Drew and Odessa step onto the red carpet like it’s muscle memory. Cameras flash, fans scream, publicists hover. This is their world—clean-cut Hollywood, tailored suits, vintage couture, and playful inside jokes that make them look effortlessly cool together.

But inside the venue, the energy shifts. A different kind of star walks in.

She’s not from this world.

Low-rise cargos, a cropped tee, box braids cascading down her back, grills flashing like silver fire. She walks next to an A-list rapper who brought her as his plus-one, but the room seems to orbit around her.

Odessa nearly chokes on her champagne. “Drew. Turn around. Now.”

He does. And sees her.

She’s not just beautiful. She’s raw. Untouched by Hollywood. Carved out of concrete and survival. She doesn’t try to fit in—she stands out. Every step she takes is confident, unfiltered, and unforgettable.

“That’s her, right?” Drew murmurs. “The one from Chicago. The one who raps like she’s got nothing to lose.”

“Yeah,” Odessa nods. “And apparently she doesn’t give a damn about this industry’s dress code.”

But neither of them can stop watching her.

Later at the afterparty, Drew and Odessa are leaning by the bar when she walks past. Her eyes flick over them. Just a glance. But it lingers for a second too long.

Odessa raises her brows. “She looked at you.”

Drew smirks. “She looked through me.”

“She looked like she could ruin you.”

“She looked like I’d let her.”

They find her alone on the balcony, staring out at the skyline. Odessa nudges Drew. “Go talk to her. Before I do.”

He walks up slowly. I hear him, doesn’t turn.

“You one of them actors?” I ask, taking a slow sip of my drink.

“I might be,” Drew says. “You one of them legends in the making?”

I glance at him sideways, amused. “Funny. You don’t look like you know anything about where I come from.”

“Try me.”

I lean back against the railing, studying him. “People like you don’t usually see girls like me. Not really.”

“I do now.”

There’s tension, fire, danger. We’re different worlds. But in that moment, something clicks.

I wasn’t looking to be understood. But maybe, just maybe, someone finally wants to try.