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Chapter One

There are days that just feel off, and you don’t knohy until so— on the coffee you spilled on your ghost white Yaarlic froe, the lipstick you had on your teeth while you flirted with the breakfast guy— and it all makes perfect sense

I was having one of those days

For the past year and a half, every day of my life has been a roller coaster, so I’ As the first assistant to Gabriella Winters, Editor-in-Chief of Porterasa chronically constipated Yorkie to his monthly colonic It’s certainly not how I envisioned my career in the fashion industry, but I’d like to think I’s

This ht-o’-clock as usual Onwhite orass—every day except Fridays, when she fasts— and grabbed coffee for myself and Penelope, the second assistant I came back to the office, set out the breakfast on Gabriella’s preferred Waterford china, and ahead of her projected 8:15 arrival, emailed a copy of her schedule to all pertinent office staff I thought things were going pretty well so far when I noticed it was 8:12, and hadn’t yet heard a peep from Gabriella

That was really strange I usually would have received a breezy, borderline rude phone call froly impossible I slu latte and choked, bubbling a bit over my lips and down the front of my jacket

At least you got the dra my head as I dabbed the stain

Oh, I wish I had been right

When Gabriella’s car didn’t arrive by 8:30, I started to get worried When I called her phone and couldn’t leave a e because her voicemail was completely full, I panicked I buzzed Jake, one of the editors on the floor While his line rang, I looked out the tall glass doors I couldn’t see the outer office froertips and shooting worried glances at the elevators The glare from the fluorescents showed me the faint shadow of my own reflection, all dark hair and pale skin and what looked like two black voids for eyes Creepy

“Jake,” he answered, and I juine the look of worry on his face His big blue eyes would be wide, and he’d probably be leaning one tattooed elbow on his desk, a hand buried in his sandy hair as he hunched over his laptop

“Do you knohat’s going on thislacquered desk There was a fingerprint beside the leather blotter, which I rubbed aithreally weird”

“It’s not good, Soph We’re still waiting for confirmation from Bob, but it looks like Gabriella is out”

“Out where?” I squirted some hand sanitizer into my palm As soon as it absorbed, I hoveredomelet to check the temperature Gabriella hated erms

“Out, as in, fired”

This is fixable You call Barney Greengrass and ask them to remake the omelet Penelope can pick it up on her way in if you catch her right now—

A record scratched so me back to what Jake had said “What?”

Jake hadn’t caught on to my disbelief “I don’t know the details But I think it’s safe to say, Gabriella won’t be co back” He paused, and I could hear his irritation, not with me, but with every facet of this day, in his noisy exhale “I have to go”

After I hung up, I wandered around the office a bit Gabriella was fired? Did thatfor a job?

I sat on the floor beside Gabriella’s desk and reached up for the china plate I stared disconsolately at the weave of the low-pile carpet as I ate the expensive i Oh shit, I paid for the fish on ht? I didn’t know she was fired when I picked it up

I et reimbursed for this azine was folding, so would they be able to pay me? There was no way Porteras could run without her She was like the single support structure in a badly built house or so