Dance of Elegance and Deceit

"Extra personal hours might not be a great idea right now. The weekend is quickly approaching.

"I'll be ready," I gritted defensively. Shilo only smiled smugly.

"If today's practice was any indication of what ready means to you, then I would have to disagree."

My chin lifted as I rolled my shoulders back. "My performance was..."

Decent, not your best. Grand Jetes were off, your timing was delayed, and you were lazy and lacked power. If we need to consider an alternative for Saturday,

"I don't need anything. If you want to make that decision, then by all means. I never want to present the appearance that my solos come from anything other than my skill and hard work." My eyes met his in challenge, and he backed down slightly.

"Very well, then. I'll expect tomorrow's practice to be flawless." He turned to leave without another word, and I glared at his back, cursing him under my breath. Shilo was a brilliant choreographer and great director for everyone but me. I understood why but didn't care about his personal issues with my family. They had never asked to become silent investors in his company; he'd begged for their help. Shilo's ego wouldn't allow him to be gracious, which meant I was the target of all his spite and venom.

"You realize he's full of sh*t. Your practice was flawless today, and I personally know that to be the truth; otherwise, I wouldn't have been flawless. We both know that no world exists where I'm not always at my best."

I grinned at Li, who moved beside me. He lingered like he always did, as if I needed him to protect me from Shilo, the big, bad wolf. I didn't. I chose my battles, but I was a Devereaux, which meant I had been raised to be strong and a leader. My parents always made sure I could hold my own, and now my brother has taken over in my father's place since his health is not great. Early-onset Alzheimer's It was hard on all of us, but more for my mother than anyone else. She was losing her husband day by day, and she couldn't do anything about it. And as sweet as that sounded, it was nothing more than a well-orchestrated, personal press release. She put on a good face for the world because it wouldn't be socially acceptable to bail on your husband, whose health was failing. Trichelle Devereaux was all about images.

"Lord forbid anyone ever accuses you of not being the best." I offered a quick glance before we fell in step, heading out of the building. I had everything I needed in my bag and would change and shower once I got home. I needed to get out of this place.

"Exactly, so fuck him."

My smile was subtle before I stated confidently, "I just don't understand why he has a hard time making my life a living hell. I'm one of the best dancers."

"Thebest. Not one of them," Li interrupted, and I rolled my eyes but smiled softly.

"My point is, I've earned my spot. I've worked my ass off to get it long before he bought this company. He needs to chill the fuck out."

"He does, but men and pride. You know the end result. A toxic combination."

"No one knows any of the details. There's no need for that man to struggle with his pride."

The deal was kept quiet at my insistence. My brother wrote a check and became a silent investor, while Shilo got to pretend he hadn't been close to losing the company because of mismanaging the finances. Now, my brother's people kept up with the accounting. Shilo got to parade around and pretend he was the reason we were so profitable. No one knew my family was connected to the company beyond me being a dancer here. I hadn't wanted that detail made public. Regardless of how hard I worked to get where I was, the narrative would be that I'd bought my position. I was principal a year before Shilo purchased the company; however, no one would remember or care.

"He knows, and that, my love, is a hard pill to swallow. So again, fuck him."

We stepped out of the building, and the sunlight immediately warmed my face. "I don't like being the source of his attacks, and there's only so much patience I have left with him and this company before..."

"You're not leaving."

"No, I'm not, but I will respectfully put him in his place," I stated bluntly, which earned me a wide smile from Li.

"Just make sure I'm around to record it because that shit is going viral." His eyes moved past me, and he pointed with his forehead. "I'm assuming that's for you."

I glanced over my shoulder to find a black-on-black Escalade-V pulling up to the curb. Sure enough, one of my brother's drivers stepped out and tipped his head at me while he waited beside the rear back door.

"I'm sure it is, but I don't know why he's here. I was taking the train." My brother sending a car for me wasn't a good sign. Typically, that meant he was demanding my presence, and that always made me anxious. I dug my phone out of my bag and checked the screen.

No missed calls or texts

"Well, your chariot awaits, so no train for you today. I'll see you tomorrow, and make sure you bring your A game. This half-assed effort you've been putting in is not going to cut it, Cress."

I punched his arm, and Li moved out of my reach, sporting a cocky grin. "You hit like a girl."

"Because I am a girl."

His smile stretched wider. "No, you're a woman, so I need you to work on that."

Before I could hit him again, he was jogging down the stairs, heading toward the small parking lot that was exclusively for the dancers and staff of Liberté Abstraite, which I rarely used. I liked taking the train. It gave me the time to decompress after hard practices. I could read, listen to music, or watch people, which happened to be my favorite thing to do. On nights when I had performances, I left last, so my brother scheduled a driver. As a precaution of his, I had to abide by it to keep the peace. He loved me, which I understood, but at thirty-two, I wasn't a child, nor was it his responsibility, but he would surely disagree.