The car ride from the groundbreaking ceremony to her East City penthouse was unusually quiet. Selene sat in the backseat, staring out the tinted window as the city lights flickered past. Her assistant occasionally glanced at her through the rearview mirror, clearly sensing the shift in her mood—but knowing better than to ask.
She clasped her tablet tightly in her lap, but her mind wasn’t on the revised plans or Jameson Grey’s remarks.
It was on him.
Sebastian Ford. The name still felt like a stone pressed against her chest.
When she shook his hand earlier, it took every ounce of her composure not to falter. Her heart hadn’t just skipped—it had dropped. How was it that after nearly five years, one touch could still feel that familiar? That electric?
She leaned her head back, closing her eyes as memories crashed through her like waves against a crumbling shore.
Hillwood City. That night before graduation. The ring. The silence. His disappearance.
Not a letter. Not a message. Not even a goodbye.
She thought she had buried that chapter of her life long ago. She had moved on, after all. She had built an empire, block by block, design by design. She had crafted skyscrapers that touched the clouds, yet one man could still drag her back to the ground with a glance.
How dare he?
How dare he act so casually, hiding behind that mask and sunglasses as if the past had never existed? As if she hadn’t waited. As if she hadn’t wondered for years.
But what hurt more—was how easily he said her name. Selene Mondiego. As if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. As if the girl he once loved and the woman she became were two different people he could no longer recognize.
Was that why he left?
Because she wasn’t Selene Parker anymore?
The thought stabbed deeper than she cared to admit.
As her building came into view, Selene straightened her posture, smoothing the crease of her skirt. Her assistant opened the door, and she stepped out, her heels clicking against the polished marble of the lobby floor. The receptionist greeted her with a nod, but Selene offered only a faint smile.
Inside the penthouse, she peeled off her blazer and dropped it over the couch. Her home was sleek, minimalist—clean lines, neutral tones, floor-to-ceiling windows that offered an endless view of East City. Everything here was designed to be calm, to be functional, to be untouched by chaos.
But tonight, chaos followed her in.
She walked to her bedroom and opened the drawer of her nightstand. At the back, tucked carefully in a small velvet pouch, was the promise ring.
The same one Sebastian gave her on their final night at Hillwood.
She held it between her fingers now, the delicate silver band glinting under the soft bedroom light. She never wore it again after graduation—but she never threw it away either. For years it had been her reminder of a love that once felt real. A dream she once believed in.
Now, it felt like a joke.
“I should’ve let you go a long time ago,” she whispered, staring at the ring. “But I never did.”
Part of her wanted to hurl it across the room. Another part of her wanted to keep it, just in case there was still meaning behind it.
But what if it no longer mattered to him?
She sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on her knees, palms cradling her face. Tears didn’t fall, but the ache in her chest tightened. The reunion wasn’t how she imagined it. No heartfelt apology. No quiet explanation. Just businesslike introductions and polite comments.
“Same here, Architect Selene Parker… or shall I say, Architect Selene Mondiego.”
What did that even mean? Was it resentment? Sarcasm? Disappointment?
Whatever it was, it wasn’t kindness.
And yet… he still looked at her the same way. Even behind the sunglasses. As if he, too, had something left unsaid. As if he, too, wasn’t ready for this unexpected collision.
She had work to do—deadlines to meet, blueprints to finalize, site visits to oversee. But tonight, none of that could silence the storm brewing inside her.
Because for the first time in years, the foundation she built for herself felt like it was cracking.
And she wasn’t sure if she could fix it this time.
Later that night, Selene sat by her home office window, watching the distant cranes and lights from various project sites. It calmed her, slightly. She took a breath, opened her laptop, and reviewed tomorrow’s schedule. There were meetings with engineers, a materials report to sign off on, and a coordination conference with SF Construction.
Sebastian.
She closed the screen and leaned back, eyes still on the skyline.
It wasn’t just another job now. It wasn’t just business. It was a storm of everything she tried to forget.
But she wasn’t a fragile girl anymore.
She was Selene Mondiego.
And tomorrow, she’d walk into that construction site with her head high, regardless of the ghosts standing beside her.
Because no matter what had happened in the past, this city, this legacy—was hers.
And she wasn’t going to let heartbreak define her foundation.