"What do we have here? If it isn't the grand tale of the princess and the pauper," Selina remarked, her words sharp and veiled in humor. The lilt in her voice carried an elegance that failed to mask the sting of her mockery. She laughed softly, an aristocratic chuckle honed through years of social decorum.
Her barbs were aimed squarely at Fiona and Aldrich, the two standing across from her with the sun casting long shadows between them.
"Se-Selina?" Fiona stammered, clearly taken aback by the encounter. She hadn't expected to run into her childhood friend here of all places.
Aldrich, however, was far less surprised. Nor was he the type to let insults pass unanswered.
"Well, if it isn't the fabled tale of the frog princess and her noble consort," Aldrich retorted without hesitation, his voice laced with deliberate disdain.
His words were directed more toward Selina than the sharply dressed man beside her? Edward Handerson, her ever-loyal fiancé.
"You insolent—!
