The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires, #1)

by Lauren Asher

To the girls who dream of meeting a prince but end up falling for the misunderstood villain.

Because if there’s one lesson we learned from Seth Kane, it’s that love may come and go, but hate lasts forever.

Kissing Zahra is like reaching heaven after an eternity spent in purgatory.

I align the drill with the next screw. I freeze at the etched letters engraved right into the wood above my head. My vision clouds as I trace the annotation. It’s jagged like it was done with a sharp knife, but the handwriting is unmistakably my mother’s. My little knights, Love with all your heart and show kindness in all your actions. Mommy I trace the words with a trembling finger. It’s been years since I heard the phrase, and it hits me like a punch to the gut. My mother lived by her words in every single one of her actions. She spoke them to us every morning before we went off to school and would whisper them to us every evening before bed. The words sink their claws into me, tearing apart whatever justification I had for the decision I’ve made.

“This is Ani. She’s one of our youngest employees who happens to come from a family of Dreamland workers. I was partnered with her for a pilot mentorship program. She quickly schooled me in all things Dreamland, including our lack of diversity in the hiring process.” I don’t know why my eyes fill with tears, but they do. A single tear slips out, and Martha, like the cunning mastermind she is, slips me a tissue. I’m pretty sure she asked this question on purpose if only to see me cry. “I was confused because I know our procedures and how we strive for an ethnically diverse cast. But then Ani told me how there aren’t people like her—people with disabilities, both visible and invisible. So during my time I was supposed to be mentoring Ani, it turns out she mentored me. She taught me what it meant to live a life like hers, and I started doing my own research. So, to answer your question, Martha, I plan on expanding our hiring process to include more people with disabilities. I would also like to move forward with a full mentorship program to meet their demands. I want Dreamland to be the first of its kind.”