Skye’s POV
The dining table felt like a minefield.
Mom had made her famous chicken casserole‚ the one she only made on special occasions‚ and tonight the special occasion was apparently me surviving my first day at my new job.
She had even lit the good candles and set out the cloth napkins instead of the paper ones‚ which meant she was proud of me‚ and the guilt of that pride sat in my chest like a brick because if she knew what had actually happened at my new job today‚ she would probably have a heart attack right there in her chair.
I pushed a piece of chicken around my plate and tried to look normal.
“You’re quiet tonight‚ sweetheart‚” Mom said‚ reaching across the table to squeeze my hand.
“Long day?”
”Yeah‚” I said‚ forcing a smile that felt like it was made of glass.
“Just tired.
First day jitters‚ you know how it is.”
”But it went well?” she asked‚ her eyes warm and hopeful in the candlelight.
“They were nice to you?
You liked it?”
”It was great‚ Mom.
Really great.
The office is nice and the people are friendly and I think I’m going to learn a lot.”
Every word tasted like ash in my mouth.
I washed it down with a long sip of water and avoided looking at anyone directly.
Ethan had been quiet through most of dinner‚ scrolling through something on his phone with one hand and eating with the other‚ which Mom would normally scold him for but tonight she was too focused on me to notice.
But the second I mentioned the office‚ his eyes lifted from his screen and locked onto me with the kind of sharp attention that made my stomach drop.
“So tell me about this job‚” he said casually‚ setting his phone face-down on the table and leaning back in his chair.
“You never really gave me the details.
What’s the company called?”
My fork froze halfway to my mouth.
“It’s just a corporate firm‚” I said‚ keeping my voice as steady as I could manage while my heart rate doubled.
“Nothing exciting.
Finance stuff mostly.”
”Finance stuff‚” he repeated‚ and the way he said it told me that vague answers were not going to work with him tonight.
“What kind of finance stuff?
Investment?
Banking?
Consulting?”
”A little bit of everything‚ I think.
I’m still figuring it all out honestly.
It was only my first day.”
”Right‚ but you must know the name of the company you work for‚ Skye‚” he said‚ and there was a slight edge to his voice now‚ not suspicious exactly‚ but heading in that direction.
“What’s it called?”
I shoved a too-large piece of chicken into my mouth to buy myself time to think.
My brain was racing through options‚ trying to come up with a fake company name that sounded real enough to satisfy him without being traceable.
But Ethan was smart.
Ethan was terrifyingly smart‚ and if I gave him a name‚ he would Google it before I finished chewing. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Uhm…
I can’t really remember‚” I muttered through my food‚ waving my hand dismissively like the name was barely worth remembering.
“I honestly didn’t pay that much attention to the corporate branding.
I was too busy trying to figure out where the bathroom was.”
I laughed at my own joke.
Nobody else did.
Ethan eyed me slowly.
“Who’s the boss?
Maybe I know them.
I’ve got connections in a lot of the finance firms downtown.
I could put in a good word for you‚ make sure they treat my little sister right.”
My heart was beating so fast now that I could feel it in my throat.
If I said Thorne’s name‚ Ethan would know.
He would absolutely‚ without question‚ immediately know.
And the conversation would go from casual dinner talk to full-blown warfare in about two seconds flat.
“I didn’t really meet the boss‚” I said‚ and I was impressed with how calm my voice came out considering every organ in my body was in a state of emergency.
“It’s a big company.
The boss is some man on the top floor that nobody ever sees.
I mostly dealt with HR and my department manager.
Her name is Evelyn.
Really sweet lady.”
I was rambling now‚ throwing out fictional details to bury the truth under as much noise as possible‚ and I could see Ethan’s eyes narrowing slightly like he could sense that something was off but couldn’t quite put his finger on what.
“Ethan‚ leave your sister alone‚” Mom said‚ swatting his arm with her napkin.
“She just finished her first day.
Let her eat in peace.
You can interrogate her about her career choices tomorrow.”
”I’m not interrogating her‚ Mom.
I’m just asking basic questions about her workplace.
That’s what brothers do.”
”Well this brother can do it after dessert.”
Ethan opened his mouth to push further‚ and I could see the next question forming on his lips‚ something more specific‚ something harder to dodge‚ and my entire body tensed in preparation for a lie I hadn’t figured out yet.
The doorbell rang.
I had never been so grateful for a sound in my entire life.
“I’ll get it‚” I said‚ and I was out of my chair so fast that it scraped loudly across the kitchen floor.
Mom and Ethan both looked at me with slightly raised eyebrows‚ and I realized that my reaction had been way too eager for someone who was supposedly just tired from a long day at work.
“Expecting someone?” Ethan asked‚ his eyes tracking me as I backed away from the table. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
“Probably just a delivery‚” I said with a shrug that I prayed looked more natural than it felt.
I turned and walked to the front door before he could ask anything else.
My legs were still sore from what had happened in Thorne’s office‚ a dull ache between my thighs that pulsed with every step and reminded me with brutal clarity of exactly how my first day at work had actually gone.
I pushed the thought away and focused on the door.
I opened it and looked out into the empty hallway.
There was no delivery person.
No neighbor.
No one at all.
Just a large black box sitting on the doormat.
It was sleek and expensive looking‚ the kind of box that designer stores used for their high-end items.
I picked it up and it was heavier than I expected.
I glanced down the hallway in both directions‚ but it was empty and quiet and gave me nothing.
I stepped back inside and closed the door‚ carrying the box to the small table by the entrance where we kept our keys and mail.
My fingers were tingling as I lifted the lid‚ and I didn’t even know why my heart was racing until I saw what was inside.
A dress.
Black.
Floor-length.
Made of fabric so soft and luxurious that it slipped through my fingers like liquid when I touched it.
Beneath the dress was a pair of heels‚ matte black with red soles that told me they cost more than three months of my salary.
And beneath the heels was a small velvet box that I didn’t dare open with my brother sitting fifteen feet away.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket.
I pulled it out and looked at the screen.
An unknown number.
A single message.
**Get ready.
We’re going out.**
No name.
No greeting.
No please or would you like to or if you’re free tonight.
Just a command‚ delivered with the same blunt‚ unapologetic authority as every other word that had ever come out of his mouth.
I didn’t need to ask who it was from.
I could practically hear his voice reading the words‚ and leaving absolutely no room for the possibility that I might say no.