~Jennie’s~

“Smile pretty, O’Neal. The wolves are watching.”

Reo says it low, just under his breath, just close enough for me to hear as the car doors open and flashing lights hit my face like knives.

I breathe in and I smile.

The entrance to the hotel feels like a staged battlefield. Everything is too shiny. The polished marble floors, the silver trays with citrus-scented mocktails, and the glass walls reflecting too much of myself. My bump is obvious and I feel like a balloon wrapped in lace. My heels wobble but I steady myself. I can’t afford to look weak. Not here.

The week-long “Brand Synergy Conference” has launched....