Page 131 of All Twerk, No Play

“For fucking her brother?”

“No, she didn’t care about that,” she said. “For keeping the secret for six years. Only telling her after Grace asked me to be a bridesmaid.”

“Oh shit,” I murmured, remembering that Nick was Alex’s Best Man.

“Yeah, at the engagement party in September I’m seeing him for the first time in seven years. Do you think you’ll still go?”

My stomach twisted like an Olympic diver. I was only invited as Victoria’s plus one … Alex didn’t like me enough to invite me without her. Yet another thing I’d lost. “Probably not.”

“Yeah,” she said with a shaky nod. “Paul’s coming. Hopefully that will stop me from doing something stupid, like throwing myself at a movie star.”

“You still … I mean, what happened to ‘Big dick, bigger ego’?” I asked. I’d been wondering since my birthday, when I video chatted with Nick—he’d seemed down to earth, not egotistical—but hadn’t had the right opportunity to bring it up.

“He was always a talented actor, and finally Hollywood noticed. He got an offer he couldn’t refuse. My heart was collateral damage,” she shrugged, but I could tell it was eating her up. “I avoidedThe Twelvefor nearly two years. Didn’t watch a single episode until my dad turned it on at his house. I’d been dreading it, you know, not wanting to see Nick be so successful … but then once I watched, I realized the worst part: I couldn’t even be pissed at him, not really. He was following his dream, doing what he loved. What he was born to do. Even though he broke my heart, I’m so fuckingproudof him.”

“I think … I think I know how you feel,” I said in a raspy voice.

“I’m sorry to welcome you to this shitty club,” she said, leaning her head against my shoulder again. “But I don’t want you to go through two years of avoiding her, which is why I’m here for immersion therapy.”

I groaned, pulling the blanket over my head. She tugged it back off. “We’re going to live stream Victoria’s press conference, so you can be goddamn proud of her for doing what she was born to do. Then we can watch the episode ofThe Twelvewhere Apollo chases Daphne. Deal?”

My chest ached at the plan to watch Victoria step into her new position … but at least I’d have Kate at my side commiserating. “Deal.”

"Brave," Sara Bareilles

Victoria

“Althoughwerecognizethatlosing Richard’s leadership here at Sinclair Larsson will be a monumental loss, we have taken great pains to ensure a smooth transition to the next generation of leadership,” my father said to dozens of journalists who had shown up for this press conference. When the news of Richard’s death went live last night, the panic over his successor had been widespread in the business news cycle.

Dad had been right to host this quickly, to nip any rumors in the bud. Especially the rumors that started right away about Spencer taking over. He stood beside me on the stage behind Dad, along with the rest of the chief executive team: Margot as CMO, plus the CHRO, CTO and General Counsel that I’d met this morning. Margot had briefed us that we had to look like a united front, a cohesive team leading the company into the future.

Pretty sure the journalists could feel Spencer’s animosity towards me, though I kept my expression neutral to offset the rumors.

“Which is why I’m pleased to introduce—or for many of you, re-introduce—Richard’s successor and the new CEO of Sinclair Larsson, Victoria Sinclair Blackstone.”

The flashbulbs momentarily blinded me as I dipped my chin in acknowledgment.

“Victoria has been preparing for this job since she got her first employee badge at age six. She graduated top of her class in both business school and law school and has been running her own successful law firm upstate,” he said with an affectionate look he’d probably practiced in the mirror. The cameras went wild as we shook hands, catching the moment of transition.

“Thank you for being here today,” I said, surveying the journalists. “As my father shared, I grew up in the Sinclair Larsson offices knowing that one day, I would be its leader. It’s an honor, a privilege, and a responsibility I take seriously.”

The heavy yoke of my family’s legacy pressed on my sternum as I consulted the prepared notes on the podium.

“I’m deeply grateful to my great grandfather, James, may he rest in peace, for founding The Sinclair Group sixty years ago, my grandfather, Richard, for leading it into its success, my mother, Regina, for her brief but impactful tenure here, and my father, Arthur, for his stewardship. Together, they created the opportunity for me to take this mantle.”

On the podium, the vetted speech continued down the page, drafted by a speechwriter and run through not only my predecessors, but also marketing and legal compliance. As I shifted to the second page, my eyes caught on my tattoo, peeking out from beneath the wool of my suit jacket. My cobra, rearing her head.

I tugged down my sleeve.

“I practically lived at The Sinclair Group—later Sinclair Larsson—until I was 23, then decided to forge my own path by attending law school in California. I specialized in real estate and employment law, knowing that one day I would be tapped to lead.”

Dad had been right, I’d been training for this my entire life. He knew it, Richard knew it, I knew it. Even Spencer knew it, much as he tried to usurp the throne for himself.

“I have spent the past thirteen years diversifying my work experience to bring an outsider’s perspective into these hallowed halls.” I looked down at the podium again: Their speech, written for me. Their words, approved by their team.

After rejecting me, they handed me the words to become their figurehead. They spent years playing chess, moving the pieces, and I stood here as a queen … yet I was still being handled. A grown-up pawn turned puppet.

Is this how it would always be?

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