"Tell us a story," Chloe said softly, her voice losing its sharp edge. "Not a business report. Something… real."
It was a game they played—a choreographed performance of helplessness designed to keep him in orbit. But tonight was different. The storm had knocked out the main power grid, and the backup generator was struggling to keep the lights flickering. LifeSelector-XmasWithYourSpoiledStep-Sisters.rar
Without their screens, their deliveries, and their frantic schedules of vanity, Chloe and Mia seemed smaller. "It's freezing," Mia whispered, her bravado slipping. "Tell us a story," Chloe said softly, her
Julian grabbed a heavy wool blanket from the ottoman—a gift he’d bought for himself—and draped it over their shoulders. He sat on the rug between them, the firelight casting long, flickering shadows against the walls. For the first time in years, they weren't barking orders. They were just three people huddled against the cold. But tonight was different
As the wind howled against the stained-glass windows, Julian began to speak. He didn't talk about mansions or money. He told them about the Christmases he remembered before the rarified air of the Sterling estate—of burnt cookies, paper stars, and the quiet warmth of being enough.
"The truffles are stuck in a snowbank three miles away," Julian said, stepping into the dim light of the parlor. "And the wine is as cold as it's going to get without a freezer. Maybe for once, we just… sit down?"
The sisters exchanged a look of pure bewilderment. The idea of doing nothing was foreign to them. But as the last of the generator's fuel sputtered and the mansion plunged into a velvet darkness lit only by the dying embers in the fireplace, the power dynamic shifted.