He chuckled. “Better look somewhere else. Stephen’s a hopeless nobody. He ain’t never gonna make it. Got no talent, got no motivation.”
“What? Yesterday you were saying he was the next big thing!”
He shrugged. “I gotta say that to his face. Don’t wanna discourage him.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. I wish he’d mentioned that before I’d promised Helena anything to do with him. “Fine,” I said, polishing off the rest of the slice and standing up. “Guess I’ll… regroup. Check in with the king’s cavalry.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. I got some time on Sunday, and then we can do some biz together on Tuesday after work.”
“You have a job?”
“Oh, uh, yeah. Nine to five. Gotta make contacts somehow.”
Weird. “What’s on the itinerary for Sunday?”
“Grooming you into shape. You don’t have the best social graces, do you?”
“I-I do fine.”
“How’d you handle the conversations at the party?”
I scowled. “What, are you going to give me etiquette lessons?”
“Etiquette lessons,” he said, posing like he was about to drop the most forgettable album of the year, “for the modern era.”
“Okay, Kingmaker, sure. See you then. Bye,” I said, and I headed for the door.
“Peace out,” he said, apparently taking it fully in stride that I was just walking out mid-conversation. Literally everything just rolled right off that guy. Pissed me off.
I walked quickly through the streets, dodging traffic and making it back to my complex, and I went around to the back and fished my key for the laundry supply closet out of my pocket, rattling the door open. Flicked on the lights inside, and Harold scurried away from his spot on the shelf.
“Harold, my guy, you are not gonna believe how my day went,” I said. “Damn, it’s good to see you again, buddy.”
Harold wasn’t listening. Whatever. I pulled aside the divider that hid the door to my room—the landlord put it therefor safety purposesbut it was pretty clear it was to keep him safe from apartment inspections if they came around—and I got into my little cell and, very carefully, took off my suit and closed it up in the suit protector Daniel had given me, setting down my bag and hauling out my extensive range of haircare and skincare products before I managed to fish out my old clothes. I took a shower, and by shower I mean sponge bath in the laundry sink and floor drain in the corner of my room, which was a bit shitty but I’d gotten used to it, and I changed into my pajamas before I set out to try the makeup remover and the nighttime skincare routine.
I didn’t actually have a mirror—I didn’t like to see myself most days—so I opened my phone with the camera on selfie mode, and I stopped, just… looking at myself.
It was weird to say so, but I was… cute. Daniel was a miracle worker, because I actually looked kind of pretty with this style. I’d never seen my hair so lustrous, so bouncy, so sleek. And between the hairstyle, the lashes, and the makeup, I found myself looking at my eyes, wondering if they’d always looked like that.
Five thousand dollars in debt. Well, forty-seven hundred. I’d returned the jewelry after the event, when I went to pick up my bag and old clothes. But I’d had the night of my life, and now I was looking at myself wondering if maybe… I don’t know… maybe there was something about me that I didn’t know about before.
What a time and place to be when a text came through from Helena fucking Warrick.
HELENA WARRICK
Did you manage to vanish safely tonight, Houdini? You were still a little unsteady on your feet heading out.
Ha. Good of her to worry, but I’d been sober on my way out the door. I was unsteady from an hour-long conversation with Helena Warrick, which was terrifying first because I needed to come up with more and more cover stories, and secondly because… shit, the way she looked at me. I texted back.
JULIE
Home sweet home. Did Linyue find out?
HELENA WARRICK
Not yet. She’ll find out in the morning. But hopefully Mr. Cheng will have good things to report, and she’ll only be a little bit furious with me.
JULIE
