City Gods

Chapter 1: Sidelle

***Exclusive Valentine's Day Release***

Chapter 1: Sidelle

The dinner was stifling. The guests were bland. The food? Sub par, but that was likely because she already did not want to be there.

Honestly, whoever said that schmoozing the rich and important had to involve bland salmon and steamed vegetables was a moron. If she'd been in any of these men's shoes, she knew she'd want something of substance – burgers, maybe? Pizza? Both?

Her stomach rumbled but out of pure spite, Sidelle refused to eat a bite. Her mother kept elbowing her food closer and closer to her in the hopes that she would pull herself together and swallow another dry bite of her Salmon, but she just pushed it back.

"Stop being insolent," her mother hissed. "I know you're going to be in a mood later if you don't eat now."

"I'll just ask Silas to get me something after." Sidelle assured her.

Her mother huffed and shook her head. She knew that this was not the place to scold her daughter and, in all honesty, Sidelle knew that that was the last thing her mother wanted to do. Their relationship as based on a friendship both women treasured, and if could rely on anyone in this world to have her back, it was her mother.

Sidelle had been raised on the premise that she would have to marry into another powerful family and assume her father's seat. For this reason, she was trained with all the manners and graces a woman of her standing could have. Her mother had made her mission to make sure she had the finest tutors, etiquette coaches, and dance instructors. To everyone on the outside, Sidelle was the perfect, prim and proper lady. Her mask was immaculate and, even now as she refused to even touch her food, she looked very proper doing it.

To those that knew her, though, she was very clearly being a petty brat.

"Give it here." Her mother conspicuously swapped their plates and got to work on Sidelle's untouched Salmon. "I left you the vegetables, at least have those before you eat whatever junk Silas gets for you."

Sidelle did as her mother told her and picked up the correct fork on instinct. As she daintily nibbled on a roasted red bell pepper, her ears picked up on a few conversations here and there, mostly between her father and associates from their ally family, the LaCroys.

"... Astor's making moves in the Southbank," Gerard LaCroy was saying as he chewed on the dreaded Salmon. "I don't think the conversations we had with them last winter stuck."

"We moved our business from the Southbank last year," her father reminded him calmly. "Any moves they are making will not affect our interests anymore."

"I fear, however, that this will set a precedent, and they will get bolder in the future."

Her father chuckled. "If you think it is their plan to continue to move farther inward until they are right on our borders, then I should remind you of the warning I sent to Ansel the last time he tried, before I was voted in as Head of the Council. He knows better than to take what does not belong to him, least of all from me."

Gerard did not seem convinced. "The Astors are a wildcard at best. I would not bet against them. They might see you being the new Head as reason to rock the boat, test your... Hand, shall we say?"

Test your 'gangster', you mean? Sidelle chuckled to herself.

Her mom turned to her with a frown, her Salmon now half finished. "What?"

"Nothing?" Sidelle cleared her throat, stabbing another vegetable with her fork. "May I be excused after this dinner?"

"Are you sure?" Her mother asked. "They'll gather in the piano room after. Mrs. LeCroy offered to pay her award winning sonata!"