeleine," Aidan laughed. "Tomorrow will be such a joyous and momentous day, not only for you, but for all of Cordonia. I, for one, am honored to be conducting the ceremony."

"I couldn't be prouder, brother." Bertrand clapped him on the shoulder. "I must admit, I had my doubts in the beginning when you brought her over from New York, but you two have proven me wrong time and time again."

"This is really happening, isn't it?" Maxwell smiled giddily as he tried on the jacket. "Dad seems to have some reservations about her though... you know he stopped by my room last night?"

Bertrand frowned. "Maxwell, I know you're... happy to see him again... but I don't think you quite remember what Father was li—"

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." Barthelemy walked inside, carrying an envelope underneath his arm. "I do hope I'm not interrupting."

"Hey Dad!" Maxwell grinned. "You're just in time for the fitting!"

"I'm afraid I come bearing bad news, my son."

The smile slowly faded from Maxwell's face. "What do you mean?"

"I stopped by Duchess Riley's quarters this morning to pay my respects, and one of the servants was there. They told me they discovered this next to her bed. I'm sorry, but I do think you should see this..." He handed him a typed letter with Riley's signature at the bottom. "Apparently... there's someone else."

Someone else. Maxwell could instantly feel those words stab deep into his heart as he dazedly reached for the letter. This couldn't be happening.

Drake scoffed in the background. "Right. Like Mason would cheat on Maxwell."

"Well, it's not as if the duchess doesn't have a record of seeing other men while courting another..."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It's public knowledge that Aidan was going to propose to her at some point and make her Cordonia's queen, correct? And then at the last minute, an engagement between her and my son is announced? Coincidence?"

Drake glanced at Aidan, whose lips were pressed into a thin line as he resisted the urge to respond. "Still doesn't prove anything."

"Yes, but my son wasn't the only one she was having a good time with behind Aidan's back, isn't that right, Mr. Walker?" He pulled out the contents from the envelope he was holding. "I'm sure you all remember this popular incident..."

Drake glanced at the photos and shoved them away. "That's Tariq," he growled. "She was sexually assaulted that night. I hardly call that having a good time."

"You're overreaching here, Barthelemy," Aidan joined in with warning in his voice.

"I'm not finished," Barthelemy continued, unphased as he pulled out more photos. "You see... the photographer did the job she was paid for, but then caught something else she thought might come in handy at some point later on. Seems Riley and Mr. Walker got a little intimate after this... assault. Tell us, Drake... were you really there to help her or was it just the act of a jealous lover?"

"What the..." Drake grabbed the new photos and stared at the images of Riley sitting next to him on the bed with his shirt off. "That's not what happened."

"I believe a picture says a thousand words."

Drake turned to Aidan. "Aidan, I—"

"Don't worry about it." Aidan put a hand on his shoulder, eyeing Barthelemy warily. "I trust my friend. If he says it meant nothing, then of course it meant nothing. And I have no doubt Riley would say the same."

"Of course, your majesty." A slight smile curved at Barthelemy's lips. "It is curious though why your friends never mentioned this to you... if it meant nothing."

"Dad, just... just leave them alone, okay?" Maxwell broke in, his gaze still fixed on the letter in his hands.

Bertrand glared suspiciously at his father and moved to stand in front of his brother. "Maxwell, a word?" he muttered insistently. Maxwell nodded listlessly, following him a small distance away from the group. "I do hope you are not giving in to this ridiculous sham."

"I..." Maxwell's eyes shone with anguish. "I don't know what to believe right now..."

"Pull yourself together, brother! You know better than this."

Maxwell stared ahead, barely listening to him. "She was always out of my league. I was never good enough for someone like her..."

"Maxwell, look at me, confound it!" Bertrand grabbed him by the shoulders, giving him a hard shake and forcing him to look at him. "I would suggest that you consider how you received this letter. You know full well that Father does not approve of my wishes to ask for Savannah's hand because of her status. Don't be a fool to think he would not try to interfere with your marriage to Riley as well."

A look of resolve started to return to Maxwell's eyes when a voice sounded out behind them. "Son, please..." They turned to see Barthelemy standing there, with a sad expression on his face. "I know you and I have our differences, but do you really think I would do something so petty and obviously devastating to my youngest son on the eve of his wedding day?"

Bertrand glared at him again, preparing to retort when Maxwell shook his head. "No... no, of course not, Dad."

"I'm sure all this can be resolved with a simple phone call. You can speak to Riley directly and get to the bottom of this..." Barthelemy suggested.

"Right..." Maxwell fumbled around in his pockets, searching for his phone. "I thought I had it..."

"Is this your phone, son?" Barthelemy held up a bright blue object covered in squid decals.

"Thanks..." His hands shook a little as he found "Little Blossom" on his speed dial list and pressed call, waiting nervously.

"Maxwell." Her voice answered softly over the line, instantly calming his nerves.

"Riley..." he said, breathing out a sigh of relief. "I really need to talk to you right now..." There was a long pause on the other end. "...Riley?"

"I've been wanting to say something ever since I last saw you..."

"What's that?"

"I think it's best we don't see each other again."

He suddenly couldn't breathe as an unexpected surge of pressure in his chest threatened to crush him from within. "Riley, what..." he managed to choke out.

"I'm in love with..." There was a brief pause. "...someone better."

"But... when... I... you..." He couldn't find the words.

"He and I are very happy together. We don't need you ruining this."

"But Riley, I don't understand," he pleaded, tears stinging at his eyes. "What happened? Can we please just—"

"This conversation is over."

Maxwell's heart shattered as he heard the call drop, and he slowly leaned back against the wall, sinking to the floor. "Riley..." he whispered.

Even Bertrand looked shaken up by the conversation. "Brother, I... I have no words..." He sat down beside him, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"This is bullshit," Drake spoke up. "This isn't like Mason at all. Something's wrong here." He turned to look at Aidan, who was speaking quietly on the phone with someone. "What are you doing?"

Aidan hung up. "I've informed Madeleine to send out a press release... that until further notice, the wedding has been called off."

"Hold up. We're not all just giving up, are we? Let's go find her and get to the bottom of this!"

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Mr. Walker. Riley is long gone. She took off from the palace early this morning, presumably with her new lover." Barthelemy glanced at his watch. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to. I'll join you all later for dinner, I suppose."

Drake glared after him as he left the room. "This isn't happening." He pulled out his phone and called Riley's number. "Mason, it's me. Pick up your phone. We all need to talk about this... now." He mumbled in frustration and looked at Aidan. "Straight to voice mail..."

Bertrand helped his brother stand up. "Come, Maxwell... let us retire to the suite and you and I can have a talk..."

"Yeah..." Maxwell stared ahead with teary, vacant eyes as he allowed Bertrand to lead him out of the room.

Out of the corner of his eye, Drake noticed Aidan had picked up the pictures Barthelemy had brought in again and was studying them closely. "Still nothing to see there, Aidan..."

"Why didn't you say anything, Drake? Out of curiosity..."

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"It's just... you've never been shy about telling me these things before, and..."

"What's so special about Riley icing a few bruises? After I kicked Tariq's ass for doing what he did to her, she noticed he got a few good hits in. So she insisted that I stay with her a little longer and she would put some ice on. I think she was also still a little scared from what happened, so I didn't mind sticking around until everything settled down. Besides... it's what you constantly asked me to do all season. Watch out for her."

"Right..." Aidan stared at the pictures, remaining silent.

Drake rolled his eyes. "I guess there's nothing left to say, is there?"

Aidan sighed. "Drake..."

"You're letting your personal feelings cloud your judgement. You're still not over her. Admit it... part of you actually wants to believe it's true." Drake crumpled up his copy of the pictures in his hand and turned away in disgust. "Whatever. You have my number. You can leave a message when you figure it all out."

"Drake..."

"No. I'm out of here." He strode off, making his way through the halls and outside the palace entrance. He thought maybe a walk through the garden maze might help him clear his head. He didn't get far before a small voice stopped him.

"Drake, wait..."

He turned to see a familiar figure running toward him. "Hana..."

"Drake... Madeleine just informed us the wedding is off! What's happening? Is Maxwell okay? Riley? Where are they?"

"Supposedly Mason found someone else and she's left..."

"What?!"

"Yeah, I know. I don't believe it either..."

"What's this?" She gestured to the crumpled up photos he still had balled up in his fist.

"Nothing..." he growled. "That jerk of a father Maxwell and Bertrand has brought these in and tried to make something out of nothing. Said there was something between me and Riley while Aidan was courting her..."

Hana gently smoothed out the pictures and examined them closely, taking in the details of each one. "I suppose I see what he was getting at," she finally said, looking up at him. "But you weren't actually doing anything, yes?"

"Exactly." Drake threw up his hands in exasperation as he sat down on a nearby bench and put his head in them. "She was only trying to help after the whole Tariq thing. We've always been friends. All of us have always been friends. Why would we do this to each other?"

Hana nodded, quietly folding up the offending photos. "Okay."

He blinked and lifted his head up to look up at her. "What?"

"Okay," she repeated.

"Just like that, huh?"

"You're my friend, Drake. So is Riley. If you say this is nothing, then I believe you."

Drake sighed in relief and pulled her in for a one-armed hug. "Thank you. You are the only one with some sense around here, you know that?"

They sat in silence for a moment. "...so how's Maxwell?"

"He absolutely broken. Bertrand's with him right now. I figure that's who he needs to be with. We just really need to find Mason and get this figured out. None of this makes sense."

"Has anyone tried reaching her since?"

"I tried. Phone's going straight to voice mail."

Hana pulled her phone out and dialed, nodding a few seconds later as she heard the voice mail message as well. "Hi Riley, it's Hana... please call us back. We're not mad with you. We just want to talk and find out what's going on. We love you, please remember that." She looked back up at him. "I suppose all we can do now is wait... she can be anywhere by now..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You were right, sir. The Beaumont wedding has officially been called off, a press release is underway, and the now former Duchess Mason has renounced her title and lands in order to return to her home country."

"Perfect. Everything is going according to plan." A dark figure stepped out from the shadows and walked towards a hanging mirror. As he straightened his collar, a sinister grin crossed his face, and the reflection of Barthelemy Beaumont smiled in return. "I assume hacking their cell phones was not an issue?"

"Child's play, sir. All voicemails were deleted as soon as they were left. Any text messages are being intercepted and simply lost into the network. Nothing will be getting through to either of them."

"Excellent. Such a foolish match to begin with. Bringing a waitress into the family..." He huffed with indignation. "But of course, Maxwell was always one to make reckless judgements. It's high time I returned to help him remember what it means to be a true Beaumont."

"Genius, sir. But, what's to stop Riley and Maxwell from talking again once this situation dies down and they figure this out?"

"You let me worry about my son. I'll weave the doubt so thick that it will ensure he never speaks to her ever again."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Last Night...

"So... I'm glad you are able to see me get married," Maxwell said happily, bouncing his knees nervously as his father took a seat nearby.

"Yes... who'd have thought such an extraordinary event would happen in your lifetime? And to such a prominent figure, no less?"

His face fell slightly. "She's amazing..."

"I suppose... for a waitress."

"Dad..."

"I must ask, son, what was going through your mind when you asked that woman—"

"Riley."

"Excuse me?"

"Riley. Her name is Riley..."

"Yes. Anyway, when you asked that woman—"

"Riley." This time, his voice came out more forceful.

"You're certainly quite fond of her, aren't you, son? But are you sure she is fit to be part of Cordonia? Part of our house? Someone with her background, regardless of her social standing, is bound to still leave a black mark on those who choose to associate with her..."

"You know... I don't think this is such a good idea anymore..." Maxwell slowly stood up.

"Oh come now, Maxwell... you and I both know how this court works. We were born into this life. We know what it takes."

"I don't know what I was thinking, but now this seems like a mistake..."

"I'm glad you are starting to see it my way, son."

"No. I mean letting you in here... I don't like the way you are talking about Riley. I love her, Dad, and I don't care about where she came from or what her social status is. I'd marry her even if she was still waiting tables out there in New York because she is that amazing."

"You're a fool, Maxwell."

"I think it's best if you just go. Maybe we both just need some rest, yeah?"

"Maybe you're right. Good night, son..." As the door shut behind him, a smug smile spread across Barthelemy's face as he pulled out the small recorder from his breast pocket and pressed the stop button.