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4. PUBLIC EMBARRASSMENT

CHLOE

“Jesus Christ, it never gets better!” I muttered to my brother, Cal, in a River North venue’s cooler.

If it wasn’t bad enough to freeze in a fridge in a barely-there cocktail dress, it was far worse to do so cramped with dozens of people—including my would-be ex and his new flame. While we pretended like everything was okay, it was Meg who wore his suit jacket while I shivered.

“It’s better than dying in a tornado,” Cal said. “Here, take this.”

He held out his jacket, ever the chivalrous big brother. I pulled it on, grateful for someone’s kindness.

His wife, Daphne, asked, “Remember Dora’s engagement party? At least there was a warm hallway. This is worse.”

“We could be hiding under tables right about now, sweetheart,” Cal said, annoyed. “Are the kids in the basement?”

“The sitter got them to the shelter,” Daphne confirmed.

“This is a nothing-burger. Tornadoes never hit the city,” Mom said. “This is silly. The only reason we are in here is because your security⁠—”

“I am fine with being more safe than sorry,” Cal clapped back.

Nearly two decades my senior, Cal was known to most as “Mayor Markham”. He was born to our mother when she was a hustling teenage mom. Meanwhile, I came about only after she married my dad and built a business empire. He had two young kids with his wife, Daphne, the daughter of his former mentor, business partner, and best friend. Daphne was closer in age to me than him. Still, they were the power couple in Chicago. I wondered most days how Cal and I managed to be half-siblings. We were very different people. Either way, I loved my big brother and was grateful for his support tonight.

“Well, after this, I’m going home,” Mom said. “I’m tired.”

“The night has only started,” Dad said. “Come on, Elise. It’s Chloe’s big night.”

That was like Mom to always be there for Cal. If my brother took a massive shit, it was front-page news. Meanwhile, I could launch an entire haircare brand, and she’d miss out on it with a headache. She had no idea how much I wanted to impress her. When I chose building a business over attending Northwestern like Cal, she wanted to strangle me. She told me I was destroying everything she built for us.

I respected my mother’s self-made struggle to financial success. She had a cosmetics brand worth billions and was a beauty icon. Despite being in her early seventies, she barely looked sixty and had amazing legs. I wanted to be her for most of my life, but she never valued me. She hated my horses and loathed my influencer business even if it had given her high-end skincare line the boost to get it on shelves at Delphine’s stores across the country.

It was only when I became the Chief Social Media Officer for Delphine Holdings, serving its new President, Daphne, that I was able to partner with her. Even then, she thanked Daphne—the daughter of her sworn enemy—before me. And when I decided to leave corporate life to start my own beauty line? Nothing but judgement!

“I hoped I’d see Nora Roberts or someone good,” Mom groaned.

Mom loved romance novels. It’s why I assumed she’d finally be proud. Instead, she’d not so much as cracked the spine on her author copy.

“I haven’t even done my reading yet,” I said.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m sure it’s fine,” Mom said. “No one came for that.”

You’re so kind, Mom!

“I’m not leaving,” Dad insisted. “Not until she gets her moment in the spotlight.”

I didn’t really want to read a scene with heavy petting and dirty talk to my family, but I craved their support and affirmation more than ever. If even the man who supposedly loved me couldn’t grant me that, was I even worthy of this? Was everything in my life—as Jasper put it—a farce? I swirled in self-doubt as we listened to the crashing sound on the other side of the freezer door. Huddled together, we took the warning seriously and crouched lower on the cold floor.

I held on, unsured what awaited us on the other side of the thick insulation keeping us safe. It took another five minutes before Cal’s security called it off.

“We’re safe. The storm has passed,” one declared.

With that, we filed into the kitchen to find other guests hiding all around. It was a mess, but everyone was safe. It wasn’t until we made our way out into the venue that we had to step around shattered window glass. With that, my evening was toast. Worse still was Jasper helping Meg teeter around the glass like he cared. I sobbed, heartbroken over so much.

Cal wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go back to ours, okay? We can check on the kids, and you can tell us all about your book.”

“You don’t have to do that⁠—”

“I want to hear all about it,” Daphne said. “I’m going to grab a cheesecake from the bougie grocery, and we will have a celebration of our own. Don’t be silly.”