“Oh, good morning,” one of them said, noticing Nicole. She wore a white eye patch over her left eye, and her name had been stitched onto the dress in gold under the brooch. Taylor. “The breakfast event is starting soon. Do you need help finding the correct dining room?”

Correct probably meant there was more than one, because of course there was. “No, thank you,” she said, politeness out in full force. “I have my tablet.”

“You should hurry,” the other worker, Fantasia, said. “Jewel doesn’t like it when people are late.” Nowhere near as friendly as Taylor, she looked Nicole up and down, a slight sneer twitching at her lips.

Okay.

“I know who you are,” Fantasia continued. “I’ve seen your videos.”

A small price of internet fame? Strangers would always have an immediate one-sided advantage. Nicole braced herself for no reason other than self-preservation. She never knew what would come next after hearing those four words.

Taylor let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’m gonna finish up.” She headed back into the room.

“You’re not better than Jewel,” Fantasia said. “You’re just a cheap, fame-seeking imitation.”

“How omniscient of you to make assumptions about me, a total stranger, based on a painstakingly curated online presence.” Nicole breathed and paused. She’d never been afraid to stand up for herself, but being strong didn’t mean she had to be a jerk. “I’m not trying to start anything. There’s something about my face that makes people get the wrong idea about me, but I swear I’m one of the chillest people ever.”

Her face. Her ambition. Her talent.

Her dark skin. Her body.

Just … her.

There didn’t seem to be a middle ground. People either loved her or hated her. She was a lot like Jewel, in that respect.

“You don’t get it.” Fantasia shook her head, turning to go back in the room. “I hope you do before it’s too late.”

The look Fantasia gave Nicole before closing the door felt like a magical shot to the heart. Every lick of common sense she had screamed GET OUT like she’d just been dropped into the heart of a horror movie. The hallway felt bigger and colder with sinister intentions looming in the shadows.

Nicole hurried down the hall without looking back.

FRIDAY, 7:25 A.M.

Three gentle knocks in rapid succession sounded from across the room. Stella glanced at the adjoining suite door, deciding whether to answer Harlow or not. She was in the middle of reviewing the Winning Recipe that had popped up on her tablet while simultaneously deciding what kind of new and fabricated personality quirk her assigned red room of pain could inspire.

If Jewel expected her to play a role, she’d be happy to oblige. It’s like Nicole said: When in Rome …