Page 57 of Lilly

"It's just proof of what an improper upbringing can do. Which is why I cannot allow Lilly to be part of that world. If she ever has a child, I cannot allow it to be raised in an environment in which one does not even know the correct fork to use."

"I hope this young man Lilly is seeing is not as much of an imbecile as his father."

"Mr. Ashford is smarter than he appears. We've been watching him for months now. Didn't you read the reports?"

"I glanced over them briefly." He takes his phone out and checks his messages.

"Phillip! Pay attention!"

He peers up from his phone, his eyes narrowed. "Do not raise your voice to me. I am doing this as a favor to you."

"This benefits all of us. Do you really want your niece to not be part of it?"

"Of course I do, but if it doesn't work out, I'm not that concerned. My brothers each have two sons, so despite what happens on your side of the family, my side will still receive the benefits."

"But I won't!" I slap my hand down on the table. "I've been punished long enough. This can't continue. I want back in the inner circle."

"Then perhaps you should be nicer to me." His lips form a hard line. "Do not EVER raise your voice to me again. Do you understand?"

He sounds just like Pearce and I hate it. I'm sick of men always getting the upper hand. Holding all the power.

I clear my throat. "As I was saying, based on our observations the past few months, Dean is not as innocent as he seems."

Phillip sets his phone down. "Refresh my memory."

"Call girls. Drugs. Lying to his bosses. Funneling tour money into his own personal bank accounts."

Phillip smirks. "So he fits right in. But given his lack of refinement, I doubt they'll let him become a full-fledged member."

"What are you referring to?" I ask, wondering if they changed the rules.

"Since allowing outsiders in, we've found that some just aren't up to the caliber we desire for membership. As you said, the man doesn't even know the difference between a salad fork and a dessert fork. We can't have someone like him mingling among us in a social setting. It would be uncomfortable for us all. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, but what's the alternative?"

"We're proposing a different level of membership. One for those who lack the proper upbringing but could still benefit us. Think of it as a place somewhere between being a member and being a freelancer."

"Freelancers aren't members."

"No, but they know our secrets and carry out our assignments. The only difference is they're not allowed at the meetings or social events."

"You're saying Mr. Ashford would not be attending the meetings?"

"He would attend a few, but not all. And he would only be allowed at certain social events, ones we choose based on how his presence would benefit us. For instance, it would not make sense for some of our members to attend events here in Hollywood. Doing so would draw questions from the press, so in those cases, it would be useful to have someone like Mr. Ashford attend, especially if our other L.A. members are unable to be there."

"What does this mean for Lilly?" I ask with anger in my voice. I didn't go to all this trouble to have my daughter only be partially involved. She needs to have access to all of it. The power, the money, the connections.

"It will be different for the boy. He'll be granted full membership. Given his age, we'll be able to mold him into the type of member we'd like him to be. And as for his upbringing, we feel he can overcome that. He'll be given training in the areas he's weakest in, such as proper table manners, much like Garret was given training before they released him from his obligation."

"Garret didn't need training," I snap. "He was just being difficult on purpose because he rejected that life. But I am not going to let him continue to influence Lilly that way. So going back to Mr. Ashford and this idea of partial membership, has this ever been done before?"

"No. This is something new we're trying. I suggested it at the last meeting and the committee was very responsive to it, especially Alister. Like me, he's sick and tired of these outsiders coming in and turning our cotillions into barnyard dances with their uncouth behaviors."

He's exaggerating. From what I've heard from some of the wives, the new members have conducted themselves better than the established ones, likely because they fear punishment if they act in an unbecoming manner. Still, I'm not opposed to this new restriction on outsiders, as long as it doesn't affect Lilly and Reed. Or my son.

"What about Conner?" I ask. "I want him given full membership. I won't accept anything else."

"Of course he'll be given full membership," Phillip scoffs. "It won't even come up as an issue, not when they find out the truth about him."

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