the society and being our friend.
“Are you nervous?” Emmett asked as I focused my eyes on the white grandfather clock and saw we were approaching midnight. The ceremony would soon begin.
I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head side to side slowly. “Only thing I’m concerned about is my business. Even though my dad has been the CEO, I’ve really taken the lead on the day to day the past year. I’m worried about just how much I can do while locked in here. I don’t want to walk out in 109 days and see Radcliffe Jewelers in ruins.”
Walker huffed. “I don’t think you have to worry about RJ&I. When you own diamond caves, you’ve reached a completely different level than the rest of us. I think you have the luxury of taking some time off without worrying about the bottom line. I don’t see your rich ass ending in the poor house anytime soon.”
“Agreed,” Montgomery said. “As someone who tried to work all the time while I was going through my own Initiation, I can tell you it’s hard to keep your head in the game. This place is going to take a lot out of you. And it’s not just you that you have to worry about. Your belle is going to consume every waking moment while you’re here.”
I released a deep breath, realizing that the mention of a belle didn’t sit well with me. I wasn’t one for girlfriends because I just didn’t have the time in my life. I also didn’t want anything—especially female energy—adding chaos to my order. I understood I would have to work with a teammate, but that fact wasn’t something I looked forward to. I liked to perform difficult tasks alone. I was a solo artist. Me, myself and I. It worked best that way.
The clock struck midnight, and the Elders banged their canes against the white marble floor in a ceremonial ritual I had witnessed three times now with my friends who were lucky enough to go before me. We all rid ourselves of our drinks and readied for the next phase of the night.
The chime of the clock met the same cadence with the canes, and the deafening staccato became the only sound in the room. No one spoke. No one moved. The Elders held the room captive.
“Bring in the belles,” one of the Elders demanded after the twelfth punch of his cane.
And so we began…
Emmett and Walker lined up with me in the center of the room. We stood at attention and waited. We had done this dance before, so I didn’t feel like I was going into this evening blind which helped things a lot. It’s how I worked. I planned every move I made in life and knowing what would occur allowed me to be able to know what I was going to do one step ahead.
I wondered if Emmett and Walker were just as anxious to get their Initiation over with. I think that was the worst part of all this. Watching Montgomery, Sully, and Rafe get to start before me. I was never a patient man, and this entire process had been slow and painful. I wanted to get on with my life and building Radcliffe Jewelers and Imports to become more successful than it had ever been before.
When the canes stopped and the hour fully reached midnight, the room went silent until the sound of heels broke the hushed and toxic air.
Twenty young women entered in a single line. I took in each one as they paraded into the room that would swallow them up whole if they allowed it. The white ballroom was anything but pure. This grand room held secrets of debauchery, evil deeds, fears come to life, and dripped with lust. On the surface it appeared opulent and full of class. But in the shadows of every crack lurked the hidden truth.
I knew I had 109 days to discover all the truths that lay masked in wealthy disguise.
As the belles flooded the room, one tiny step at a time, they stood in a line before us. They were beautiful as I knew they would be. Ballgowns of every color and fabric draped their delicate frames, and it reminded me of princesses about to meet their prince.
Although I was far from a prince.
Many wore tiaras or earrings made of priceless stones. And each one wore a Radcliffe pearl necklace. It had been my family’s gift for generations. We provided the white pearls