Chapter Nineteen

After Daphne and the other women were rescued by the police, the unspeakable horror that Daphne and the women went through was referred to as "The Incident" in the Gemonian media. As it involved Sebastian, a Prince of Gemonian Royalty, they took his side, and Daphne's name was dragged through the mud. There was plenty of evidence to back up Daphne's claims, but none was shown in the Gemonian media. Only the police had it, so Daphne and Mrs Blake were sent to live in a motel dive where no tourist would ever stay. Mrs Blake was having a shower when Daphne's cell phone rang. Seeing that it was her father calling, Daphne answered it.

"Dad!" Daphne said, relieved. "I've been wondering when I was going to hear from you! Why the silent treatment!"

"I've been trying to hold the fort down here," Mr Blake said. "There's been a lot of attention down here in the media about you, and none of it has been good,"

Daphne sat on her bed feeling defeated. She knew the Gemonian media had been treating her like she was worse than poison, but she thought the media in Coolsville would surely have taken her side.

"What do you mean none of it has been good?" Daphne asked. "Don't they know what I've been going through up here? What their precious Prince and his friends did to me and ten other women?"

"Honey, I've spoken to King Gemonia about it," Mr Blake explained. "He explained to me that you were left in the dark about certain details, and this is all a huge misunderstanding,"

That was the last thing Daphne wanted to hear, and she couldn't have hated her father more in that moment.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Daphne asked, outraged. "What details could we all have been left in the dark about?"

XXXXX

Sebastian loved how much control he had regarding being a prince. He could practically do anything he wanted outside the watchful eyes of his parents. Anyone outside the palace was in Sebastian's control, and he loved having that power. But he hated that Daphne could take that power away from him. Daphne, the girl he loved fucking, the girl that was going to be his wife in years to come. Why couldn't she accept that she was supposed to do what he told her? That question went through Sebastian's mind as he walked around his father's study. A moment later, King Gemonia entered the study, and Sebastian was relieved, but the King had a grim expression.

"How many times have I told you not to think with your dick but your head?" King Sebastian asked furiously. "How many times have I fucking told you?"

Sweat appeared on Sebastian's forehead, and he hated how it felt.

"E-E-Enough times that I should have remembered," Sebastian admitted nervously. "I'm sorry, father,"

"Oh, cut the crap!" King Gemonia replied, annoyed. "You're not sorry for me. You're sorry for you,"

King Gemonia always said that Sebastian was scared of his father whenever he did anything wrong. Sebastian also knew that he had to wait for his father to speak before he could.

"You don't have to worry," King Sebastian said. "I've spoken to Daphne's father about the incident. He'll put her in line,"

"M-M-May I ask how?" Sebastian asked nervously. "Daphne can be a stubborn bitch sometimes,"

"Take a seat," King Gemonia said.

Sebastian sat on the seat nearest him, and King Gemonia sat opposite.

"When it comes to what you did to Daphne, you're going to say that it was a royal and religious ritual to ensure her body was free from sin and that the water coming from the shower taps above her was holy water," King Gemonia explained. "We have a priest lined up to testify that he was there to supervise the event and that Daphne was a willing participant. The other women weren't there. It was just you, Daphne and the priest,"

Sebastian breathed a small sigh of relief, but he still had a concern.

"What about the police?" Sebastian asked anxiously. "There are police reports about the night I was arrested,"

"They've been paid to admit that they overreacted that night, and the police records have been altered," King Gemonia said. "So, once Daphne realizes she hasn't a prayer of getting you and your friends convicted, she'll snap out of whatever anger she's feeling towards you, and you two will be married in years to come. And besides, I've given Daphne's father a fortune for his Mayoral campaign, so she'll have no choice but to obey him as well,"

Sebastian breathed a bigger sigh of relief, and he loved the idea that Daphne would be his again in years to come.

XXXXX

When it came to the motel Daphne and Mrs Blake were staying in, it had two beds, a bathroom and nothing else. Daphne hated that privacy was impossible. A vital call had to be made, and Daphne couldn't make it from her cell phone. Mrs Blake checked it constantly to ensure she wasn't calling anyone she disapproved of. There was one person that Daphne wanted to call more than anyone. The only man that she could trust was Fred. Daphne had to wait until three o'clock in the morning before leaving her motel room and walking downstairs to a phone booth nearby. Daphne looked behind her every step of the way to ensure she wasn't being followed, and once she was inside the phone booth, she had to ensure no one was watching. There was no one that Daphne could see. She put the money in and dialled Fred's number in quickly. No one answered at first.

"Come on, Fred!" Daphne said anxiously to herself. "Come on!"

"Hello," Fred said when he answered the phone.

"Fred!" Daphne said, relieved. "Thank God it's you! I really need to talk to you!"

"And I need to talk to you," Fred replied. "Do you have any idea about what's being said about you in the news here?"

Daphne could only imagine the worst, considering how powerful the Royal family was.

"Whatever it is, it's bullshit!" Daphne said frantically. "I need you to listen to everything I have to tell you, and I need you to get in touch with the Mayor immediately! Can you please do that?"

"You bet I can do it!" Fred replied. "What's going on?"

As Daphne told him everything, she winced at every shocked gasp Fred gave, but she knew she couldn't stop. If anyone would ever believe her, it would be Fred. By the time Daphne was finished, Fred had never felt so angry, and his anger towards Sebastian was murderous.

XXXXX

Daphne and Mrs Blake were a week away from returning to Coolsville, and both were excited about returning home. But the following morning, Daphne received a phone call that she hadn't expected. It came as no surprise to Daphne that it was her father.

"What do you want, Dad?" Daphne asked impatiently.

"Hey, is that any way to answer a call from your father?" Mr Blake asked back, offended. "I have something very important to discuss with you. It's about Sebastian. I want you to drop the charges since it was a huge misunderstanding,"

Hearing those words was a knife in Daphne's heart.

"A misunderstanding?" Daphne asked, offended. "What exactly was a misunderstanding,"

"What happened to you was a Royal and religious ceremony," Mr Blake said. "You just misinterpreted the situation,"

"HOW DARE YOU TELL ME I MISINTERPRETED THE SITUATION, YOU IGNORANT BASTARD!" Daphne yelled, losing her temper. "YOU WEREN'T THERE! YOU WEREN'T THE ONE BEING FORCED TO BE ON ALL FOURS AND WASHED! YOU WEREN'T THE ONE BEING LAUGHED AT! YOU WEREN'T THE ONE BEING PHOTOGRAPHED FOR SICK PLEASURE!"

Mr Blake sighed a little.

"Daphne, are you sure that's what happened?" Mr Blake asked. "I was informed you had a little too much to drink that night,"

"I DIDN'T HAVE THAT MUCH TO DRINK THAT NIGHT AND WE WERE ALL DRUGGED!" Daphne yelled. "WHY WON'T YOU FUCKING BELIEVE ME?"

"Daphne, King Gemonia gave me a fortune for my campaign," Mr Blake replied. "You can't jeopardise that because you were involved in a ritual you don't understand and under the influence. Now, will you please drop the charges against Sebastian?"

Without wanting to hear anymore, her father had to say Daphne threw her cell phone against the wall, and she didn't care that it broke. Daphne's heart was so broken that her father wanted to believe Sebastian's word over hers.