Lydia sat in the back of the obsidian-black limousine, the interior smelling of expensive leather and the sharp, floral bite of her custom perfume. She leaned forward, checking her reflection in a small, lighted vanity mirror.
Her makeup was a masterpiece of "natural" perfection, the kind that took three hours to look like she'd just woken up beautiful. Every stroke of bronzer, every carefully placed highlight had been applied with surgical precision.
She tilted her head, examining the angle of her cheekbones in the soft glow. The woman staring back at her was flawless, untouchable… exactly as she needed to be.
She turned to her manager, Sophia, who sat beside her scrolling through a tablet with mechanical efficiency. The blue light from the screen cast shadows across Sophia's angular features.
"How do I look, Sophia?" Lydia asked, her voice carrying that familiar note of command disguised as a question. "Be honest."
