I let the call ring.

The screen went black as the call went to voicemail.

A second later, the phone began to ring again.

This time, it was a text message notification.

I tapped the screen to open the message.

The text was from Adrian.

*Claire, please. We need to talk. The board is calling an emergency meeting.*

I locked the phone and slipped it back into my blazer pocket.

“No,” I said to Julian. “I don’t think I will.”

We walked back toward the remaining guests, leaving the phone silent in my pocket.

The afternoon passed in a blur of handshakes and congratulatory remarks from city developers.

By the time the last guest left the lobby, the sun was beginning to set over the city.

The sky turned a deep orange, casting long shadows across the empty pier.

I walked back out to the edge of the water alone.

The wind had died down, and the lake was calm.

I stood at the railing, looking at the spot where the first concrete caisson would be sunk on Monday.

I felt a deep sense of peace.