VALERIE
The air-conditioned chill of the Pacific Place shopping mall usually had a way of calming me down, but today, every fluorescent light felt too bright, every echoing footstep too loud.
I swept through the high-end boutique floor with a sleek shopping bag hanging off my forearm, doing my absolute best to project the image of a Thorne heiress who wasn't currently falling apart at the seams. Beside me, Maya was practically bouncing, holding a tailored pastel dress against her frame and glancing into the full-length mirror of the designer storefront.
"I’m telling you, Val, this color is going to look insane for the summer gala," Maya chatted blithely, her voice floating over the soft instrumental music playing from the ceiling speakers. "You need to get the beige one to match. We
