“To the future of the Chicago shoreline,” he said.

“To the future,” I agreed, clinking my glass against his.

“That was a masterclass in crisis management,” Julian said.

“Adrian looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.”

“He brought it on himself,” I said.

“He stole my unfinished work and assumed I had not progressed beyond it.”

“He always underestimated what I could do without his firm’s resources.”

“Well, he won’t make that mistake again,” Julian said.

Margaret joined us, holding her mobile phone.

She had a serious look on her face.

“Claire, Julian, you need to see this,” she said.

She turned her screen toward us so we could read the screen.

It was a live financial news feed from the East Coast.

The headline banner at the bottom of the screen was flashing in bright red text.

My eyes scanned the words quickly.

*Boston Port Authority halts Bennett Urban Systems waterfront project over safety concerns.*

“The news of your press conference is already spreading,” Margaret said.

“The Boston regulators saw your presentation online.”

“They are demanding an immediate audit of Adrian’s project.”