Amelia’s POV
The resort project started like a dream I hadn’t dared to finish sketching.
The first site visit was to the flagship property—an oceanfront estate in the Maldives, all white stone and turquoise water, the kind of place people paid thousands a night to feel temporarily perfect. I walked the grounds with the chain’s development director and three architects, tablet in hand, marking sight lines for new infinity pools, shaded cabanas, and guest suites that opened straight onto private beaches. The air smelled of salt and frangipani. For the first time in years I felt the old excitement flicker back—the one that used to keep me up all night drawing dream houses when the triplets were babies and hope was all I had.
Back in City Y, the team meetings were brisk and professional. Co
