The hotel ballroom in Manhattan was too bright.
That was Aira’s first thought.
Too much glass. Too much artificial light. Too many polished people pretending their lives were seamless.
She adjusted the strap of her leather handbag and stepped inside, forcing her shoulders back.
Three years.
Three years since she last stood in the same room as Lucien Blackwood.
Three years since she left Canada with nothing but a suitcase, a secret, and a promise to herself that she would never beg for emotional scraps again.
California had rebuilt her.
Not perfectly. Not easily.
But honestly.
She signed in at the registration desk, collected her badge, and scanned the program booklet.
There it was.
Lucien Blackwood.
Blackwood Infrastructure Group.
Keynote Partner – Global Expansion Strategy.
