Page 84 of Fate and Family

Maria cries softly into Drew’s chest. He pats her shoulder. “It’s okay.”

Shae closes the laptop with finality. “This concludes our presentation. We will now take questions.”

Izzy is the first to speak. “You don’t want to take your friends?”

Shae tosses her hair over her shoulder. “No, they’d only be using me to see Amanda Chase. The boys are loyal.”

Ian jams his hands in his pockets. “I like Amanda Chase. Uri plays her music every day. I know the lore, and I even have a favorite Kiki song.”

Drew shrugs. “I like Autumn Foxes more, but she’s okay. I wouldn’t mind seeing her.”

Alana places her wine glass on the counter, the sound of glass on marble ringing across the kitchen. “You want four seats together for next week’s Amanda Chase concert?” she asks flatly.

“Well, it would be at least six. Because Maria wants to bring Oliva and we need a grown-up,” Shae replies.

Alana frowns. “It can’t be done. The show sold out in under a minute.”

Maria turns from Drew, her tear-streaked face shining. “But you’re magical,” she says plaintively.

“Powerful, not magical,” Lance corrects.

Shae pushes a crumb around the counter with her finger, her voice small. “What about the VIP section?”

Alana answers without missing a beat. “Those tickets are ten grand a piece. Plus, there are cameras everywhere. Fans will be streaming footage of celebrity guests all over social media. And you want to take the heir to the Olympian legacy there? It’s a security nightmare.”

The kids’ shoulders sink under the weight of her words, and a cloud of despair settles over them. Dreams dashed and crushed by reality and logistics—welcome to adulthood, kids.

“I’m willing to negotiate, though,” Alana says, and suddenly, hope springs eternal.

She lifts a finger to signal silence and takes out her phone. “Macie, hey. Call Siren’s people and see if we can get a meet-and-greet for five kids and an adult, plus a greenroom viewing of the concert.” She hangs up and looks at the kids. “If I can pull this off, none of you are getting birthday or Christmas gifts this year.”

The room goes silent, but cracks with anticipation and excitement. Alana reaches across the counter, grabs a chip, and chews it loudly. Her phone buzzes. She types something, goes back to chewing like this isn’t the single biggest event of these kids’ lives.

“Where’d you get the dip?” she asks Thiago.

“New place down the street,” he replies.

“It’s decent.” She nods in approval. The phone buzzes again. She checks it, types a little more, and sets it on the counter. “Done.”

Maria blinks, her jaw dropping like a fish gasping for air. Ian jumps, grabbing onto Drew, who seems as stunned as Maria. Only Shae manages to find her voice. “We’re going to meet her?”

“Yep.”

“Before her concert?”

“Yep.”

“Like, for real? We’ll all be in the same room?”

“That’s how meet-and-greets work.”

“Breathing the same air?!”

Alana sips her wine, unfazed. “Hell, she might even hug you.”

Shae’s eyes widen. “Will Grae be there?”

There’s a shift in her demeanor as her body stiffens. “Probably. He’s got the same security detail as Siren right now.”

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