❧ an introduction

[halfnelson]

Within tiled hall with grand staircases, marble busts of America's Founding Fathers gaze upon a crowd of the country's elite, the modern-day royalty that rules the nation. It's a grand collection of politicians, celebrities, billionaires, and their beautiful dates. Mixed in with them are some children: clever beasts that wish to truly join their ranks properly in the future. A set of sisters, the teenaged daughters of Ambassador Clara Nelson, and her husband, Harold, eye the crowd like hawks searching for prey.

 

"How many times do you think Senator Williams is going to tell that same joke tonight?" Tara, the youngest, asks, going to fix glasses that aren't on her face.

 

Charlotte, the middle sister, snorts. "Probably until someone actually laughs at it."

 

"So, until he dies."

 

Adelaide, the eldest, turns to them, the glass of champagne in her hand halfway empty. "Or until he make us die of exasperation, whichever comes first."

 

"Honestly..." Charlotte sighs, and fidgets in her heels, which hurt much more than Converse ever could. "Why must these events always be such a drag? The only good thing about them right now is Representative Andre's son, and he's only a six."

 

"You'll thank Mama later for this. Knowing a crowd full of bores like this gets you what you want. At least, that's what I've been told." Adelaide smiles to her sisters, and Tara shakes her head. 

 

"Liar. You've probably gained something from one of these events already, and you're just not telling us."

 

Across the room, Adelaide spots a man, tall, blonde, handsome... his posture screams "old money", his suit says he's been making new money too. Mid-thirties, a master of the game they're both in. He looks at her from the corner of his eye, and turns to her for a moment, smirking, raising his eyebrows and inclining his head towards an exit. With a huff, she finishes off the rest of her champagne and frowns, which only makes him smile more.

 

"Not quite sure about that, but I know I lost something at one."
 

❧
 

Adelaide Nelson is the oldest daughter in an American dynasty. Her father is a respected senator, her mother is a British ambassador to the United States, and her grandparents? Leading names in D.C. Raised in the lap of luxury, with expectations she can't meet, Addie wants to live her life a bit wilder, and seeks to destroy whatever impression others have about what a politician's daughter should be like. Unfortunately, that means scandal follows her at every turn, and she ends up in more messes than she can clean up. 

 

Her parents need to keep her nose clean, her sisters need a decent role model, and she needs to stay away from handsome foreign businessmen that lack a clear sense of morality, but it doesn't seem like any of those things are going to happen any time soon.

 

The price of having everything she's ever wanted is never knowing when enough is enough.