The leather seats of the SUV felt like a cage that was slowly shrinking. Outside, Malibu was a blur of high-end boutiques and sparkling ocean, but inside, the air-conditioning was humming a low, steady drone that made my ears ring.
I pulled my phone from my bag, my thumb hovering over the screen. I shouldn't have looked. I knew better. But the notifications were a literal landslide.
@AngelSource: FIRST LOOK! Scarlett Wood on the set of 'The Gilded Cage.' Is she the new face of the decade?
I scrolled through the images. They were from yesterday—the screen test. Marcus had leaked them. He hadn’t waited for a contract, a press release, or even my consent. There I was, bathed in that blinding white light, looking fragile and ethereal. The comments were already piling up in the thousands.
"
