Cracks Beneath the Surface

But even as I spoke the words, a sense of unease settled over me. These families, with all their power and ambition, were on a completely different level. And somehow, I had to prove I belonged here.

As I looked back at Adrian and Estelle, standing together like royalty, I couldn't help but wonder: how far would I have to go to beat them?

The thought stayed with me through the evening, lingering like a storm cloud even as Avery and I worked on sketches in our suite. She tried to lighten the mood with her usual energy, throwing out wild ideas for our next design, but I was only half-listening.

That night, I barely slept. My dreams were a blur of faces—Adrian, Estelle, Isla, and others I didn't even know yet—twisting into monsters, their eyes gleaming with ambition.

The next morning, the tension I'd carried from yesterday clung to me like a second skin. Avery dragged me out of the suite for breakfast, insisting I needed to eat something.