Page 103 of Merciless Prince
He smiled. “It’s not just about the money. It’s about sharing and networking. Once you’re a member, you’re in for life. If you need help getting a job, your brothers and sisters from the society can help you with their connections. Or if you need somewhere to stay overseas for a while, there’s always a place for you. It’s like a big extended family. And you only need to participate in one ritual, if that’s what you decide is best for you. It’s up to each member.”
“That actually sounds pretty nice,” I murmured, looking down at my lap. “I mean, apart from all the murder stuff.”
“There’s another reason to become a member, too,” Killian said. “Have you ever heard of the Schöneberg Group?”
I sat up straight, eyes widening. “Yes. Everyone has.”
The Schöneberg Group was a similar organization to the infamous Bilderberg Group. It was an exclusive club with an agenda that purportedly centered on capitalism and the maintenance of its interests around the globe, and its ranks allegedly included some of the most powerful people in the country—people who could steer whole governments in the direction they wanted, shape culture, and build and maintain the wealth of entire nations.
Supposedly, certain members of the group ran the World Bank, Congress, and the Federal Reserve, but there was technically no proof to back these claims. Several prominent industrialists, financiers, politicians, and media magnates had also been ‘accused’ of being members by various journalists and random netizens, but none of them had ever publicly admitted it, and they probably never would.
Most people had heard of the group because there were multiple left-wing and right-wing conspiracy theories about them on the internet. According to the most famous theory, the Schöneberg Group was responsible for arranging several coups in poorer countries that democratically voted in anti-capitalist leadership. They supposedly did this in order to crush the revolutionaries and allow rich American industrialists to continue to exploit the countries for minerals, oil, and other resources.
On top of that, they were also alleged to have fixed several presidential and gubernatorial elections, quashed uprisings in foreign countries, and aided in the beginning and end of several major wars.
“If you’re in the Schöneberg Group, you’re essentially the most elite of the elite, but it’s not easy to get into,” Killian said. “They only accept a few new members each year, and they don’t give any hints about what their selections involve. But there’s one unspoken prerequisite that I know about.”
“What is it?”
“Not everyone in the Hellfire Club is invited to become a Schöneberg Group member, but everyone in the Schöneberg Group was a member of the Hellfire Club when they were in college.”
“So… the Hellfire Club is sort of like a gateway secret society to an even more exclusive society?”
“Yeah, kind of.”
“And you want to be in the Schöneberg Group?”
Killian nodded. “Everyone in my family is a member except me. I haven’t been invited yet.”
“Is that important to you? Being like everyone else in your family?”
He steeled his jaw and nodded curtly.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek as a sudden burst of guilt gnawed at my insides. “Hey, uh… don’t get me wrong here,” I said. “I still think you’re a raging asshole. But that stuff I said about your mom the other week… I shouldn’t have said it. It was pretty low.”
Killian didn’t look at me, but I saw a muscle ticking in his jaw. “It’s fine,” he said. “You weren’t wrong. She left the family because she didn’t want me, and I’m lucky Hugh decided to keep me and raise me as his own. Nothing wrong with speaking the truth.”
“It was still a shitty thing to say.”
“I’m sure you felt like I deserved it,” he replied, still not meeting my eyes. “And like I said, you were right. So it’s fine.”
I blinked rapidly and raked a hand through my damp hair. What the hell had come over me just then? Why did I feel the need to apologize to Killian for anything? He was the one who should be apologizing tome.
Oh, no,said a little voice in my mind.It’s Stockholm syndrome again. Resist, resist, resist.
I looked away from Killian again, and we lapsed into silence for several minutes. When Killian finally turned off the narrow road and headed onto a parkway, he briefly glanced over at me.
“Now that you know the truth about the Hellfire Club, will you tell me your friends’ names?” he asked. “You know we won’t hurt them.”
I bit my lip and shook my head. “I’m sorry, but… I don’t believe you.”
His eyes narrowed. “I told you, we won’t do anything to them.”
“AndItoldyou,I don’t believe you!” I said, irritation flaring in my gut. “Not after all the shit you’ve done to me. And Cori, too!”
“Cori?” His brows puckered. “What are you talking about?”
“Are you serious? You put her in a coma, asshole!” I said, staring daggers at him.
