Yvaine and I had breakfast at her shop, then I headed into my studio to get things ready for the day.
When the call came, I was excited.
"Miss Vance, this is Nathan Liddicoat from the organizing committee of the Aureate Awards."
"Good morning."
I'd just passed the preliminaries and qualified as an independent designer.
I assumed he was calling to confirm the next round.
"We regret to inform you that you've been disqualified from the competition."
"Sorry—what?" I sat up straighter. "Could you say that again?"
He did.
"Why? Was there an issue with my submission? I can—"
"There's nothing wrong with your design," he said. His tone was stiff, with a hint of discomfort. "But someone reported you."
"Reported me for what?"
"There've been some negative posts ab
