The admission hangs between us.
"Tell me about the inner circle," she says quietly. "Tell me why it matters so much. Why you'd buy me at an auction, train me for weeks, prepare me for this—what are you getting that's worth all of this?"
It's a fair question.
One I should have answered weeks ago.
I lean back against the couch. "Power. Real power. The kind that makes you untouchable. The kind that means no one can ever destroy you."
"Why do you need to be untouchable?"
"Because my father wasn't. Because men with more power than he had crushed him. And I watched him drink himself to death because he couldn't fight back. Couldn't protect what was his. Couldn't—" I stop.
"Couldn't what?"
"Couldn't protect me. From what came after. From what happens when you're powerless and people know it."
"What happened?"
"I lost everything. The house. My college fund. Any inheritance. All of it was seized by creditors. I was fifteen. Ended up living with Mrs. Silva for three years before I could legally emancipate and start building my own life. My own fortune. My own protection."
"So, this is about never being powerless again."
"Yes. The inner circle controls wealth and influence that makes them immune to the kind of destruction my father faced. They can't be touched. Can't be ruined. Can't be—" I stop again.
"Can't be hurt," she finishes softly.
"Yes."
"And you think joining them will make you safe."
"I know it will. I've spent the last five years positioning myself for this. Five years attending their events, making connections, and proving my worth. The showcase is the final test. Everything I've worked for. Everything I've built. All comes down to this fucking showcase."
She's quiet, processing. "And me? Where do I fit in this plan?"
"You were supposed to be the entry ticket. The demonstration that I could control something precious. That I deserved a place among them."
"Was?"
"Things have changed."
"How?"
"You stopped being a means to an end. Started being—" I struggle for words. "Started being someone I care about. Someone I want to protect. Someone I don't want to share with sixty strangers in a room."
"But you will. Because you need the inner circle more than you need to protect me."
"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out."
She sets down her book completely and looks at me with those hazel eyes that see too much. "What happens if you don't go through with the showcase?"
"The Consortium doesn't forgive that kind of slight. If I commit and then back out, I'll be finished with them. Blacklisted. And the Consortium has a long reach. They could make my business difficult. Could freeze me out of deals. Could?—"
"Could destroy you like those men destroyed your father."
"Potentially."
"So, it's the showcase or potential ruin."
