𝟬𝟬𝟱 A Word of Truth

                                    

                                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
CHAPTER FIVE 
[  𝗦𝟬𝟭 𝗘𝟬𝟲 : 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀  ]

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          



     Juliet walked out of her penthouse and into the hallway of the 99th floor in search of the elevator. Her phone vibrated in her pocket with a new notification, probably another text message from Hughie with the address of the place where they'll meet up in a couple minutes. She spotted the elevators near the end of the hall and sped up on her walk, afraid someone might waltz in and interrupt her plans for tonight. With no interruptions, she pressed the button on the wall and held her breath as she waited for the elevator to arrive. 
     Juliet heard a set of footsteps approaching her from behind and subtly looked over her shoulder to see who it was. She almost let out a sigh of relief when she realized it was Starlight, dressed in normal clothes instead of her sparkling suit. Juliet thought this might be the perfect opportunity to finally talk to her after her speech at the Believe Expo. 
     "I gotta admit, that speech took some balls."
     Starlight's shoulders dropped and tiredness was evident in her eyes. "Are you going to mock me like everyone else around here?"
     "No," Juliet shook her head and crossed her arms. She wanted to ask who had mocked her about the situation, but she already knew the answer.
     "Then, cut to the chase and say what you want to say."
     "When I was with you back at the Expo, I saw you smile and wave at every person you came across and thought that was just another cheap act. But then you walked out into that stage and said what you said, and that's when I realized it wasn't. It was the courage I haven't seen around here in a long time."
     "You really think that?" Starlight's gaze softened briefly, a mix of surprise and skepticism in her eyes.
     "I know that," Juliet affirmed with a nod. "I've seen a lot of people come and go, each one putting on a façade to fit in, to survive. But you? You stood there and spoke your truth. That takes guts, especially in a place like this."