I was standing beside my architectural model at the Grand Aurelia gala when my ex pointed at my wedding ring and laughed loud enough for the entire ballroom to hear. “Where’s your husband, Elena? Did you invent him because nobody wanted to marry you?” I calmly tightened my fingers around the blueprint in my arms and said nothing. Then the glamorous woman beside him joined in, and I heard the crowd around us fall strangely quiet. My ex was still smiling when a man in black stepped out from directly behind him and spoke two words that changed every face in the room...

The auditorium degenerated into absolute noise.

Reporters surged forward, flashes exploding like lightning strikes across the front rows. Board members scrambled to pull their documents together while Councilman Vale tried to slide out through the judge's side curtain.

"Councilman Vale!" a sharp voice barked from the back of the room.

Two state police investigators in grey suits stepped into the aisle, accompanied by Marcus—Dante’s head of security.

"Robert Vale," the lead investigator announced, unfastening a pair of silver handcuffs from his belt. "You are under arrest for federal wire fraud, bribery, and official misconduct. Step away from the bench."

Vale collapsed back into his leather chair, his hands shaking violently as the officers pulled his arms behind his back.

Julian tried to slip into the crowd toward the main lobby doors, but before he could take three steps, a wall of dark suits blocked his path. Dante’s men stood shoulder-to-shoulder, their hands folded neatly in front of them, their expressions completely vacant.

Julian turned around slowly.

Dante stood three feet away.

"You thought you were playing a game of municipal politics, Julian," Dante said softly, stepping closer until he was looming over the younger man. "You thought you could embarrass my wife, ruin her career, and walk away with a multi-million-dollar contract."

Julian’s jaw trembled. "Dante... listen to me. This was just business. Elena used to work for me! She knows how competitive these bids get!"

"She didn't work for you," Dante corrected, his voice dropping into an icy whisper that only Julian could hear. "You stole her ideas because you lacked the talent to create your own. And then you tried to destroy her because she had the courage to leave you."

Elena walked down from the stage, her rolled blueprint still held under her arm. She stopped beside Dante and looked Julian dead in the eye.

"You always told me I was nothing without Mercer Urban," Elena said quietly, her voice steady and devoid of anger. "You told me nobody in this city would ever take my work seriously. Look around you, Julian."

Julian looked around the room.

The major news networks were filming everything live. The other board members were shaking their heads in disgust. Camille Rhodes was already across the hall, whispering furiously to her father’s legal team.

"Haven Point is going to be built," Elena said. "And you are going to watch every single brick go up from a federal courtroom."

Julian opened his mouth to reply, but two federal agents stepped up behind him, grabbing his shoulders firmly.

"Julian Mercer," the agent said. "You have the right to remain silent..."

As they led Julian away in cuffs, the auditorium slowly settled back down. The chief remaining member of the development board stepped up to the podium, cleared his throat, and looked down at Elena with deep respect.

"Mrs. Moretti," the chief judge said into the microphone. "Given the... unusual circumstances tonight and the verified authenticity of your structural files, the board would like to invite you to complete your presentation."

Elena looked at Dante.