Chapter 12
Back at the loft, the office was humming with focused energy. Clara was reviewing a financial report at the central table, while the junior analysts huddled over a whiteboard covered in complex flowcharts. When Elena walked through the door, carrying the bag of pastries from the bakery, the room brightened instantly.
"Fresh croissants and Earl Grey tea," Elena announced, setting the bag on the counter. "A reward for finishing the quarterly audit ahead of schedule."
The team cheered, eagerly gathering around the food. Clara grabbed a pastry and walked over to Elena’s desk, her expression warm and curious. "You look lighter today. Something happen on your walk?"
"Just ran into an old ghost," Elena said, taking a sip of her tea and settling into her ergonomic chair. "Put him to rest for good."
"Maddy?" Clara asked quietly.
Elena nodded. "He's working upstate now. Doing manual labor. Trying to figure out who he is when he isn't hiding behind a title."
"Karma has a very precise sense of irony," Clara remarked, taking a bite of her croissant. "And what about you? Have you found what you were looking for when you walked out of that mansion?"
May you like
Elena looked around the sunlit loft, watching her team laugh and collaborate with genuine enthusiasm and mutual respect. There were no hidden agendas here, no power struggles disguised as romance, no fear of being pushed into the water for speaking the truth.
"I didn't just find what I was looking for, Clara," Elena said, her eyes shining with quiet pride. "I built it."
