Chapter3

Late autumn wind in Geneva, Switzerland carried the biting chill of the Alps

In the backstage lounge of the Victoria Grand Theatre, I stood quietly before a full length mirror and fastened the cufflinks on my custom black suit with care Outside the venue, a phalanx of cameras and microphones waited Inside, the most authoritative annual gala in European architecture was underway

Sir, this is the final list of tonight’s guests After you appear onstage, you will need to accept congratulations from the three judges in the front row

My new assistant handed me a gold trimmed tablet, his tone respectful

I took the tablet and scrolled casually My gaze paused for a second on one page A clear line of text read Seattle Special Delegate Elena Architectural Studio

Over the past three months, I had built my own studio in Zurich Far from the underground drafting room filled with lies and exploitation, I poured all my energy into the on site reconstruction of the landmark cultural hall project called Breath of the Glacier That floating skeletal structure, long considered impossible by the industry, had been refined by me into something flawless in just three months

Across the ocean in Seattle, things had been anything but quiet

Industry rumors said Elena’s projects were imploding one after another Without me doing the calculations and staying up nights to hold everything together behind the scenes, the drawings produced by the highly paid drafters under her command lacked soul Even more fatal was Luke, the man she had put on a pedestal His structural scheme, built on a lack of basic mechanics, showed severe warping and collapse in wind tunnel tests

Seattle City Hall was furious Faced with enormous compensation claims and a spiral of withdrawn funding, Elena was overwhelmed every day I heard that during one meeting she had instinctively reached back, as if I would hand her a cup of coffee at the perfect temperature as I always did and then she suddenly realized there was only empty air beside her

Now she had come all the way to Switzerland with Luke to attend a gala she once would have been fit only to watch from the second tier balcony Her purpose was obvious She needed to find investors to take over the mess in a room packed with the world’s top capital or to meet an industry heavyweight who could save her dying business

The awards ceremony is about to begin my assistant reminded softly

I returned the tablet to him, turned, and looked at the huge broadcast screen on the wall of the lounge

The director’s camera was sweeping across the hall I saw Elena clearly in the third row After three months, even with impeccable makeup she could not hide the fatigue at the corners of her eyes She leaned forward slightly, holding a wine glass and wearing a faintly ingratiating smile as she tried to offer her business card to a European investment tycoon beside her He nodded politely but did not take the card

That humility she displayed just to climb upward formed a bitter contrast with the arrogance she had shown in that Seattle villa, where she had always looked down from above

Ladies and gentlemen

The host’s voice rang out through the entire theatre, solemn and echoing

Next, we will present the highest honor of the European Association, the Vanguard Design Gold Award

The hall fell silent at once Everyone waited for the name at the pinnacle of the architectural world Elena straightened too Her eyes carried an undisguised longing and desire Perhaps she was imagining that if she could form a partnership with the new star who won the Gold Award, the deadlock in Seattle would vanish instantly

The recipient of this year’s Gold Award is the rising architectural master who stunned the world with Breath of the Glacier and reshaped spatial tension

Spotlights began to crisscross the dome, then converged on the long passage leading from backstage to center stage

The doors slid open to either side

Mr Victor

Applause erupted like a tidal wave

I stepped out of the shadows into the dazzling light and walked steadily toward the podium My pace was calm and unhurried

The moment I appeared, the refined atmosphere in the audience faltered briefly, then burst into even louder gasps Flashbulbs from the media turned into a sheet of daylight

I reached the stage and accepted the Gold Award trophy from the Association president

Then I turned to face the crowd

My gaze cut through the air and locked precisely onto the woman in the red dress in the third row

Elena froze in her velvet seat

Her mouth hung half open, her pupils contracting violently in shock The crystal flute in her tightly clenched hand tilted slightly Champagne spilled onto the expensive fabric of her skirt, yet she did not notice Luke beside her went pale as ash and instinctively shrank his shoulders back

Three months ago, she had been certain I could not survive without her She had sworn I would come crawling back, begging her to take me in

But now the former fiance who once kept his head down before her and spent five years as a ghostwriter in her shadow stood on a stage she had to crane her neck to look up at I wore a tailored suit and held my ground There was no trace of the old desperation in my eyes I no longer needed any halo she could grant

The reality was that simple Once I stepped out of the swamp that kept draining me, I climbed with ease to a peak she could never reach in her lifetime

I stood at the microphone, looked at her pale collapsing face, and spoke in a calm steady voice

Thank you to the jury for this recognition This trophy proves one thing When a person abandons cheap compromises and refuses to let talent bow to meaningless favors, true reconstruction has only just begun

My eyes swept past Elena lightly, as if she were nothing more than irrelevant ruins, and then settled on the media farther out

Tonight belongs to pure architecture

The hall erupted again

I did not look to see what expression Elena wore now I did not care about the pride shattering inside her I turned and walked off the stage with composed ease, handing the trophy to my assistant waiting at the side

Entering the VIP corridor backstage, most of the noise outside was filtered by the heavy soundproof door

Just as I was about to head to the lounge to change into casual wear, a frantic uneven clatter of high heels came from the far end of the corridor behind me

Two security guards moved up at once and extended their arms to block the person approaching

Victor Victor wait for me

I stopped and tilted my head slightly

Elena’s eyes were red She shoved at the guards’ arms, her hair coming loose from the run She stumbled toward me as if reaching for the only lifeline left to her