The next day, Gray was sitting behind his desk with a half-finished report open in front of him. The office was quiet that morning. He had a lot of work to do, but his mind was elsewhere. Gray's fingers hovered over the keyboard. They were unmoving. The numbers in the spreadsheet blurred in his eyes, his focus drifting for the third time in less than five minutes.He leaned back in his chair and let out a breath through his nose. Tomorrow. The gala was tomorrow. He had known it was coming, but now that it was actually close, his nerves were creeping in. He looked down at his hands, tapping one thumb against the other. His suit was already hanging in the closet at home. It was already pressed and ready. He'd also already confirmed the venue, triple-checked the invitation, even set a reminder on his phone for when to leave. And yet... "What if I mess this up?" That thought had been circling his brain since the moment he woke up. He'd felt fine yesterday, full of warmth and pri

Outside their condo, a sleek black limousine waited, gleaming under the streetlights. The driver opened the door as they approached, nodding politely without a word.Gray held the door for Selina as she stepped in, her dress sliding elegantly against the leather seat. He followed, and the door closed with a quiet click.The car pulled away smoothly, merging into the city streets.The ride didn't take long, but Gray felt every second of it. The closer they got, the more surreal it became.And then, they turned a corner, and there it was.The Sterling Hotel.It was a hotel he had heard of, of course. Well, it was a hotel that everyone had heard of. It was one of those places talked about in luxury magazines and high-end travel blogs.A five-star empire built into the skyline, towering with clean, gold-lit lines and fountains that never stopped flowing.It was the kind of place where a single night in the penthouse suite could cost more than a year of college. The kind of place that host

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to share that as of this moment, the Everett Gala has raised just over 8.7 million dollars." The crowd broke into applause after the announcement. Everyone looked happy and their smiles looked heartfelt. In front, Selina clapped softly, and beside her, Gray found himself smiling too. The auction ran for an hour and though he was surprised by some items that were sold, he couldn't help but be impressed at how much they raised. "Eight point seven million," he echoed quietly in disbelief. "Yup, and that's still increasing," Selina said with a huge smile on her face. "There are always post-event pledges. The real players move after the spotlight fades. Usually, those people give more. One time, a kind and generous person gave a million dollars." Gray shook his head. His jaw slightly parting. "This is insane." "I know. But that is also what we call legacy," Selina corrected gently. "My grandfather didn't throw parties just for fun. He knows how to o

After a few more hours, the gala was finally over.He couldn't even understand how the rest could still stay in the venue for light drinking and more talks.For Gray, as soon as the host announced the end of the gala, he left and said goodbye to Selina.Fortunately, Selina understood that he was tired, so she let him go.That was also the reason why, for Gray, the weekend that followed was the exact opposite of what he did all week.On Saturday and Sunday, he didn't go out.He spent most of Saturday morning in silence.By the time afternoon arrived, he had barely spoken a word. He didn't realize how tired he was until everything finally slowed down.It was also because Lily slept in longer than usual. He could have his own free time because once Lily woke up, he knew she would ask a lot of questions about what had happened last night."Dang, I am so tired." Gray whispered into the air as he rolled over on his bed.It was already past noon, but the curtains in his room stayed drawn, ma

For the whole day, Gray spent most of his time going through numerous business proposals. It was so bad that even if he stopped looking at them, all he could think of, in his mind, were terms and numbers. "I am so messed up," Gray whispered into the air. His face was gloomy, and his head slumped on the desk.He had been sitting in his chair for the past three hours and barely had time to get up. And when he did, it was just because he wanted to go to the bathroom.He thought he would be able to finish everything by today. But, oh boy, he was so wrong.What lay out in front of Gray's eyes as he turned his head to the side was stacks of folders and papers.He barely made a dent, even if he had read a whole lot of them already.After a few seconds of silence, Gray let out a long and exhausted sigh. His eyes were bloodshot. His back ached from hunching over for so long. And his brain... God, his brain felt like it had been wrung out like a towel.He turned slightly in his chair, glancin