Blonde Ambition
Zoey Dean
 The novel begins with Ben and Anna in bed at the Montecinto Inn. However, they interrupted by a call from Anna's father who says that Susan is going to back to rehab and wants to say goodbye. Anna considers their farewell to be intimate and is surprised when Ben tags along though she does not voice her displeasure. After Susan boards the plane to her next rehab, Anna must face the consequences of the Steinberg party. Margaret informs Anna that her behavior (abandoning a client in favor of rushing a drunk Susan home) was unacceptable and is about to fire her when Clark Sheppard intervenes. He takes Anna as his intern and gives her the assignment of covering the latest hit TV show Hermosa Beach. Anna meets the young but charming co-executive producer Danny Bluestone who actually dreams of writing the Great American Novel and is appalled by Ben's increasing jealous attitude towards him and Jonathan Percy's driver, Django, who has always been friendly to her. Anna is also worried that Ben is dropping his studies for her and tries to get him to go back to Princeton. Their relationship must come to another end when Ben agrees he must go back to Princeton to finish school and not worry about his family so much. Meanwhile, Cammie feels increasingly deserted by her friends: Dee is enamored with her new boyfriend, Stevie, while Sam seems to be showing interest in Adam Flood. To further her dismay, her step-mother announces that her daughter, Mia, will be moving in. Cammie initially hates Mia, a secretive fourteen-year old Valley girl, but takes her out shopping in order to not feel alone. After finding out that Sam is no longer interested in Adam (Adam is still hung up over Anna and Sam refuses to be a rebound), Cammie kisses him at a party but is surprised at the chemistry between them. She not so subtly follows Adam to a Beck concert and the two are invited to a rave by a rapper, Mo Bad. Cammie and Adam kiss again but are interrupted by Dee who nonchalantly mentions inviting Mia along with her as well. Cammie's protective instincts kick in and the three go find Mia at the party and take her home. Cammie reveals to Adam that even though she doesn't like Mia, Mia reminds her a lot of how she acted after her mom died. Cammie also mentions that she wished she had a big sister to keep her from making stupid choices which is what she is going to try to do for Mia. However, the next day, Cammie becomes frustrated at Mia's self-destructive attitude and decides she can't be Mia's rescuer. Meanwhile, Adam tells Cammie that they should slow down their relationship because he still has feelings for Anna. Enraged, Cammie plots to sabotage Anna, who is somewhat enjoying her internship, despite the unfamiliar terms and erratic actors. Soon, it all comes crashing down when Clark accused Anna of leaking sensitive information to the press. He fires her and forbids anyone from work associating with her. Anna tries to explain to Danny her side of the story but he sadly tells her that he can't been seen with her or else he will lose his career. Sam makes Anna realize the true culprit and the two plot a plan for justice. In the meantime, Cammie organizes and throws her sweet 18th birthday party on her own (since Sam and Dee have been too busy to help) and is horrified when her credit and debit cards are denied by the party planner. Even worse, her BMW is towed and when she returns home, Clark reveals that he knows Cammie was the true culprit behind the leaked information and is going to be punished for so, thanks to Mia who collaborated with Sam and Anna to clear Anna's name. In the morning, Adam shows up to comfort Cammie and the two go on a quiet date to the park while Clark half-heartedly apologizes to Anna for the mistake and offers her job back. Anna politely declines and then surprises Danny at the office. He leaves work early for her and the two go on a date.