The conference room was minimalist by design—white walls, sharp lighting, clear lines.
Just like Flora preferred.
No distractions. Only structure.
The chairs filled quickly. Reporters with press badges. Designers with curious eyes. A few skeptics already typing drafts of what they assumed would be a carefully polished defense.
Flora adjusted the mic.
She didn't smile.
---
“My name is Flora Quinn."
Silence.
“I'm an architect. I believe design should hold both joy and grief. And I believe clarity is not a luxury. It is a responsibility."
She clicked the first slide: a scanned sketch in her handwriting, dated and timestamped.
“This is the original concept for the Harmony Pavilion. The idea came to me in late May of last year, after a community design workshop where a child asked me
