"Why would Dad bring something as disgusting as you here?" A sharp female voice cut through the stillness,ced with disdain and loathing.
"You''re nothing but a waste of space," a man added mockingly. "You don''t deserve to be part of the Schneider family. You''ll never be worthy. You should''ve died, just like your mother."
I wasn''t nning on getting involved, but I couldn''t stand their mean words. I dragged my heavy skirt behind me and approached the source of the noise.
A man and woman dressed in expensive clothing were sneering at a young man in a simple white shirt and a bow tie. They even prodded and shoved the man while they spoke.
"What are you doing?" I demanded, my voice sharp with anger.
"Who are you?" the woman snapped. "His lover?"
"Watch your mouth!" I shot back, ring at her.
Judging by her outfit and the caliber of people attending this g, she was clearly the daughter of some wealthy family. Yet her words were as vulgar as an uncouth
woman.
"You..." The woman stepped forward, clearly intending to vent her frustration on me, but she stopped abruptly when she got close enough to see me clearly. Her eyes narrowed. "Wait... Why are you wearing that ne?"
Instinctively, my hand moved to touch the ne resting on my corbone.
"Are you Alex''s date?" she asked, disbelief shing across her face.
Her words caught the man''s attention, and his hostile demeanor faltered. Both of them suddenly looked uncertain.
I frowned, wondering how she had recognized me as Alex''spanion. I didn''t recall meeting anyone with thest name Schneider during the earlier introductions.
But this wasn''t the time to dwell on it. I nodded and said firmly, "Yes, I''m Alex''s date. And who are you?"
"I''m Xena Schneider from Jershore. This is my brother, Henry."
"Even if you''re from the Schneider family, that doesn''t give you the right to bully people," I said, dragging my skirt past them and toward the young man they''d been tormenting.
As I approached, I noticed bruises on his face and a fresh cut at the corner of his mouth.
"Miss, you don''t understand," Henry said, stepping forward with a sneer. "This boy is Lucas, the bastard of our family. He''s an embarrassment. Tonight''s g is full of people we want to impress, and he had the nerve to show up here, uninvited, and disgrace us. We were simply teaching him his ce."
His words made my blood boil. "Have you ever heard of basic decency? He''s not a child. You could''ve boken to him instead of attacking him. And don''t you dare me him for being a bastard. If anyone''s at fault, it''s your father."
Henry opened his mouth to retort, but Xena pulled him back.
"Miss, you don''t understand our family''s situation," Xena said coldly. "But let me give you some advice-stay away from him. Lucas is a mad dog. Don''t let him sink his teeth into you."
With that, she dragged Henry back toward the ballroom.
I turned to Lucas. His defiant gaze followed their retreating figures until they disappeared from sight. He couldn''t have been older than 20. He was possibly even younger than me.
I pulled a tissue from my bag and held it out to him.
He looked at me, startled, but made no attempt to take it.
"There''s dirt on your face and clothes," I said gently, extending the tissue closer. "Clean yourself up."
After a moment of hesitation, Lucas took the tissue. The defiance in his eyes softened, reced by uncertainty. He looked at me with a vulnerable expression.
"Aren''t you afraid of me? I''m just a bastard," he said tentatively.
I chuckled softly. "What''s there to be afraid of? No matter your circumstances, you''re still human, aren''t you?"
He lowered his head and whispered, "You''re the first person to say that."
My heart ached for him, and I
admired the strength it must''ve taken to endure such treatment. Quietly, slipped back into the hotel, found a tray of desserts, and suck
back out to the garden to bring them to him.