Samantha never believed in magic. In fact, she didn't believe in

much of anything beyond what she could see and touch—work

deadlines, buzzing phones, and the occasional overpriced latte

from the corner café. To her, life was a routine, a blur of mundane

tasks stacked one on top of the other. The idea of escaping into

some whimsical fantasy world? That was something for the books

she'd long stopped reading as a teenager. Yet, here she was—

blinking into the soft glow of golden sunlight filtering through

massive silk curtains, her fingers brushing against impossibly

smooth sheets.