Victor and Holly
Bloody hell, thats Holly! Victor nearly choked on his coffee as the realisation hit him. He had just sat down at a small open-air café on the boulevard, flipping idly through the newspaper when her face leapt out from the front page.
No, it cant be. He tossed the paper aside and slumped back in the wicker chair. Thinking about her always brought back memories hed rather forgethis university days, hopelessly infatuated with her while she toyed with him like a puppet. Hed been finishing his maths degree at Cambridge when she arrived, a strikingly beautiful fresher impossible to ignore. She had sensed his lingering stares instantly and, one day in the library, approached him with an innocent question. Just like that, it began.
Holly was hopeless at maths. He wrote her coursework, crafted her cheat sheets before exams, but nothing helped. Soon, her studies became a nightmare. Later, he wondered if shed even got into the university on meritor by some other means. Eventually, shed had enough. At the end of first year, she dropped out. And dropped him.
Were too different, shed said bluntly. Itd never work. Id only make you miserable.
Youre a good bloke. Youll find someone else.
And that was that.
Now, her face was plastered across the tabloids. What the hell had happened? Victor snatched the paper back.
The article detailed the most scandalous gossip of the season. A young European royal, a notorious playboy, had swept into London and promptly fixated on a dancer from a West End club. Within weeks, an engagement was announcedset to take place in the grand ballroom of the citys most luxurious hotel. A royal scandal! And there she washis Holly, now a future princess. Shed certainly climbed high.
Anything else for you, sir? The waitress hovered, eyeing him expectantly.
Righthed been lingering too long. They needed the table.
Stepping out of the café, Victor froze. His gaze locked onto the hotels grand entrancethe very place where Hollys engagement would be announced. He caught himself, twice now, calling her *his* Holly in his head. Damn it. That old, aching love, buried like a splinter, had suddenly flared back to life. He hadnt forgotten her after all.
Before he knew why, he was striding towards the hotel, drawn to the ballroom. Inside, a concert was underwaya band blaring, scantily clad dancers prancing across the stage, cameras flashing. The air hummed with anticipation. Something was about to happen.
Victor pushed forward, squeezing into the front row.
The lights cut out. Only the stage remained, bathed in an eerie glow. Thick plumes of violet smoke coiled upwards, shrouding everything in a translucent haze. Drums pounded. The opening chords of *Bohemian Rhapsody* roared through the speakers. Dancers writhed at the edges, but the center stood emptyuntil a spotlight flared.
A figure materialiseda nymph, spinning slowly, waist-length hair cascading, gown rippling like ocean waves. Victor squinted through the smoke. His breath caught.
*It was her.*
No way. He looked away, disbelieving. Shes about to be a princesswhats she doing here?
The music thundered on.
He forced himself to look again. The woman seemed taller than he remembered, her beauty refinedno longer the fresher hed known, but a woman in full bloom. Yet it *was* her.
A journalist at the front gaped, transfixed. That morning, an anonymous tip had promised a spectacle. He hadnt regretted coming. This was sensationalthe future princess, dancing on stage, tantalisingly close.
Then, the dance changed. The music still soared, but she had stopped spinning. Arms raised, back arched, she trembled to the beat. A belly dance. Flashes erupted. Phones lifted. No one dared blink.
Thendisaster.
The sea-green gown slipped, pooling at her feet. She stood naked. Gasps tore through the crowd.
Movement flickered at the edge of Victors vision. A bottle of champagne hurtled towards the stage. Some unhinged fan?
The bottle should have struck herbut instead, her figure *exploded* in a flash of light. The bottle vanished. A shatter echoed from the wings. The curtain dropped. Lights blazed on. Security chased the thrower, but he was gone.
It was over.
—
I knew it was a setup the second I saw you. Victor leaned back in his chair, lighting a cigarette. Holly rested her chin on her hands, elbows propped on the café table. That morning, Victor had tracked down her number and called. Now, they sat in the same boulevard café.
I have a degree in AI, he said. I know what the tech can do. Dim lighting, bright spotlights, and that hazethey didnt need you. Just a hologram. They scanned footage of your old club performances, digitised it, and stitched it back together. Lasers behind the stage, controlled by a computer. Add smoke, hit play*voilà*! Youre stripping to Queen.
He smirked. But well expose them. I filmed it all. Clear as daythe bottle went *through* you. Ill post it, and everyonell know it was fake.
Holly gave a sad smile. Dont bother. The prince called off the engagement yesterday. Mummy dearest stamped her foot, and he folded. Just as wellI never believed in fairy tales. Theyd have destroyed me. What happened? That was mercy.
She exhaled. But I got something better. A lingerie brand offered me a contract. Serious money. So I win.
Her fingers brushed his cheek.
Youre a good man. Thank you. But were not right for each other. Youll find someone better. Forget me.
She stood and walked away. Victor watched her go.
