𖤓 𖤓 𖤓

I text Marie to meet us here as I make myself no longer visible, bending the light around me, and the guards start shouting, running off the group of fighting students on the lawn, right past me. Thank you, Jordan. I take this opportunity to slip inside, out of any security cameras view.

The plan—my plan... which isn't really a plan... is to follow Victoria once she's done with whatever little interview thing she's doing here on campus today, the only reason I even thought to go to her at all.

I inhale sharply, wishing my head wasn't racing with a million fucking thoughts at once, all screaming and whispering to me at the same time. It's fucking exhausting.

Suddenly, my attention is drawn to lots of shouting and I turn to find Victoria being rushed around the corner backstage by two bodyguards. Perfect.

"I need somewhere to hide out until this is all blows over." I hear Victoria tells her security.

I make myself visible once again as they start heading my way and take a few steps forward. "Victoria." I greet, plastering a smile on my face.

"Hey, get-" One of her bodyguards starts, going to shove me out of the way. Mmm, right.

"Wait, stop-" The other guard pauses. "It's Golden Girl." I bite back an irritated sigh.

Victoria looks up, eyes meeting mine, and she smiles. "Iliana. I was hoping to see you again."

"Do you have a minute?" I ask, knowing she'll be more inclined to say yes since I wasn't at her interview thing.

"Of course." She nods to the security.

"Greenroom?"

"Perfect."

𖤓 𖤓 𖤓

I suck my teeth with my tongue as Victoria pours herself a cup of coffee from the pot, wasting my time. I could send a sunray straight through the coffee pot right now and not bat an eye.

"My daughter is gonna be so jealous and excited we're talking again today." Victoria finally speaks up. "She was thrilled the last time we met."

I nod. "Yeah, you said she's a huge fan."

"We both are." She turns to look at me.

"Right." I tighten my fake ass smile.

"And she loved the poster you signed for her." Victoria continues, turning back to her coffee. I usually hate signing stuff for people unless the University makes me, since most of the time people only want to sell it for a fuck ton of money, but I knew Victoria genuinely wanted it for her daughter... why would she need to sell something I signed to make a buck when she's Victoria Neuman, right?

"Good." My facade almost slips for a moment as a small real smile forms. Her daughter is young, and she's a fan of me? I can only hope her future turns out like her mother's rather than mine.

"I was disappointed you weren't at my town hall today. Ask a question or two." She says, ripping open a small pack of sugar. I think I would have rather clawed my eyes out, but I was a little busy waking up from a fucking mind control coma... so, you know. "With 'Golden Girl' being there-"

"What, everyone wouldn't have lost their shit?" I propose, cutting in.

She chuckles. "Well, you weren't the only Guardian of Godolkin that didn't show up today. Your, uh, dean didn't show up either." She points out. "I think a personal emergency." Cate.

"Mmm." I tilt my head. "Bummer."

"It was a shit show anyway." She tears another pack open. "You didn't miss much." Oh, thank God. I was so worried. "Good thing you thought to bring us up here, otherwise I think they might take off my head." She chuckles, clicking her tongue.

"Mine too." I agree, Jordan's fight breaking out replaying through my mind.

"Do you remember what I told you when we met last year?" She looks at me, taking her finished mug in her hand.

I blink, not expecting that to come out of her mouth next, but nod slowly. "Powerful women like us are underestimated in a place like this." I answer. "And they prey on pretty girls like me."

"Mmm." She purses her lips, nodding at her own words. Words that played over and over again when I was at The Tower. Or on set. Or at a premiere. "Shame I was right, huh?" She stares daggers into me.

I hold my gaze. "Who said you were?"

"Was I?"

My lips flatten into a thin line as I rake my tongue across my teeth. My silence being enough.

"I'm really sorry about your brother." Her topic switch gives me whiplash as I eyes back up to her, squeezing my fingernails into my palm. "I never had a sibling, so I can't even begin to imagine."

"Guess it's not just pretty girls they prey on, huh?" I challenge.

"Unfortunately not." She says honestly. "It's too bad he wasn't nearly as powerful as you." Her words slap me across the face.

"Excuse me?" My gaze sharpens as she confidently remains direct eye contact. What the fuck did she just say?

"You haven't even begun to imagine half of what your potential could be." She shrugs lightly. "That, or, you just don't want to."

Silence stings the air as her words settle all around us. I lift up my chin. "Are you implying I'm weak on purpose?"

"Not weak." She denies, taking a sip of her coffee. "I think you choose to only go so far with your powers. Am I wrong?"

No.

My jaw tightens as the back of teeth grind together.

"When you look at a person, do you focus on the light around them?"

What? "No, I- well-" I'm always focusing on the light all around me. It's what charges through my veins.

Is this some sort of trick? Or a dream... more like a nightmare.

Victoria simply stands there, as if she's waiting for me to try it. My eyes travel to the space and air around her, before I hone in on her body heat. The way I'm able to see Maverick when I bother to give a fuck, which is usually never. He's not invisible, he's translucent, so I can easily see him whereas no one else can.

"What can you see beyond the surface?" Victoria asks. "If you look hard enough."

Striping past the layer of the normal, naked-eye, I notice her body glow a certain way. A certain way I've seen before. But only with-

A buzzing sound fills my ears as I blink, bringing my view back to normal, and for once, for once in my pathetic life, my mind goes quiet. And it clicks.

"You're a Supe."

𖤓 𖤓 𖤓

𝟶ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀʙɪsᴄᴜɪᴛ𝟽 sᴘᴇᴀᴋs!

Welcome back... Wow, I am about to blow y'all's minds as I have my own for days, but... HAPPY 1 YEAR TO GOLDEN FACADE?!!

I truly cannot even begin to comprehend that it's been an entire year since I first published this book & have been updating it...

Every year one of my goals is to finish writing one book. That did not happen in 2024, but for the first time I am not upset. Because this is the closest I have ever been. I was hoping to finish writing this book in 2024, that was my aim/the idea, but that is okay! Because I KNOW I am going to finish writing one this year, & this will be the one!! Ahhh!! (Also once I am finished with this book I am def going to go through it & edit every chapter bc it def needs it lol)

So, I cannot thank y'all ENOUGH for the amount of support this book has received over the past year!! It truly blows my mind ever read, comment, vote, & ranking this book hits & it is beyond what I ever expected it to!! This is truly one of my favorite books of mine to write & Iliana has become one of my TOP favorite oc's of mine, so thank you guys so much for everything with Golden Facade in 2024!! And I think it's very fitting that we ended 2024 with 24K+ reads for this book <3333

I have been SO very excited for this chapter/scene with Iliana & Victoria & I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed planning & writing it!! I had a general idea of how I wanted their conversation to go, but it really took off from there & unfolded/wrote itself from there!!

Happy New Year!! Happy Golden Facade Day!! And here's to more Golden Facade in 2025!! Stay tuned, & until next... mwah! ;)