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Chad excused himself from a conversation with some minor nobles, his social smile firmly in place despite his growing exhaustion. A few hours of sleep did not help as much as he wished it had. He'd been keeping a watchful eye on Audrey all day, but with her grandmother around, he couldn’t snatch her away.
As he made his way across the lawn, intending to check on Audrey once more, a familiar voice caught his attention. He paused behind a large topiary, realizing he was within earshot of Ben and his parents.
"And this is Mal," Ben was saying, his voice warm with affection. "I can't wait for you to get to know her better."
"It's lovely to meet you properly, dear," Belle's voice rang out. "We've heard so much about you."
Chad peered around the bush, curiosity getting the better of him. He saw Mal standing somewhat awkwardly between Ben and his parents, a nervous smile on her face. Smart. His parents couldn’t reject her during a public event even if they wanted to.
"Thank you, Your Majesties," Mal replied. "I'm honored to meet you as well."
"Please, call us Belle and Adam," Beast said jovially. "Any girl who makes our Ben this happy is practically family already!"
Chad felt a twinge of discomfort at the easy acceptance Mal was receiving. It wasn't that he begrudged her the welcome, but he couldn't help thinking of Audrey, who had spent years trying to win their approval.
"I must say," Belle continued, her voice lowering conspiratorially, "it's refreshing to see Ben with someone so... genuine. Not like that Audrey girl."
Chad froze, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten as shock coursed through him. That Audrey girl is the only reason your son has kept his status. If it wasn’t for her, Ben would have fallen flat on his face years ago.
"Mom," Ben said, a note of warning in his voice, but Beast cut him off.
"Oh, come now, son. We never liked her, you know that. Always so concerned with appearances, so... artificial. Mal here seems much more real."
Chad felt a surge of anger coursing through his veins, his usual composure crumbling. Without thinking, he stepped out from behind the topiary, startling the group.
"How dare you," Chad snarled, his eyes blazing with fury. "You have no idea what Audrey has done for Ben, for all of Auradon!"
Belle gasped, her hand flying to her chest. "Chad! I... we didn't see you there."
"Clearly," Chad spat, his usual charm completely absent. He turned to Ben, who looked shocked at his friend's outburst. "And you! You're just going to stand there while they insult the girl who's been by your side for years?"
Ben stammered, "Chad, I don't think they meant—"
"Oh, they meant it," Chad interrupted, his voice rising. "They've always looked down on Audrey, haven't they? Never mind that she's been working herself to exhaustion to support you, to make your reign successful."
Beast stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "Now, see here, young man—"
"No, you see here," Chad retorted, surprising everyone with his boldness. "Audrey has sacrificed everything for Ben, for Auradon. She's navigated council meetings, brokered peace deals, all while maintaining the image of the perfect princess you all expect."
He turned to Mal, who looked uncomfortable. "And you. You've been here what, a few weeks? And suddenly you're 'genuine' and 'real'? You have no idea what it takes to run a kingdom."
"Chad, that's enough," Ben said firmly, finally finding his voice.
But Chad wasn't finished. "No, it's not enough. You've all been so quick to discard Audrey, to forget everything she's done. Well, I won't stand for it anymore. She deserves better than this, better than all of you."
With that, Chad stormed off, leaving a stunned silence in his wake. As he walked away, he could hear hushed, frantic whispers behind him, but he didn't care. All he could think about was finding Audrey and making sure she was okay.
His hands were shaking with residual anger as he searched the crowd for his friend, knowing that this outburst would have consequences, but for once, not caring about the fallout. Why the hell should he care when he planned on packing up Audrey and leaving this Kingdom to crash and burn?
Chad stormed across the lawn, his earlier outburst still fueling his anger. As he approached Audrey and her grandmother, he saw the older woman's iron grip on Audrey's arm, her fingers digging into the skin. Audrey's face was a mask of polite indifference, but Chad could see the pain in her eyes.
Without hesitation, Chad stepped right up to them, his voice low and dangerous. "Get your hands off her, you miserable old hag."
Queen Leah's eyes widened in shock, her grip on Audrey loosening slightly. "I beg your pardon, young man?"
"You heard me," Chad snarled, not bothering to keep his voice down. "I said, get your hands off her. Now."
Audrey looked at Chad with a mixture of surprise and alarm.
"Chad, what are you doing?" she whispered urgently.
But Chad was beyond caring about propriety or consequences. He glared at Queen Leah, his voice rising. "You've been manipulating and abusing Audrey for years. You're nothing but a bitter, controlling bitch who can't let go of the past."
Gasps echoed around them as nearby guests turned to stare. Queen Leah's face turned an ugly shade of red. "How dare you speak to me like that! I am a queen!"
"You're a miserable old hag who drove your own son away," Chad retorted. "And now you’ve dared to lay a hand on my partner."
He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "But it ends now. You're going to let go of Audrey, and you're going to stay away from her. If I ever see you manhandling her again, I'll make sure the entire kingdom knows exactly what kind of person you really are."
Queen Leah's hand fell away from Audrey's arm as if burned. She stared at Chad, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
Chad turned to Audrey, his voice softening. "Are you okay?"
Audrey nodded, still looking stunned. Chad gently took her hand and began leading her away from her grandmother. As they walked, he could hear the furious sputtering of Queen Leah behind them and the excited whispers of the shocked onlookers.
He knew he'd just caused a massive scandal, but in that moment, all he cared about was getting Audrey to safety. The consequences could wait. Right now, his friend needed him, and that was all that mattered.
Chad led Audrey through the winding hallways of Auridon Prep, his hand still gently holding hers. The adrenaline from his confrontations was starting to wear off, replaced by a sense of grim determination.
"Chad," Audrey said softly, her voice tinged with confusion, "what's going on?"
He glanced back at her, noticing the exhaustion etched on her face. "We're taking a break, Audrey. A long one."
They reached Audrey's room, and Chad ushered her inside, closing the door behind them. He immediately moved to her closet, pulling out a suitcase.
"Pack your things," he said, his tone gentle but firm. "We're going to my family's castle for a while."
Audrey blinked, struggling to process his words. "But... what about Ben? The council? Our responsibilities?"
Chad paused, turning to face her. His expression softened as he saw the confusion and worry in her eyes. "Audrey, we've done enough. More than enough. It's time we took care of ourselves for a change."
He moved to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Ben has made his choice. He has Mal now, and his parents are thrilled. They don't appreciate everything you've done... everything we've done. And I'm done watching you run yourself into the ground for people who don't value you."
Audrey's eyes welled up with tears, the weight of Chad's words sinking in. She was too tired to argue, too drained to protest. Instead, she simply nodded.
Chad gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Just pack what you need for now. We can always come back for the rest later."
As Audrey moved to her dresser, mechanically pulling out clothes, Chad continued packing her suitcase. He made sure to include her favorite comfort items - a soft blanket, a well-worn book, and the small stuffed dragon she'd had since childhood.
"What about your things?" Audrey asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Already packed," Chad replied. "I've been planning this for a while... just in case."
As they finished packing, Chad took a moment to send a quick text to his parents, informing them of their imminent arrival. Then, he picked up Audrey's suitcase in one hand and gently took her hand with the other.
"Ready?" he asked softly.
Audrey looked around her room one last time, then back at Chad. Despite her exhaustion and confusion, she felt a small spark of something she hadn't felt in a long time - hope. She squeezed Chad's hand and nodded.
"Ready."
Together, they slipped out of the room and made their way towards the garage where Chad's car was waiting. As they drove away from Auridon Prep, leaving behind the weight of expectations and responsibilities, both felt a sense of relief wash over them. Whatever came next, they would face it together.