The email arrived at 7:12 p.m.
Seraphina had just finished reviewing engagement metrics when her phone vibrated softly against the sofa cushion.
Lumen.Skin.
Subject: Private Brand Showcase — Avelon City.
Her pulse quickened.
She opened it carefully.
Seraphina,
The response to your recent collaboration has exceeded expectations. We would be honoured to host you at our exclusive investor showcase this Friday evening. Select creators and partners will be in attendance.
Investor showcase.
This wasn't a content brunch.
This was serious.
Her eyes drifted to the venue listed at the bottom.
Laurent Tower, Avelon Financial District.
Something about the name felt… weighty.
Camila looked up from her sketches the moment Seraphina went quiet.
"What is it?"
Seraphina turned the phone towards her.
Camila read. Paused. Then looked up slowly. "Laurent Tower?" she repeated. "Sera… that's elite-elite."
Seraphina swallowed.
The Avelon Financial District wasn't influencer territory. It was glass buildings, black cars, private elevators.
Old money. New power.
She hadn't even been in Avelon long enough to memorise half the streets, and now she was being invited into one of its most guarded towers.
Select creators.
Investors.
Partners.
Her heart pounded — not with fear, but with the awareness that doors were opening faster than she expected.
She typed her reply before she could overthink it.
I would be delighted to attend.
Send.
The confirmation email arrived almost immediately.
Friday. 8 p.m.
Formal attire.
As she lowered her phone, a strange calm settled inside her.
She had run from Zahara City to escape humiliation.
But in Avelon…
She was no longer running.
She was ascending.
And she had no idea that the man who owned Laurent Tower had already memorised the sound of her voice.