Ruth strode through the hallway with all the grace of a princess, albeit a princess who was in a bit of a hurry. She held her head high and even her quickened pace did nothing to lessen her poise.

Sarah trailed after, doing her best not to fall behind. She landed wrong on a hasty step and stuttered into the wall, her palm slapping against the plaster.

“Hurry up!” Ruth hissed, barely even slowing to glance back.

“You should have let me wear the chunky heels,” Sarah grumbled. “Those are way easier to walk in.”

“They didn’t match your dress. Come on!”

The two sisters slid into the sitting room and settled into the light green chairs that faced the couch.

Sarah huffed and leaned down to rub her ankle. “See? We had plenty of time.”

Ruth looked sideways at Sarah. “Sit up straight.”

The sound of heels clicking against the marble floors reached their ears. Sarah jerked upright just as their mother entered the room.

Elena wore a deep blue gown with a high neckline and gauzy three-quarter sleeves. Her hair was stark white and cropped short in a way that elongated her already sharp cheekbones. She surveyed her daughters with a piercing gaze that highlighted their flaws anywhere it lingered.

At last she smiled, and for a moment the strict lines of her face softened into approval.

“Don’t you girls look lovely,” she said, taking a seat on the couch. “Your father should be down soon.”

Sarah forced a tight smile. Once, her mother’s approval would have meant the world. But times had changed, and the words felt hollow. In part it was because she knew it was really Ruth’s efforts her mother was complimenting, but also because she no longer wanted to be a part of her mother’s society, which she had once struggled so hard to fit into. How much better off she could be living her own life, separate from the exalted trappings of elegance.

Ruth, on the other hand, glowed at the praise. “How was your day, mother?”

“Oh, wonderful. Your father and I had a lovely time with Cheryl and David. Sarah, you remember Cheryl, don’t you? It’s been a few years since you last saw her.”

“Of course.” Cheryl was an old friend of the family. When Sarah and Ruth were kids they had joint family vacations with Cheryl’s family at their beach house. The tradition had ended when Cheryl’s children moved away and had families of their own, but it was a time the girls looked back on with fondness. Back then, she’d been blissfully ignorant of the sweatshops and child labor that fueled Cheryl’s empire.

“Unfortunately, David is going on a business trip to Europe for the summer. Poor Cheryl is going to be all alone.”

“That’s too bad,” Sarah said, though it was hard for her to dredge up any real sympathy.

“It is.” Elena tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “The worst thing for her right now would be to go to that house alone all summer.”

“Are you thinking of going with her, then?” asked Ruth.

Her mother chuckled softly. “Oh no, dear, I couldn’t. I have responsibilities here. We all do, unfortunately. Your father has the business, you have your job. Sarah has…” She looked puzzled for a moment, then snapped her fingers. “Sarah honey, you’re not busy this summer.”

Sarah froze. Cheryl’s beach house was a private getaway in every sense of the word, equipped with only the most basic internet capability. If she had to go, she would be completely unable to connect to Trillium. That was no doubt why Elena was threatening to send her.

“No, mother, I,” she stammered.

Elena tapped a manicured nail against her lips. “If nothing changes for you in the next couple of months, she would be delighted to have your company.” Her statement was punctuated by the tolling of the grandfather clock. “Ah! Would you look at the time. Our guests will be arriving any moment now.” Her eyes met Sarah’s. “You haven’t met Brayden yet, have you? I do hope the two of you will get along.” She rose to her feet in a flutter of gossamer fabric.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Sarah stared after her. “What do you think, Ruth? Am I to be sold off as a nurse or a whore?”

Ruth gave her a look. “Don’t be dramatic.”

Sarah pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and swooned. “Alas! Even mine own sister hath turned against me!”

“Be serious!” But Ruth couldn’t hide her smile.

Sarah’s face hardened. “You heard her. She’ll take Trillium away from me unless I get along with Brayden.” She shook her head. “Why does she even care if I go out with him?”

“Oh! Oh my god. It’s for Dad.”

“Excuse me?”

“Our guests tonight are the Turners. Dad’s been trying to work out a business deal with Mrs. Turner for months now. If you start dating her son, that gives Dad an excuse to spend more time with Mrs. T, which means he has a better shot at making the deal.”

Sarah leaned forward. “But that would mean… No, it’s too much of a gamble. Why risk Brayden and I not getting along and spoiling the whole thing?”

“Because, it’s not a gamble.” Ruth spoke slowly, piecing it together as she went. “Either you get along with Brayden and Dad can work on his deal, or you don’t get along with Brayden and you get loaned out to Cheryl. Mom must want something from her, so either way they’ll get something out of this. It’s just a matter of who.”

Sarah slumped back in her chair. “What should I do?”

Ruth’s eyes softened in a rare moment of sympathy. “I don’t know,” she said. “I would take Cheryl, but I’m not as addicted to that game as you are.” She twisted her ring. “Maybe you’ll like Brayden.”

“It’s not just a game, it’s… It doesn’t matter.” Sarah exhaled. “Dad’s on his way down.”

Their father’s footfalls were softer than their mother’s but more resonant. He had always been more demanding in his own way, both kinder and more resolute in his delivery of expectations and disappointment.

The girls had learned the sound of his footsteps when they were young enough to be ecstatic that Daddy was home. As they grew older, it had become a signal that they were to be on their best behavior. Even Sarah still acted her best around him, more easily donning the perfect angel persona than she did around her mother. There was a part of her that still hoped to make him proud, that dreamed he might respect her for her choices and convictions even if he didn’t agree with them.

When he entered the room, he sat in the same seat that their mother had just vacated. Unlike Elena, however, his gaze was warm when he looked at them.

“Good evening, girls. What did you two get up to today?”

Sarah froze. She couldn’t tell him that she’d spent the whole day playing Trillium. Honestly, she didn’t know why he continued to ask things like that. It might be better for both of them if he’d take a page out of Elena’s book and simply sidestep the questions he wouldn’t like the answers to.

“I’m finishing up a project for the Donhaiser Group,” Ruth answered smoothly. “They don’t need it until next week, but I figured I could score a few points by completing it early.”

Donovan beamed. “That’s my girl. Putting in the extra hours just like your old man.”

Sarah felt sick. It was foolish to think he’d ever see the value in what she did. He was a company man through and through, his values directly at odds with hers.

The doorbell rang, and the sound of it jolted her like an electric shock. This was her chance to do something for her father. She could get along with Brayden, at least long enough for her father to charm Mrs Turner.

Was she selling out? Yes. Was it cowardly? Probably. But she wanted him to look at her with the same beaming pride that he had just shown Ruth, and the knot of anxiety in her breast told her she wouldn’t earn it by being herself.

She heard her mother welcoming the guests and leading them to the dining room. Elena called out that dinner was ready and as they filed into the room she introduced everyone who hadn’t yet met.

Brayden was a tall man, average looking with an attempt at stubble. The look he gave Sarah made her stomach twist. It was an evaluating look, with just a hint of calculation that melted into a smile.

“It’s good to finally meet you,” he said. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Same to you,” she said, shaking his hand. “Why don’t we sit together?”

Her mother looked on in approval. “Brayden here has just started working at his father’s firm, isn’t that right?”

The man beamed at his son. “That’s right. We want him to get a feel for the company from the ground up, so we’re starting him at VP of sales for a while. If he works hard, he might get a seat on the board in a few years.”

Brayden brightened at that, and the conversation took a turn for business. Sarah smiled and nodded her way through it, occasionally making comments about how impressive it all was that he’d achieved so much, so quickly.

After dinner, Sarah walked Brayden to his car. “It was nice to meet you,” she said. “Even if the whole thing was orchestrated by our parents.”

He leaned against the hood of the car and put a hand on her waist to pull her close. “What do you say we keep the night going?”

She took his hand in hers and slid out of his grasp. “My mother would kill me. But I do have an idea for our next date.”

“Tonight counted as a date, then?” His eyes danced.

Sarah bit her lip. This was the part that could go sideways. “Have you ever played Trillium?”

Confusion creased his forehead. “That dumb VR game?”

Stay calm, stay calm. Sarah let out a practiced, tinkling laugh. “Yeah. I was thinking, if you wanted to meet me in the game, we would have real privacy.”

He was still confused, but she could see she was speaking his language again.

“Don’t you ever feel like…” She glanced back at the house. “Like we’re just their puppets? And they’re watching our every move?”

He stood and cupped her face in his hand. Her stomach roiled at his touch, but she had to keep it up long enough for him to agree to the date. Once they were in the game, away from prying eyes, she could make her pitch.

He kissed her slowly. “It’s a date.”