EPISODE 5
761 Words
Aria POV
The more I saw of “Nathan Reeves,” the harder it became to hate the company he claimed to represent.
He listened, really listened.
When the environmental report showed that the riverbank soil could collapse under heavy concrete, he didn’t brush it aside; he asked me to walk him there.
So we stood by the water that evening, the city shimmering on the opposite shore.
“Hard to believe they’d build towers here,” I said.
“The skyline looks close enough to touch, but it’s another world.”
Nathan watched the current for a while before speaking.
“Sometimes the people in the towers forget what holds them up.”
Something in his tone felt personal. I almost asked what he meant, but his phone vibrated and his expression shuttered closed.
He slipped it into his pocket without answering.
“Will your report change anything?” I asked.
“I’ll make sure it’s read by the right person.”
The wind carried the scent of rain and something else, distance.
He looked as if he wanted to say more, then didn’t.
Adrian POV
That night I sent the safety report straight to the compliance division with my authorization code. It should have paused construction for six months.
Two hours later, Lori called.
“You signed a hold order,” he said flatly.
“I did.”
“Under Nathan Reeves.”
“So you know.”
“I know you’re jeopardizing a billion-dollar contract over one neighborhood.”
“I’m preventing a disaster.”
“You’re protecting a girl.”
Silence stretched between us. He’d said it not as an accusation, but as a truth neither of us wanted to admit.
Finally, I said, “If you trust my judgment, let the delay stand.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you’ll prove every headline about us right.”
He hung up without answering.
Lori POV
I stared at the paused-project alert blinking on my tablet. Investors would be calling by morning. Adrian had crossed into my territory and over what? A woman who challenged him once in public?
He’d never defied me outright before.
For a moment I almost admired it. Then I realized what it meant: if he could risk the company for her, he could just as easily abandon me.
I poured another drink and scrolled through the photos my assistant had sent, Aria and “Nathan,” standing by the river. The wind lifted her hair, and even through the grainy zoom, the look on his face was unmistakable.
Whatever this was, it wasn’t strategy anymore.
Aria POV
The next morning, the noise stopped. No drills, no trucks, no shouting foremen, just the sound of the river again.
Neighbors whispered about a “pause order.” Some said the city caved under protest pressure; others said a judge intervened. I knew neither was true.
I tried calling Nathan to thank him, but his line went straight to voicemail. For the next three days, silence.
By the fourth, a courier arrived at our door with a simple envelope. Inside was a letter printed on plain paper:
Aria,
The project is on review. Take care of your father. We’ll speak soon.
N.R.
No signature from the company, no logo, just those initials.
Dad smiled when I read it aloud. “Maybe someone up there actually listened.”
Maybe. But a part of me feared I’d never see him again.
Adrian POV
I stayed away for her sake, but distance only sharpened the pull. Lori’s reports came daily, board pressure, investor outrage. I ignored them all.
At midnight, I found myself scrolling through the project photos again. There she was, standing beside the water like she belonged to it.
I’d built my empire by staying invisible. But for the first time, I wanted to be seen and by her.
Lori POV
If Adrian wouldn’t protect our name, I would.
I scheduled a new press conference, one that would frame me as the savior who’d paused construction to “re-evaluate environmental safety.”
He could hide; I’d take the spotlight and control the story.
And when Aria Lawson came looking for answers, as I knew she would, I’d make sure she found me instead.
Aria POV
The news broke the next day:
“Lori Blackwell Halts Project Pending Community Review.”
My stomach twisted.
He was taking credit for the very pause Nathan had promised.
I grabbed my bag and headed straight for Blackwell Tower.
If Lori wanted the spotlight, I’d meet him in it.
- Writer
