Dinner was a battlefield.
Celsa sat at the head of the table. Gustavus was on her right, Caspian on her left. Heda sat next to Gustavus.
Beatrice, Gustavus's younger sister, bounced in. "Heda! You're finally back!"
She hugged Heda. Beatrice was the only person in this house with a soul.
"Sit down, Beatrice," Celsa snapped.
Servants brought out the appetizer. Caviar.
Celsa smiled at Heda. It was a predatory smile. "Heda, dear, do you know which spoon to use? I'd hate for you to embarrass us like last time."
Heda knew exactly which spoon. Mother of Pearl. But she hesitated. She reached for the silver teaspoon.
Celsa snickered. Caspian smirked into his wine glass.
Gustavus's hand shot out. He took the silver spoon from Heda and replaced it with the correct one.
"She doesn't need to know," Gustavus said, not looking up from his plate. "In this house, she eats however she wants."
Heda stared at him.
"You spoil her," Celsa said, her voice sharp. "She'll never be presentable."
"My wife doesn't need to be presentable. She just needs to be next to me."
"Speaking of standing next to you," Caspian interrupted, leaning forward. "The board is voting on the split next week."
The air left the room.
"The group stays together," Gustavus said.
"Father's will," Celsa said, sipping her wine, "says only an heir with a 'stable family' gets full control. Are you... stable?"
All eyes turned to Heda.
"I heard the sister-in-law is working at a diner," Caspian said casually. "Doesn't seem very stable."
Gustavus froze. He turned to Caspian. "How do you know that?"
Heda's heart hammered.
"I... I wanted to experience life," Heda blurted out. "To understand how hard Gustavus works."
"See?" Beatrice chirped. "She's so sweet!"
"Sweetness doesn't pay dividends," Celsa muttered.
Gustavus slammed his hand on the table. He grabbed Heda's hand, interlacing their fingers.
"Since you are all so concerned about our stability," Gustavus said, a dangerous glint in his eye, "maybe we should just tell you."
Heda looked at him in panic. Tell them what?
"Tell us what?" Celsa asked.
Gustavus smiled. "Let's wait for the main course. I don't want you to choke."
