Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong

Author:Chloe Gong
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: 2022-09-27T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Phoebe twirled in front of her full-length mirror, tilting her head to get another angle on her long skirt. This belt didn’t fit perfectly, but her other one was silver, and she wasn’t going to match silver with the gold hem. Maybe she would get another but in green. Or perhaps pale pink. Or maybe…

The phone rang downstairs. She heard Ah Dou’s slippers shuffle along the second-floor landing as he hurried to the living room. Phoebe continued rummaging through her closet, trying to complete her outfit for tonight. She rarely associated with her schoolmates, given her horrible academy attendance, but she heard they would be at Park Hotel after nine, and she loved making appearances. Dip in and dip out, let them see how she was flourishing without contributing any more information to add to gossip. Her father called her naive when she insisted she wouldn’t need those ties. He always said the city was run by those who knew the right people and those who held information on the right people—even if she didn’t care to learn in school, she needed to go if only so her cohort would remember her name.

It was the only way she could make something of herself, allegedly. Phoebe didn’t know how much she believed that, but she did want to make something of herself. So she supposed she would keep those social circles running outside the academy.

“Phone for you, Miss Hong.”

Phoebe hurried to her bedroom door, opening it to find Ah Dou standing patiently. “For me?”

Ah Dou nodded. “Careful with the floor. It’s a little slippery.”

“You clean too often,” Phoebe said, breezing by him. “Take some more rest!”

Her sock-clad feet were light on the stairs, hurrying down with nary a sound. She was always refusing to wear her slippers, which was probably what encouraged Ah Dou to clean so often, else she would be turning all her white socks gray. Obviously he was the one who would have to deal with that when it came to laundry day, so his precautionary measures were understandable. Despite Ah Dou’s warning about the clean floors, she still almost slipped near the living room table, narrowly catching herself by grabbing onto the phone cord.

“Hullo?”

“Stop answering the phone in English. How many times have I told you that?”

Phoebe rolled her eyes, tipping backward onto the couch and tugging the cord over. She dragged her legs up, resting her chin on her knees while she propped the receiver against her ear.

“If Father’s colleagues want to gossip about our upbringing, they can do so freely,” Phoebe replied. “What can I help you with, gēge?”

Orion, on the other side of the line, breathed a sigh. “I have a favor to ask of you. I would do it myself, but Janie and I must attend a fundraiser for Seagreen tonight and fill in for the writing staff.”

“Ooh.” Phoebe perked up, thudding her feet back onto the floor and adjusting her skirt. “Do tell. Shall I accost a politician? Seduce a pretty girl? Decode a telegram?”

“I worry about what goes on in that mind of yours.

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