Chapter 17 - A Taste of Ashes
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Three months later.
The grand ground-breaking ceremony for Riverbend Commons took place on a crisp, sunny morning along the Seattle waterfront.
Hundreds of city officials, journalists, international investors, and community leaders gathered beneath a massive white marquee. Victoria Sterling from Capital Horizon stood at the podium, presenting the primary development plaque to the crowd.
“Today,” Victoria announced to roaring applause, “we honor the true visionary behind this landmark achievement—a woman whose brilliant mind and unwavering resilience saved this project from the ashes. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Leah Sutton!”
The crowd erupted into a standing ovation as I walked up the steps to the stage, wearing an elegant cream-colored coat, holding my hard hat.
As I shook Victoria’s hand and posed for photographs, my eyes drifted toward the perimeter of the public park across the street.
Standing near the rusted chain-link fence, partially hidden behind a light pole, was Julian Rhodess.
He was wearing an oversized jacket, his hair shaggy and unkempt. He was working as a junior draftsman for a small, low-end suburban contractor—the only firm willing to hire a disgraced ex-CEO facing pending federal charges.
He stood there in silence, watching the woman he had once ordered to pack her bags within twenty-four hours being showered with praise by the most powerful people in the city.
Our eyes met across the two-hundred-foot distance for a brief, fleeting second.
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There was no anger in my heart. There was no lingering desire for revenge. Looking at him, I felt only a profound, quiet sense of pity for a man who had traded his soul for a kingdom made of sand.
Julian slowly turned his head away, pulled his hood over his head, and vanished into the crowd of passersby.
