Page 4 of Merry Christmas From Daddy to Little One

“El’s—”

“Fuck you,” I hiss, standing up so quickly my heavy chair falls to the floor. “I hate you,” I tell my dad. “You’ve officially done it. You’ve ruined my fucking life.”

“Language,” my mother gasps.

I down my wine, slamming the glass on the table so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t break.

“Ella, sweetheart,” she calls as I exit the room.

“Leave her,” is the last thing I hear from my dad. I can imagine him waving a lazy hand in the air to show this is just some little girl’s tantrum and not my life-long dream he just crushed.

2

I’ve been lying on my bed for God knows how long, still staring at the ceiling when someone knocks on my door. Luke doesn’t bother waiting for me to let him in. He closes the door gently behind him and comes to sit on the edge of my bed.

“El’s,” he murmurs when I turn onto my side, curling on myself as I offer him my back. He puts a hand on my shoulder. “He promised he would let me announce it to you. I was waiting after dinner to not ruin it.”

“Well done. Dinner was lovely.”

He sighs, pulling on my shoulder so I’m on my back again. “You’ll dance again. It just doesn’t have to be your job. People who stay in Stoneview don’t become dancers, El’s. They’re CEOs, attorneys, politicians. That’s our lives.”

There’s a reason we all work in the same industries, marry each other. We have incestuous relationships to keep power within our elite group.

I know how deeply this runs. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The Stoneview elite isn’t just a pretty circle of rich people.

We control the world.

I think of my naivety and the organizations I volunteer at that have aims of saving the world. Of helping the less fortunate. It helps my conscience, but it won’t change anything.

The world is controlled by the people I see every week. Oil, mines, dirty politicians, underground organizations. Those are the ones in power.

And above them all? Stoneview Community Foundation. A pretty organization behind which hides what only a selected few know as the Silent Circle, its members known as theShadows.And that’s where my dad wants Luke and I to stay.

I feel sick only thinking about it. Knowing the things I’ve participated in when it comes to this secret society.

“Then maybe I shouldn’t stay in Stoneview,” I mutter more to myself than to Luke. Some sort of revelation that this might be the only solution I have.

“You still have cheer. How’s that going?”

SFU has a strong sports community, and the cheer team competes in many U.S. cities.

“I’m the best. Of course.”

He flashes me a gorgeous smile. Perfectly straight teeth that my dad paid for when he was a teen.

“I’m so fucking mad at you,” I huff, even though there’s no hate in my voice. I don’t blame my brother. He has no real influence on the decisions my father makes.

“I’m sorry.”

I look at him, giving him the tiniest hint of a smile. “Life must be so good in L.A. Surrounded by your model girlfriends and far away from dad.”

“You’ll join me if you go to law school. We have a legal team in L.A. and one in N.Y.C. If you want to be away from Dad, come to my side of the country.”

“I don’t think my skin would like the sun all year long.”

He chuckles, then looks at his phone. “I’m going to meet the guys for some drinks. Probably at Chris’s. Wanna join?”

That should be an easy decision. Chris Murray is studying at Yale, but he’s likely back with his parents for the holiday season. He’s not far. Our closest neighbor.

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