“It was what it was, but sometimes, I [Ayana] mourned the life I would’ve lived were I not quite so visible”

In this excerpt, Huang outlines one of the biggest personal issues Ayana will need to overcome throughout the narrative. Though she outwardly lives a lavish lifestyle, Ayana’s fame and lifestyle isolate her, leaving her feeling that she is not able to be her authentic self.

“Jordan needed a wife to secure his inheritance; I needed money to get out of the soul-sucking contract my younger self had unwittingly signed in order to help my family.”

This passage illuminates the true dynamic between Jordan and Ayana, who have agreed to a sham marriage that is mutually beneficial. By keeping this contract a secret from Vuk, misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and hurt feelings inevitably arise.

“[Vuk’s scars] weren’t gross; they were simply a part of him. Some people had freckles and moles; he had scars.”

Despite the fashion industry’s often-shallow values and The Harms of the Modeling Industry, Ayana places the least emphasis on a person’s beauty throughout the narrative, which in turn emphasizes her privileging of genuine emotional connections and authenticity. Vuk’s scars are also an important symbol in the text, reflecting his personal trauma and resilience.

“That was one of the hardest parts of growing up—realizing the people you trusted to have your back were often the ones stabbing it.”

Though this quote belongs to Ayana as she speaks about Hank, it nevertheless becomes a common thread between her and Vuk, reflecting The Cost of Loyalty. Vuk too, has experienced betrayal from those closest to him, which leads to both Vuk and Ayana being emotionally guarded with others and intent on being loyal to those they love.

“Hank hadn’t called because he was worried I would miss Monday’s shoot; he’d called to reassert his authority over me. To remind me that I was beholden to him because of the stupid contract I’d signed when I was nineteen and hadn’t known any better.”

This quote sets the parameters of Ayana’s relationship with Hank and, by extension, with Emmanuelle and her modeling agency as a whole. Though Hank’s role is meant to facilitate Ayana’s rise to success, their relationship is based on the toxic abuse of his power and authority over her well-being and career. Ayana’s struggles with manipulation and oppression reflect another important aspect of The Harms of the Modeling Industry, as she is often vulnerable to those in power.

“So why did the thought of his [Vuk’s] hypothetical protectiveness send a tiny flutter through my chest? Because no one has ever protected you since you moved to New York. Not without wanting something in return.”

This passage speaks to Ayana’s past, as she was made to feel as if she had to rely on herself only for protection. It also foreshadows the eventual role Vuk will play in their relationship, as he will eventually commit crimes to keep her safe.

“I didn’t give her my whole, boring backstory, which was that I’d worked in a small distillery in my Virginia hometown in high school. I’d hated how it was run, so I’d saved enough money to buy it outright after college.”

Here, Huang uses Vuk’s self-deprecating tone to underline his low self-esteem and how guarded he is with other people. Though he has loved Ayana for a long time, he cannot find himself interesting enough for the likes of someone like her.

“As much as I despised most human interactions, there were days when I craved a normality I’d never have.”

In this instance, the author once again draws a parallel between Vuk and Ayana, despite their dwelling in different worlds. While Ayana is isolated within the fashion industry, Vuk also has difficulties forming meaningful connections with others in spite of his vast wealth and power, as he acknowledges here.

“My post-debt years with Beaumont had been marked with late or missed payments, excuses, and subtle threats whenever I tried to chase them down. I was still owed money for jobs I completed a year ago.”

This passage foreshadows the revelation of Emmanuelle’s illegal activities, with her using the models signed to her agency to make her money. By imposing debt on Ayana and then delaying her payments, Emmanuelle effectively extorts her, which alludes to her greater sex trafficking operation with the other models.

“And when [Vuk] looked at me, I felt like a living, breathing person. Not a mannequin. Not a cash cow. Not a role model for girls I’d never asked to be a role model for.”

In this quote, the author draws a subtle comparison between Jordan’s perception of Ayana and Vuk’s. While Jordan’s perception is qualified by and confined to the MOTY nickname, Vuk’s view of Ayana is one that empowers her to be herself. Ayana’s description of feeling “like a living, breathing person” in Vuk’s eyes speaks to The Harms of the Modeling Industry, as her career often leaves her feeling objectified instead of authentic.

“Truthfully, guns weren’t [Vuk’s] favorite weapon. They were too impersonal. If you hate someone enough to kill them, have the balls to do it up close, where you can see the light die in their eyes.”

Though Vuk is a morally ambiguous antihero, Huang emphasizes that he remains accountable to himself. He believes there is a certain honor and courage to how he kills someone, as he does not let himself shirk the true weight of taking someone’s life. His justification reflects his views on Cruelty Versus Personal Justice.

“Making someone uncomfortable is not predatory behavior […] This is fashion, and you’re [Ayana] a star, babe. So suck it up and stop whining. […] You don’t want to develop a reputation for being difficult, do you?”

Hank’s commentary alludes to The Harms of the Modeling Industry. Such is the level of commodification of women’s bodies that, for him, enduring misogyny and sexual assault is to be expected in the fashion industry. Hank’s threat that Ayana will be branded “difficult” if she asserts her boundaries reflects how Ayana is frequently disempowered within the industry, despite her fame and fortune.

“She [Emmanuelle] reminded me of a beautiful serpent lying in the grass, waiting to strike.”

The snake imagery in this passage signals to the reader the devious nature of Emmanuelle’s character. Much like the analogy Ayana makes, Emmanuelle is lying in wait to strike against Vuk, Ayana, and her brother Shepherd.

“When I [Ayana] got my own place, I wanted the exact opposite [of her bland, first apartment she shared with other models]. So I filled it up with everything I loved, even if those things don’t match.”

In Ayana’s explanation of her eclectic apartment, Huang highlights how much Beaumont worked to erase her personality when they signed her on as their model. That Ayana needs to confine her true personality in the form of her varied likes and collections gestures to how unsafe she feels at expressing herself authentically at work.

“Given how private he [Vuk] was, I [Ayana] had no right to pry, and he had every right not to answer. But there was something about this moment—the rain falling outside, the cooling mugs of tea, the gentle hum of the dryer in the background—that created a sense of intimacy.”

Here, Huang uses the setting of Ayana’s apartment to visually create a haven of vulnerability for both Vuk and Ayana. Sensorially cocooned from the outside world, Ayana exposes herself through her home, while Vuk exposes himself through his answers to her probing questions.

“Kada te konačno budem poljubio, nećeš više nositi njegov prsten na ruci.”

Directly translated, the Serbian phrase means “When I finally kiss you, you won’t wear his ring on your finger anymore.” By keeping the sentence in Serbian, however, the author demonstrates how Vuk will often use language, like Serbian or ASL, to erect and hide behind barriers between himself and the people he communicates with.

“What had Wentworth seen when he looked at me [Ayana]? Someone he could take advantage of because the system was created in his favor. Someone like the other girls, who kept their mouths shut and played nice because they were afraid to rock the boat.”

In this observation, Huang heavily implies how power dynamics work within the fashion industry and how prone such an environment is to benefit predators like Wentworth, invoking The Harms of the Modeling Industry. Rather than treating models as individuals worthy of respect, their objectification leaves them vulnerable to the manipulation and abuse of others.

“I [Vuk] imagine justice found him.”

Though this sentence is deliberately vague, it is implied that the “justice” Vuk speaks of is in fact his violent retribution. It is telling of Vuk’s perspective on his actions that he qualifies his attacks on Wentworth as a judicious act. Though the illegality of his kidnapping and assault on Wentworth is undisputed, this passage reveals that Vuk fundamentally believes justice goes beyond the confines of the law, reflecting his beliefs on Cruelty Versus Personal Justice.

“My ring had fallen onto the carpet, where it glinted accusingly up at me.”

As a symbol of her upcoming wedding to Jordan and, thus, her loyalty to him, Ayana’s personification of the ring in this passage—by saying the ring is “glint[ing] accusingly” at her—reflects the moral dilemma of Ayana’s attraction to Vuk and The Cost of Loyalty. Though her arrangement with Jordan allows for an open relationship, her secret meetings with Vuk are a breach of Jordan’s trust. If Ayana had been found out by paparazzi, it could have ruined their whole plan.

“Like me [Ayana], he’d [Vuk] been caught in a situation with no other way out [taking part in the Brotherhood]. He hadn’t taken pleasure in what he did. It was an act of loyalty and survival, not malice.”

In this excerpt, Ayana attempts to rationalize her discovery of Vuk’s participation in the Brotherhood. Though she knows he has aided in the murders of many, she attempts to justify his actions by erroneously equating them to her signing on to Beaumont. Ayana’s wrestling with Vuk’s violent past adds another dimension to the text’s exploration of Cruelty Versus Personal Justice.

“I [Vuk] liked talking to Ayana when we were alone, but I preferred to use ASL when we were in earshot of other people.”

In this instance, the progress of Vuk and Ayana’s relationship is reflected in Vuk’s communication choices. By making Ayana one of the sole exceptions to his typical communication style (ASL), he deliberately marks her as one of the most important people in his life.

“I [Ayana] was relieved I hadn’t married Jordan. Logic and loyalty had refused to let me call off the wedding on my own, but if the universe intervened, that was a sign, wasn’t it?”

In this quote, Huang reinforces the idea of Ayana’s unreliable judgment and narration. Though she is well aware that the source of her failed wedding is Vuk and the Brotherhood, she would rather convince herself of cosmic interference to alleviate her guilt at being relieved of The Cost of Loyalty.

“Every scar and every burn was[sic] a testament to the trials he’d [Vuk] survived so he could be here, living and breathing and looking like a god of war before he rode off to battle.”

Here, Ayana echoes an earlier comment made by Vuk that draws a parallel between both characters in how they appreciate one another’s physical appearance. Just as Vuk had called Ayana “a goddess to suit every mood” (112), Ayana’s comparison of Vuk to a deity signals how they both perceive the other with the same level of reverence and appreciation. Vuk’s scars are once again invoked as an important symbol in this passage.