Part 22
A year of perfect peace can make you forget how loud the world outside can be.
My design firm, Aurora Horizons, had quickly become the most sought-after agency on the coast.
We didn't just build spaces; we built sanctuaries.
I poured my soul into every project, creating the kind of safety for others that I had fought so hard to secure for myself and Lily.
One Tuesday afternoon, my assistant tapped on my office door, her eyes wide with excitement.
"Elena, you need to take this call," she whispered, holding out the tablet.
"It’s a representative from the Vanguard Group in the city. They want to commission a full redesign of their flagship penthouse suite."
"The budget is five million dollars."
I hesitated.
The Vanguard Group was a massive, shadow-dwelling conglomerate that rarely dealt with boutique firms like mine.
But a project of that scale would put my company on the international map, securing Lily’s financial future forever.
"Set up the meeting," I said, suppressing a strange, fleeting tightening in my chest.
Two days later, I drove back into the city, the familiar skyline looming like a gray mountain range against the sky.
I walked into the towering glass skyscraper, my heels clicking confidently against the polished marble floor.
The elevator bypassed fifty floors, rushing quietly toward the heavens before opening directly into a massive, sun-drenched penthouse.
The space was empty, save for a tall, silver-haired man standing by the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, his hands clasped behind his back.
He didn't look like a corporate executive.
He looked like a wolf who owned the forest.
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"Elena," he said, turning around slowly, his voice like grinding stones.
"I’ve been waiting a very long time to finally meet the woman who brought down the Vance family."
