Chapter Four-Riley
1881 Words
Riley had not expected to get the job.
Not really.
He had walked into Vincent Stanley’s office that morning expecting to present his portfolio, explain his ideas, answer a few questions, and leave.
That was it.
He had done meetings like that before.
Sometimes people loved his work.
Sometimes they wanted changes.
Sometimes they decided his ideas weren’t what they were looking for.
That was business.
Riley understood that.
So when Vincent Stanley had looked at him and said,
“Yes.”
Riley had actually needed a second to process it.
He had gotten the job.
Not because of his family.
Not because his mother knew Vincent’s mother.
Not because someone had called in a favor.
Because Vincent had looked at his work and decided he was good enough.
That mattered to Riley.
He wasn’t arrogant.
He never walked into a room believing he was the best person there.
But Riley knew what he could do.
He had spent years learning his craft.
He knew design.
He understood space.
He understood lighting.
He understood how colors changed moods.
He understood that a room could be beautiful and still be uncomfortable.
And he knew that sometimes the most expensive-looking room was the least impressive one.
So yes.
Riley knew he was good.
He just didn’t feel the need to announce it.
After leaving Vincent’s office, Riley had barely made it to his car before his phone vibrated.
An email.
He opened it.
His eyebrows rose.
The subject line read:
STANLEY CORPORATION — NEW HEADQUARTERS PROJECT
Riley opened the attachment.
Then he stopped.
He stared at the screen.
“Wait.”
He scrolled.
Then scrolled again.
“You’re kidding.”
The address was completely different from the Stanley Corporation building where he had just been.
He had assumed the office he had visited was the office he would be redesigning.
Apparently not.
The new headquarters wasn’t even occupied yet.
It was brand new.
Freshly constructed.
Freshly painted.
Completely empty.
Riley stared at the architectural drawings.
Then he opened the photographs.
The building was enormous.
And empty.
Almost painfully empty.
No desks.
No chairs.
No artwork.
No plants.
No reception furniture.
No conference tables.
Nothing.
Just walls.
Floors.
Windows.
Light.
Space.
Riley’s eyes widened.
“Oh.”
This wasn’t an interior decorating job.
This was a blank canvas.
A massive one.
He leaned back in his driver’s seat.
Then smiled.
His mind started working immediately.
The reception area could have a large sculptural piece.
Not something too dramatic.
Something elegant.
Natural stone perhaps.
Soft lighting.
A little greenery.
The waiting area needed comfortable seating.
Not the stiff furniture people usually put in corporate buildings.
Something modern.
Something that made people feel welcome.
The executive floor could be different.
More private.
More sophisticated.
The boardroom needed to feel powerful without feeling threatening.
Dark wood perhaps.
Muted textures.
Long table.
Beautiful lighting.
But not too much.
Vincent’s private office—
Riley paused.
He thought about Vincent.
That office needed to be different.
The man was intimidating enough.
The room didn’t need to help him.
Riley smiled to himself.
“Definitely not more black.”
He continued scrolling.
There were multiple floors.
Private offices.
Open workspaces.
Conference rooms.
Break areas.
A dining space.
A lounge.
Guest areas.
Everything.
Riley could already see it.
He could see the finished building in his head.
He could almost walk through it.
That was what happened when he designed.
He didn’t see empty walls.
He saw possibilities.
He saw people sitting at tables.
People walking through hallways.
People having meetings.
Employees drinking coffee.
Executives working.
Clients waiting.
Sunlight coming through windows.
He saw the entire building alive.
And suddenly Friday seemed very close.
He had told Vincent he would send the first concepts by Friday.
Why had he said Friday?
Riley rubbed his forehead.
“Why did I say Friday?”
He knew why.
Because he had been confident.
Now he had to prove it.
He started the car.
By the time he reached home, he had already created half a dozen ideas in his head.
His mother was setting the table when he walked inside.
His brother was already there.
Riley placed his bag down.
His mother looked at him.
“How did it go?”
Riley smiled.
“I got it.”
His mother froze.
“What?”
“I got the job.”
Her face immediately brightened.
“Oh my goodness!”
She walked toward him and hugged him.
“I’m so happy for you.”
Riley laughed.
“Thank you.”
His brother looked up from his plate.
“Wait. You actually got it?”
Riley looked at him.
“Yes.”
His brother nodded.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
His mother was still smiling.
“I knew you would.”
Riley sat down.
“I wasn’t expecting it.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s Stanley Corporation.”
His brother shrugged.
“So?”
“So it’s Stanley Corporation.”
His brother looked at him.
“And?”
Riley laughed.
“You don’t understand.”
His brother smiled.
“Try me.”
Riley shook his head.
Then he reached for his phone.
“Look.”
He opened the photographs of the building and handed the phone to his brother.
His brother looked at the screen.
Then his expression changed.
“That’s the building?”
“Yes.”
“That’s huge.”
“I know.”
His mother leaned over.
“What are you showing him?”
Riley turned the phone toward her.
She stared at the photograph.
“Oh.”
“Exactly.”
His mother looked at him.
“I thought they were asking you to redesign an existing office.”
“So did I.”
Riley picked up his fork.
“Apparently, this is their new headquarters.”
His brother continued scrolling.
“There is literally nothing inside.”
“Exactly.”
Riley smiled.
“It’s completely empty.”
His mother looked at him.
“That’s actually good.”
Riley nodded.
“That’s what I was thinking.”
“You can put your own touch on everything.”
“Exactly.”
His mother’s smile softened.
“Your own touch.”
Riley looked at the photographs again.
His mother placed a hand over his.
“You’ve worked hard for this.”
Riley smiled.
“I’m going to make it beautiful.”
“I know you will.”
His brother leaned back.
“So…”
Riley looked at him.
“How was Vincent?”
Riley paused.
Then laughed.
“Intimidating.”
His brother grinned.
“Really?”
“Obviously.”
“What did he look like?”
Riley thought about it.
“Scary.”
His mother laughed.
“Vincent?”
“Yes.”
“You think Vincent is scary?”
“Mom.”
Riley looked at her.
“That man looked like he could fire someone by blinking.”
His brother laughed.
Riley continued.
“He barely smiled.”
“That’s Vincent.”
Riley looked at his mother.
“You know him?”
His mother looked surprised.
“Of course.”
Riley blinked.
“What?”
“I know his mother.”
Riley stared.
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
His mother smiled.
“They used to visit us when you were younger.”
Riley thought about it.
“I don’t remember.”
“You were little.”
“Was Vincent there?”
“Sometimes.”
Riley’s eyes narrowed.
“Wait.”
He suddenly remembered something.
“Was that the family with the son?”
His mother nodded.
“Yes.”
Riley thought for a moment.
“How many times did they come?”
“Not many.”
His mother laughed.
“Maybe once or twice while you were very young.”
Riley nodded slowly.
“That explains why he looked familiar.”
His brother looked between them.
“So you’ve technically met him before.”
Riley shrugged.
“Apparently.”
Then something occurred to him.
He looked directly at his mother.
“Wait.”
His mother raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Are you the one who recommended me?”
His mother immediately shook her head.
“No, honey.”
Riley looked surprised.
“You weren’t?”
“No.”
His mother smiled.
“Your work recommended you.”
Riley stared at her.
For a moment, he didn’t say anything.
Then he smiled.
His mother reached across the table.
“I’m proud of you.”
Riley’s smile grew.
“I know.”
“No, I mean it.”
She squeezed his hand.
“You built this yourself. You didn’t use our name. You didn’t ask your brother to introduce you to anyone. You didn’t ask me to call my friends.”
She smiled.
“Your work spoke for you.”
Riley looked down at his plate.
There was warmth spreading through his chest.
“Thank you.”
His mother nodded.
“I know you’re going to do it because you’re smart.”
Riley smiled.
“I’m going to try.”
“You’ll do it.”
His brother suddenly interrupted.
“So…”
Riley looked at him.
“When are you getting a haircut?”
Riley stared.
His mother started laughing.
His brother pointed at Riley’s hair.
“It’s getting ridiculous.”
Riley immediately touched his hair.
“No.”
“You can’t see your ears anymore.”
“I don’t need to.”
“You look like a princess.”
Riley gasped.
“Excuse me?”
His brother laughed.
“Just saying.”
“Can you please leave my hair alone?”
“No.”
“Please.”
“No.”
Riley shook his head.
“You’ve been saying that for years.”
“And you’ve been refusing for years.”
“Exactly.”
His mother watched them arguing and laughed.
For a few minutes, the Stanley Corporation disappeared from Riley’s mind.
So did the enormous building.
So did Vincent Stanley.
There was only dinner.
His mother.
His brother.
The familiar warmth of home.
And the knowledge that he had just been given the biggest project of his career.
Later that night, Riley sat at his desk.
His laptop was open.
The building plans were spread across the screen.
He opened a blank design file.
For several seconds, he simply stared at it.
Then he smiled.
A blank building.
No furniture.
No personality.
No identity.
Nothing.
Just walls waiting for someone to tell their story.
Riley picked up his stylus.
He began sketching.
First the reception.
Then the waiting area.
Then the executive floor.
Then the conference rooms.
He moved from one idea to another.
Soft lighting.
Natural textures.
Clean lines.
Comfortable furniture.
Greenery.
Large windows.
Warm spaces.
Sophisticated without being cold.
Expensive without being excessive.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, Riley started designing Vincent’s office.
He paused.
He thought about the man.
The controlled expression.
The quiet voice.
The intimidating presence.
The way Vincent had looked at his designs.
Riley smiled.
“You’re going to hate this.”
Then he started drawing.
And for the first time since receiving the project, Riley wasn’t nervous anymore.
He was excited.
Because Vincent Stanley had given him something every designer dreamed of.
A completely blank canvas.
And Riley Rosewood intended to turn it into something nobody would forget.
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