Ashton squeezed my fingers. "Take it easy. I'll come sit in on the presentation later if I'm free."
I walked in alone.
The registration staff scanned my badge and made me dump my phone, smartwatch, even the fitness tracker I never used.
No contact with the outside world for the next eight hours.
My room was a box, maybe twelve square meters, walls painted off-white, no windows.
One metal chair, one worktable, a stylus tablet bolted to the surface.
In the corner, there was a toilet tucked behind a sliding door.
At exactly nine, the screen lit up.
Three sets of words appeared in block text:
[Evening gala. Gemstones. Composure.]
We had to design four matching pieces—ring, necklace, earrings, bracelet.
I stared at those words for a few seconds.
Then I smil
