"Hello?"There was a pause on the other end, brief and deliberate, the kind of pause that came from someone who chose his words before he spoke them."Good afternoon, Mr. Hudson," the voice said. It was an older man's voice, calm and precise, with the kind of accent that came from decades of speaking carefully. "My name is Alfred. I serve as Chief Butler of the Hudson Family."Oscar almost laughed. He kept walking down the street, phone still against his ear. "You have the wrong number.""I don't believe I do.""My name is Oscar Hall." The name felt strange in his mouth, even after all these years. Her was certain it wasn't the name on his birth certificate, though he didn't know what that name was, but it was the only one he'd ever answered to."That is the name you were given," Alfred said. "It is not the name you were born with."Oscar stopped walking.Every so often, someone tried to scam him. Not often, he didn't even have money worth stealing, but occasionally a stranger would c

The gates of Elysium Zero opened without a sound, sliding apart on tracks buried so well into the stone walls that Oscar couldn't see the mechanism moving them. The car Alfred had arranged carried them down a private road lined with trees on both sides, and it took almost two full minutes before the mansion itself came into view.Oscar had seen large houses before. He had lived in one, technically, for three years. But the Hall Villa was technically a small home compared to this. Elysium Zero rose across the top of a low hill like a structure built for a king rather than a family, wings spreading out on either side of a central hall with windows taller than the front door of most houses Oscar had ever entered.He didn't say anything as the car stopped. He'd promised himself, somewhere over the hills during the flight, that he wouldn't let his face show more than it had to.Two people were waiting at the top of the entrance steps.The first was an older man, tall and composed, dressed

Oscar broke the wax seal and slid the card out from inside the envelope.The invitation itself was expensive-looking, printed in gold lettering on heavy cream paper, the kind of card meant to be displayed rather than simply read. At the top, in elegant script, were two names.Olivia Hall & William Anderson.Oscar read it twice before the words settled.Beneath the printed announcement, someone had added a short note by hand, the handwriting neat and deliberate in a way that told Oscar it hadn't been written in anger. It had been written carefully, the way a person writes something they've thought about in advance.‘Oscar. It's only right that you're there to see it. Olivia deserves a husband who can actually provide for her. Come and see what that looks like, if you can bring yourself to.’It wasn't signed, but Oscar didn't need a signature to guess whose hand it was. He set the card down on the desk without any visible reaction, though something in his chest had gone very still."Wil

Evelyn took Oscar to the Culmen Store the next afternoon.Though smaller than Hudson Group's Kingsford headquarters, it didn't look exactly small at all. The building sat on a corner lot with glass windows two stories tall, each one framing a single mannequin dressed in wears Oscar guessed cost more than most people made in a year. Culmen was Hudson Group's own luxury fashion house, Evelyn had explained on the drive over. It was one of the crown pieces of the family's holdings in the world, and this was just one of its stores in Kingsford.Oscar looked up at the building for a moment before walking in. Though he didn't say anything about it, the same couldn't be said about his feelings. Oscar simply felt stumped, to say the least.Evelyn led him past the main floor to a private elevator near the back, one that only opened with a card she carried. It took them to the top floor, a space reserved for VIP members and guests important enough they didn't need to wait in line downstairs."I

By morning, word had already spread through Kingsford's upper circles that the Anderson and Hall families were about to become one alliance. Business reporters mentioned it in passing. Society pages ran short pieces about "a union of two respected names." No one seemed to think much of it beyond the obvious ‘old money and rising money joining hands.’The wedding was set to take place at the Imperial Grand Hotel, the kind of venue that only hosted events people would still be talking about for years to come.At Elysium Zero, Oscar finished getting ready.He put on the suit Manager Lu had helped him choose at Culmen Store, dark and well cut, the sort of attire that didn't have to be flashy to draw attention. He checked himself once in the mirror, adjusted the King West Luminary on his wrist, and walked downstairs.Alfred was waiting near the door."One last time, Young Master," Alfred said. "Do you not intend to reveal who you are today?""No," Oscar said. "Today isn't about proving my