Chapter 4

At 10:07 on Friday morning, Dorian was about to announce the preorder numbers when the massive screen behind him went black.

The Daughter Star hanging around Orson’s neck became the only thing still shining in the room.

The preorder page had been disabled. Staff members refreshed their tablets in panic. The triumphant music cut out mid-note.

“What is this?” For the first time, Dorian’s arrogance cracked. “Get it back online.”

Nothing happened.

The distributors had received the court notice before the doors opened. No platform wanted to process a sale connected to a disputed license.

I had left Elsie at…