Valerie felt her heart thundering in her chest as Emily’s hand wrapped around her arm, pulling her back into the swirl of the studio’s after-party. The music that had once been a distant hum now felt like it was reverberating through her very bones. The lights above seemed to blink erratically, casting long shadows on the faces around them. The atmosphere was charged with a strange kind of anticipation, as if the world was holding its breath.
"Valerie, wait," Emily repeated, her voice low and almost teasing. "I think we need to talk."
Valerie glanced at Emily, her expression unreadable, but her mind raced. She was furious at how Emily had spoken to her earlier, mentioning Raymond and Nina in the same breath, like she knew something more than she should. Valerie had managed to brush it of
