Ellis was immersed in her work at the architecture firm, concentrating on the neighborhood revitalization project in Brownsville, where she had grown up. The opportunity to work on something so meaningful and personal motivated her every day. At that moment, she was reviewing sketches and plans, trying to find the best way to balance the necessary modernization with preserving the neighborhood's identity.
While Ellis was immersed in her work, her mind occasionally wandered back to the traumatic night at The Riverfront Pub. She was grateful to have escaped that encounter with Ross without further trouble, but she also felt great uncertainty about what had prompted Vittorio to intervene. She knew it wasn't because of a sudden resurgence of his feelings for her. Somehow, Vittorio was pla
