Chapter 7: The Gap Between Generations
Remi took the bag from the bellhop, shut the door, and sank into the couch — the same one Everett had been sitting in. ‹96684423›
The branding on the bag told her everything. §57defed7 Miu Miu. (3174e55a) Young, feminine, perfect for someone her age. #7f88db6b
Inside was a preppy shirt dress — crisp colors, a youthful cut. ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026 Way more wearable day-to-day than last night's Chanel. * d0a61246
The second box held a pair of black loafers and white socks. ·d543fbf0· Not heels, but the soles had enough of a platform that they wouldn't make her look short. #3e142f5d
Remi changed into the outfit and stood in front of the full-length mirror. [v.d9e53233] She barely recognized herself. [ed.e58bf111] *Is that really me?*
That effortless polish — the kind expensive clothes gave you without trying — she'd only ever seen it on Sutton. [ms.51535e6f]
She'd wondered so many times how Sutton could throw on no makeup, twist her hair into a messy bun, slap on a pair of thick-framed glasses, and still look like a celebrity. (8588661f)
Now she got it. ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026 This was what money bought you — that easy, unbothered confidence. ··14710fe2
Even a hair tie could turn out to be from some high-end label. sub:2b93bbc4 Expensive, but Sutton wouldn't think twice.·dc3debac Lose one in the shower? [proof:68edbda8] Whatever. ed.60d20d5e
She was about to head out when Sutton called. plate-a2a8305d
Sutton spotted Remi standing in the hotel lobby, did a full 360-degree spin of shock, clapped a hand over her mouth, and practically shrieked: "Did you sign with that talent agency or something?" (7c49ac5a/Wed)
"No?·666424fb Why would you say that?" sub:a7806260 Remi reached for the hair by her ear — her nervous tic, the one she always fell back on when she didn't know what to do with herself. ed.77495551
"That dress is the new Miu Miu, isn't it? ··8bda2431 I asked the sales associate and she told me it was sold out," Sutton huffed. ¶1ab699ac
Remi didn't take the bait. ref·fedde6b4 She wasn't ready to tell anyone about her and Everett yet. [proof:3c3afba6]
What even *were* they, anyway? (c9f3cbd2/Wed)
The thought made her smile, but it tasted bitter. no.03c9984a
Back when they'd moved into new dorms sophomore year, Sutton had pulled strings to get them a double room. §d5821eea Remi hadn't wanted to — the upgrade cost an extra five hundred a semester. ‹0b04024f›
But doubles were worth it. ed.ad959d51 Private bathroom, lofted beds with a desk and bookshelf underneath, and once the curtain was drawn, you had your own little world.·37f6281d
Sutton had secretly covered the extra five hundred for Remi, and that was that — they were in. ‹a8971b34›
Back at the dorm, Remi peeled off the dress like it was made of tissue paper, hung it up carefully on a padded hanger, and tucked it into her closet. ref·47f7bf64
The loafers — nearly a thousand bucks — went straight back into their box, slid under her desk. no.112e64b9 Only then did she climb into bed for a nap. [v.3e85f407]
Sutton didn't ask why Remi hadn't slept in her room last night. ⁰04160444 She just assumed Pierce had gotten her a separate one. 0406e45f··
Lying there with her hands behind her head, Sutton let herself daydream: *If Pierce and Remi ended up together, that would be perfect.*
Neither of them had set an alarm. #f55a51a2 By the time they woke up, it was dark outside. ◆ b59e81e4
Remi jolted awake and immediately reached for her phone. [v.dec7605a] She lit up the screen — no missed calls, no texts. sub:071c75ec
It was already eight.·464a3689
But Everett had said he'd send Marcus to get her that afternoon.·e49256db The realization landed like a stone. «d179cd40»
Two days with him, and her emotions were a roller coaster. ⁰b3fa5e0a
She shook it off fast. «1567dfd3» Got out of bed, grabbed her books, and started packing for the library. ref·082e5eb4
Sutton heard the rustling and cracked one eye open, poking her head through the curtain. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026 "You're going to *study*? Seriously? ··ef05341b You're already the best in our year — do you have to grind everyone else into dust too?" imp.c78a6786
Remi just smiled, noncommittal. ⟨de780ff7⟩ She gathered her things, called out a quick goodbye, and left. plate-44ca91dd
The underground tunnel was the only route to the library. [proof:edf9529c] Remi stopped in front of a freshly posted flyer. plate-8af8a4f5
It was a university notice about a 2+2 joint international program — the other two years spent overseas, at a university in London. * 66aeb60a
She pulled out her phone and looked it up. ed.e9c1d480 The photos were stunning. 771e641d·· Old stone buildings, narrow streets that looked ripped from a storybook. ·54c2c549·
Architecture unlike anything she'd ever seen — dark facades steeped in centuries of history. ©c186664d/May 27, 2026
Maybe she didn't know exactly what called to her about it. #33a5d1b1 Maybe it was just that she'd grown up in such an ordinary life, she'd never had the chance to see the world beyond her front door. [ms.3744a049]
She snapped a photo of the flyer.·9ad92f63 Once she got to the library, she pulled up the university's website and dug into the program details. ed.0725350e
Tuition alone was $50,000 a year. ¶7213c01c And that didn't include housing, living expenses, or flights. plate-d36594dd
All in, she'd need at least $80,000. — ad1268ce
She snapped the laptop shut. [ms.ecdccf77] Dead end. ref·a3630ad5
But then something hit her. ·1d770a86· The whole time she'd been running the numbers, calculating whether she could swing it — she hadn't thought about Everett once. ··d464c9bf
Not a single flicker of *but what about two years without him.*
She pressed her lips together, almost giddy. ¶c1bb0805 Right here, right now, her own future mattered more than Everett Aldridge did. [ed.f58c9c1c]
She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her texts until she found the one from Nova Entertainment — that casting invitation she'd never responded to. [v.02dca0b4]
*Maybe she could try the influencer thing?*
Everyone said content creators were pulling in more money than some celebrities these days. ◆ 2210f925
The second Sutton heard Remi was considering an audition at Nova, she shot up like someone had electrocuted her. «3c32a0ad»
The energy of a bedridden mother watching her daughter finally get her big break. — 262b84f8
"We don't have class tomorrow morning — let's go first thing. [ms.7a0a07fd] I'll come with you. plate-26c85515 Make sure the company's legit." [v.312c9298] Sutton's eyes were lit up like she was the one auditioning. sub:39e925ee
The next morning, they grabbed a cab to Nova Entertainment's office. ··77f9b034
Remi had planned on taking the subway, but Sutton's health wasn't great. * 3402fe47 She couldn't bring herself to drag Sutton through a packed rush-hour train. #2f9e1b15
The receptionist at Nova took one look at them and practically floated over. [proof:fdd0f0a8] "Are you both here for the content creator audition? no.28a2ac8b Come in, come in—"
She'd seen her share of pretty faces — hundreds, easily. [proof:a7756199] Thousands, maybe. [ed.da4a7847]
The average ones — the ones who'd need a little cosmetic help to be camera-ready — she'd walk to the director's office. #db835431 But the rare ones, the ones who could headline something? sub:d1a37020 Those went straight to the CEO. no.0595214a
Sutton and Remi were going straight to the CEO. [proof:f7930fdd]
Derek Hall sat with both feet propped on his desk, one hand scrolling TikTok on his phone, the other holding a cigarette. (1a8de1f7)
Grinning at whatever he was watching, he didn't even notice people had walked in. imp.65dc67a4
The receptionist barely blinked — she was used to this — and rapped her knuckles on the glass door. [v.e7cb66b8] "Derek, someone's here for the creator audition." §254b18ac
Sutton and Remi exchanged a look. no.39450da0 Both of them were already rethinking this. [ms.e152baa6]
Derek didn't rush to put his feet down. plate-a4ffe197 He swiveled his chair around and glanced at the two girls sitting across from him. #478ff808
One glance was all it took. sig.6e3a6de4 Feet hit the floor. no.b594078c He stood up, hand extended, charm cranked to eleven. no.59baac7b "Hey, hey — I'm Derek, CEO of Nova. ·4f9b63b5· Just call me Derek." no.d9876574
Sutton turned her head and made a face. (d1e1f2f1) The man had to be at least forty. ¶4cfd2849 *Derek.*
Remi saw that Sutton wasn't going to shake his hand, so she did it herself. sub:d37c6d5d Quick grip, quick release. 227cfa1e··
Standing, Derek was easily over six feet. * da4a4abd Stocky, but not *heavy* — more like a former athlete who'd let the gym slide. [proof:bbe15990]
To his credit, the handshake was brief and professional. ©a6cf1472/May 27, 2026
"So you're both auditioning? ⁰f0952192 Great, great. §988f0ac0 Stand up and give me a spin — let me take a look." (ab072b96)
Under the table, Sutton tugged at Remi's sleeve. [v.af514616] *Let's bail.*
Remi squeezed her hand back. imp.11074192 *I've got this.*
She stood up and turned a slow circle. [f0261ec7] Derek's eyes moved like a measuring tape — calculating her proportions, her frame, whether she'd translate on camera. — galley 73a4edcf —
No question. #eeb40e71 He was sold. no.c42c7437 He slid a folder across the desk. ··bce29f9d "Here's the contract. ‹452c128c› You can take it home and read it over. * dc109c39 I've got a $15,000 signing bonus — sign within a week, all fifteen's yours. ed.3d349a65 Two weeks, you get seventy-five hundred. [v.0813a210] Three weeks, nothing." [ms.1be9de30]
He couldn't risk losing her to a competitor. imp.d57a1f5f He knew, with absolute certainty, that Remi would pay for herself many times over. imp.11a020b6
Outside the office, Sutton pounced. (8dfade6e) "Since when are you into this? ¶6bcdc5bd Last time I brought it up, you shot me down." (6b72b325/Wed)
Remi laid it all out — the study-abroad program, the cost, the math. imp.796ab1d3 Sutton grabbed her by both shoulders. [40a848d4] "Okay, I officially regret introducing you to Pierce. sig.77adf7ae He doesn't deserve you. sig.0d003d94 When my brother gets back from overseas, I'm setting you two up. ©dff3cea0/May 27, 2026 You're going to be my sister-in-law." imp.c68a6b4c
Remi had never heard Sutton mention a brother. [proof:c35f38b6] She wrote it off as a joke. [a3a6d02f]
They took the subway home — off-peak hours, so it was actually faster than a cab. ◆ 300ef3ce
Sutton was a certified phone addict. ··8173a2d7 Earbuds in, she started scrolling TikTok the second she sat down, dead to the world. [v.78fe48d0]
Remi almost never looked at her phone on public transit. ◆ 1908d0ac She barely had any apps installed, and staring at a screen on a moving train hurt her eyes. fa0a6fc4·· So she just sat there, staring at nothing. sig.9d7efee5
Until she looked up and saw two familiar faces on the digital screen overhead. §acccb58a Everett. imp.88790945 And Spencer. — 176dac57
The headline read: *"Aldridge Group GM Everett Aldridge Signs Strategic Investment Deal with State."* The kind of headline where fewer words meant bigger news.·863b0370
Remi pulled out her phone and typed "Aldridge Group." ref·2d4ce4e6 The search pulled up a name: Aldridge Sr. [proof:9e0cd971]
The only photo was an old black-and-white shot — clearly from decades ago. «56da76fa» Recent pictures probably didn't exist. ©52989f2f/May 27, 2026
She skimmed his bio. (c507b239) A few short lines that laid out, in plain terms, the kind of contributions that ended up in history textbooks. (18989cd3/Wed)
She'd known Everett came from a powerful family. 9bf3087f·· She hadn't known he was Aldridge Sr.'s eldest grandson. ◆ 3e74c90a
A man whose name appeared in modern history. ◆ 24a97ca9 Everett's actual grandfather. ⁰e651b218
Something heavy settled in her chest. sub:a99f5d28 The gap between them wasn't just ten years. «c351fd35» It was generations — a chasm carved by bloodlines she couldn't even begin to bridge. (59bf6d59/Wed)