The morning sun crept slowly through the tall hotel windows, casting soft gold lines across the plush carpet. Gia sat on the edge of the bed, towel wrapped around her, hair damp, legs folded underneath her like she was trying to shrink.
She hadn't slept much.
Dreams blurred into thoughts. Thoughts into silence. And that silence? It said more than any nightmare could.
Everything here felt like borrowed time.
Even her breaths.
She reached for her phone and stared at the lock screen — a photo of her and Mia, arms wrapped around each other, tongues out, messy hair, and unfiltered joy. Queens in their own tiny kingdom.
She hit the FaceTime icon before she could talk herself out of it.
Mia picked up within seconds.
"Oh thank God, I was about to file a missing person report," she said dramatically, appearing on-screen with a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth.
Gia smiled for real, just for a second. "Hey."
"You look like you just got out of a hostage situation."
"Close enough," Gia muttered, pulling her knees up.
Mia spat out her toothpaste and wiped her mouth. "Okay, talk. What's going on? You didn't text me last night. I figured either you were dead or locked in a Gucci closet."
Gia hesitated. "It was… a lot."
She told her everything — the dinner, the silence, the way Luciano looked at her like she was some stray he'd found on the street. She didn't even need to exaggerate. The truth was enough.
Mia's jaw dropped. "He didn't say anything?"
"No. That's the thing. He didn't have to."
"Wow," Mia said, leaning into the camera. "Rich people are terrifying."
Gia let out a breath, shaking her head. "I'm trying not to let it get to me, but… I don't know. It's like I'm constantly holding my breath."
"You want me to take a bus down there and fight him?"
Gia laughed. "He'd probably have you arrested before you reached the gate."
"I'd go viral first, though."
--------------------------------------------------------
A knock interrupted them.
Gia sat up straight, blinking. "Hold on."
She padded to the door and cracked it open — and froze.
Valentina stood there, dressed in a white linen blouse, her long dark hair braided down one shoulder, oversized sunglasses perched on her head, holding two iced lattes in a cardboard tray.
"Good morning," she said, her smile too easy. "Thought I'd swing by and kidnap you for a little shopping."
Gia blinked. "Shopping?"
Valentina lifted the tray. "I come bearing caffeine."
Gia glanced over her shoulder at her phone. "Uh, Mia? I'm gonna call you back."
"Oh no, don't you dare hang up on me when—"
Click.
Gia turned back to Valentina. "I... don't really need anything."
"It's not about needing," Valentina said, stepping inside like she'd been invited. "It's about distracting. You've had a rough start. Consider this a soft reset."
Gia hesitated, arms folded across her towel-wrapped chest. "You don't have to do this."
"I know," Valentina said simply. "But I want to."
There was no pressure in her tone. Just a gentle, steady current — the kind Gia didn't know how to fight without sounding rude.
She took one of the iced coffees and sighed. "Fine. Just let me change."
Valentina grinned. "Take your time. I'll wait."
-----------------------------------------------------
As Gia changed in the bathroom, she stared at herself in the mirror.
The girl looking back at her was still scared.
Still unsure.
But if she was going to be dragged into this world…
She might as well put on a decent outfit.