Chapter 1

Our podcast, "City Girls Hustle," was finally hitting its stride. Years of late nights, endless edits, and pouring our hearts out into microphones were paying off. Sarah and I, Chloe, had been best friends since college, and this podcast was our baby. We talked about everything, navigating careers in Austin, friendship, the struggles of being young women trying to make it. Our listeners said our chemistry was the best part. It was real. "Another sponsorship deal!" I shrieked, waving the email printout at Sarah in our small studio. "A big one!" Sarah, always the calmer one, smiled, a genuine, wide smile that reached her eyes. "We earned it, Chloe." That night, celebrating over takeout, I told her about Kevin. "He's amazing, Sarah. So ambitious, so driven. He's an influencer, well, aspiring. He has so many ideas." Sarah raised an eyebrow, a small, almost imperceptible movement. "Oh yeah? What kind of ideas?" "Well, for me, for us. He thinks big." A week later, I brought Kevin to the studio. He was all charm, shaking Sarah's hand a little too firmly, his eyes scanning our setup. "Impressive," he said, though his tone felt like he was evaluating a fixer-upper. "You girls have built something real here." During a break in our recording session, he started. "You know, with my background in marketing and branding, I could really take 'City Girls Hustle' to the next level. Maybe as a manager, or even a third voice. A male perspective could broaden your demographic." I saw Sarah stiffen. Her smile became polite, fixed. "Thanks, Kevin," she said, her voice even. "But Chloe and I have a pretty good system. And our brand is very much about female voices." He laughed, a short, sharp sound. "Right, right. Female empowerment. But money is power, isn't it?" I felt a knot in my stomach. I wanted them to like each other. Later, Sarah was quiet. "What do you think of him?" I finally asked. She looked at me directly. "He's... confident." It wasn't a compliment. A sense of unease settled over me, but I pushed it away. Kevin was exciting, and he believed in me.