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“I do not need you to tell me how to act or what to feel I’ll handle this the sa else…intowards the front of the hall to the first table which sat in front like a high table allowing us to see everyone It was the table for the Callahan woovernor’s and overnment and business wives A hierarchy of sorts I picked up the ently

“Ladies, ladies, I’m sure you’d all love to have lunch or dinner with Ivy and et e are here The Callahan Foundation is here to help this city and our great state; it is not simply our tea hour Ivy,” I called out to her and she turned slightly to , “Please sit so we can get started”

“Of course, forgivetowa

rds the table, however she didn’t sit at the chair I pulled out for her She instead sat in the polished brass and red velvet Chiavari chair…the chair that had once been s However, that chair, er It was placed at the head of the table and had her initials carved into the arm

I wanted to slap the fuck out of her, but instead pretended I didn’t notice where she sat I looked over to Helen and Nari; “Please, come sit”

They both sitte and Fatimah Only once they and everyone else was seated did I turned my attention to my dear, sweet sister-in-law

“Ivy, everyone is so glad you are here Me especially For the last four years I’ve run The Callahan Foundation hoping and knowing one day I’d past to reins over I’rateful it’s to someone like you who truly understand how it must be for the most unfortunate of us all To suffer as you have suffered for seven long years in Ricker Hill Losing your ability to even get an education, beaten aled far too often, and only God and you knohat else must have happened to you On top of that, to be born into such poverty, without a h is such an inspiration to me and all the women of this foundation I’ you’re now in charge of one of herfrom her to address the rest of the woe is indeed abusiness’ To ist Listen well, I’m sure she has much to share”

I s her the er I knew her well enough by now to know she’d be able to handle this job, but also knew everyone else well enough to know that they’d make it as hard as possible And what’s more, every word I had just said would be used in the future as a weapon against her Their words wouldn’t hurt; ould hurt was trying to fill that chair and not make a fool out of herself, Ethan, and our entire faht of that would hurt for a while and she’d get used to it, but for now… I just wanted her to squirm

“Thank you, Dona,” she said softly, her voice cracking slightly “You always have such a ords Isadly, but I did hear ere discussing budget increases—”

“Mrs Callahan” Brigitte, who actually hated our family, spoke up as she often did because she was an attention whore “In the last e events to raise the city’s spirits after that awful attack”

“Oh,” Ivy replied, thinking for a moment “Did anyone have any ideas?”

I snickered to myself because she’d just unleashed one hell of a can of worms

“I was thinking a city fair in Donald Park” Fatimah sat up and quickly said, “It would be perfect with the weather we’ve been having—”

“We can’t always have these events in Chicago We should spend a little time outside the city—”

“But the bo happened within the city,” another woman spoke out “Of course, we’ll need to lift the city’s spirits first”