I saw reporters, city officials, and local investors.

Then, near the back of the tent, I saw a familiar figure.

Adrian stood near the support pole of the canvas tent.

He wore his expensive dark overcoat, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

His face was tight, his jaw clenched as he stared at me.

Beside him stood Serena, her blonde hair catching the wind, a slight smirk playing on her lips.

They had actually come to the site.

I took a deep breath of the cold lake air.

I looked away from them, focusing on the microphone in front of me.

“Thank you,” I said.

“The challenge of the Chicago shoreline is not just aesthetic,” I began.

“It is structural.”

“The force of the winter ice and the shifting currents require a design that works with the water, not against it.”

I pointed to the large presentation board to my left.

“Our design utilizes a series of interlocking concrete caissons.”

“These are anchored directly into the limestone bedrock beneath the lakebed.”

“This distributes the lateral force of the waves evenly across the entire structure.”