Maya's days quickly fell into a rhythm: studio sessions, photo shoots, and meetings in rooms where everyone spoke in buzzwords. Her evenings were a blur of events—rooftop parties with skyline views, VIP lounges with velvet ropes, and endless smiling for cameras she didn't recognize.
It was dazzling, intoxicating. She wore dresses she could never afford, tasted champagne that fizzed like sunlight, and found her name mentioned in blogs alongside artists she'd grown up admiring.
But beneath the glitter, she noticed the shadows.
At one party in the Hollywood Hills, she watched a singer she'd admired stumble into a pool, phone still in hand, while people laughed instead of helping. At another, she overheard two executives talking about her like she was a product—"We just need to build the brand before she burns out."
Evan was always nearby, smiling for photos, introducing her to "the right people." He'd lean in between conversations and whisper, "Remember, this is the game. You play it or you lose."
Her single—Fire in the Sky—was everywhere now. Radio hosts called her "the desert voice that's taking over the charts." Fans tagged her in videos of themselves singing along. But the more the song played, the more she felt like she was listening to someone else.
One night, after a release party, she slipped away from the noise and found herself on the balcony. The city sprawled below, glittering like a thousand promises. She hummed one of her own songs—just a verse she'd written in the motel her first night here. It was raw and imperfect, but it felt like hers.
Behind her, someone cleared their throat. It was a young woman with sharp eyeliner and a glass of water instead of wine.
"You don't like crowds either, huh?"
They introduced themselves—Tasha Reed. Another "next big thing" on Evan's roster. Her smile was easy, but her eyes looked tired in a way Maya recognized.
"Trust me," Tasha said, leaning on the railing. "The lights are bright, but they can burn."
Maya didn't know it yet, but that conversation would be the start of the only real friendship she'd find in this city.