Umsindo ohlukanisiwe

The Grand Ballroom of the Lotte Hotel was too bright, too loud, and smelled like a million dollars. For Nola Eze, it smelled like stress. She smoothed down her black apron and gripped her silver tray so hard her knuckles turned white. She was only twenty-two, a student from Lagos trying to make it …

The Grand Ballroom of the Lotte Hotel was too bright, too loud, and smelled like a million dollars. For Nola Eze, it smelled like stress. She smoothed down her black apron and gripped her silver tray so hard her knuckles turned white. She was only twenty-two, a student from Lagos trying to make it in Seoul, but tonight she wasn't a student. She was a ghost in a uniform, serving drinks to people who didn't even see her face. "Stay focused, Nola," she whispered to herself. "One more hour. Just one