"Everything in Wintervale is everyone's business. You'll learn that quickly." She pours tea with elegant precision. "But I'm not here to discuss your relationship status. I'm here to discuss your future."
"I'm listening."
"Smart girl. Your mother was smart, too. Stubborn, brilliant, determined to claim what was hers." Helena's expression softens fractionally. "I liked Lila, and more importantly, I respected her. When she came to me with suspicions of her lineage, I told her to be careful. I warned her that the Kingsleys wouldn't accept a new heir quietly."
“She came to you?” My breath catches. "You knew my mother?"
"I did. She came to a meeting three months before she died. She was hoping for our support in claiming her inheritance. I told her we'd consider it." Helena's voice drops. "Then she died, and the collective decided it was too dangerous to pursue."
"You let them kill her?”
"No, we had no idea of their nefarious plan. But once it was executed, I let them think they'd won. That it was over.” Helena meets my eyes directly. “But it’s never over. And I've been waiting three years for Lila’s daughter to be strong enough to finish what she started."
The words hang in the air between us.
"You want to use me," I say.
"I want to help you. There's a difference."
"Is there?"
"Yes. Using you would mean controlling your proxy votes for my own benefit. Helping you means teaching you how to use them yourself." Helena sips her tea. “My organization has been fighting the Hollow Club's dominance for fifty years. Born out of a fear of the feminist movement back then, those men have been a thorn in our sides since I was a teenager. We've made progress, but we're still outnumbered, out-resourced, and operating in the shadows. You, with your Kingsley inheritance, would change that equation."
"How?"
"Because you don't just get votes. You get board seats. Decision-making power on the Kingsley Foundation, the Kingsley Trust, and the development corporation. You get a say in how Wintervale's oldest money moves." Helena leans forward. "And if you vote with us instead of against us, we can finally shift the balance of power in this town where it belongs…to the women.”
Blake speaks for the first time. "What's your price?"
Helena smiles. "Direct. I appreciate that. My price is simple—loyalty. I want Peyton's commitment that when she has power, she'll use it to advance our agenda."
"Which is?" I ask.
"Cleaning up Wintervale. Ending the corruption that's poisoned this town for generations. We were once a quaint getaway for people from the city, but now...” Helena's eyes are fierce. “Now, the Kingsleys profit from trafficking, just like the Delanos and God knows who else. They make money from every corner of this town, regardless of its nature, and dress it up in charity and tradition. I want that to end. And I think you do too. This is our home.”
Our home.
"Why me?" I ask. "Why not wait for someone easier? My situation is hella complicated.”
"Because you're not easy. Because you're angry. Because you watched your mother be destroyed by those men and you want revenge." Helena's smile is sharp. "Anger is useful, Peyton, especially when it's aimed at the right targets."
I consider her offer. The alliance she's proposing. The cost of accepting help from people who are only marginally better than my enemies.
"I need time to think," I say.
“Tonight, Edmund Kingsley will make his move. You'll need allies. The Frost Society can be those allies, or we can sit back and watch you self-destruct…like your mother.” Helena stands. “It’s your choice. Choose wisely."
She leaves, gliding out of the dining room like she's already won.
Blake and I sit in silence for a moment. I consider the conversation. I don’t hate the woman, but I didn’t like her either.
"What do you think?" I ask.
"I think Helena Evermoore is dangerous, calculating, and playing a game we can't see all the pieces of." He turns to face me. "I also think she's right. You need allies. The question is whether you trust her enough to accept her help."
"Do you?"
"I trust that her interests align with ours, at least for now. That's the best we're going to get in Wintervale, a few hours before you’re coming-out party.”
