"Alright. Back to reality," Gray muttered, setting his phone face-down on the desk.He was in his office. The air conditioner hummed quietly. Papers, folders, and his laptop sat in front of him in the particular order Mara had arranged them before she arrived. He clicked through to the first construction firm on the list he had started building last night.This was the first real step toward the second branch.The prices varied more than he had expected. One firm looked immediately out of range. Another offered suspiciously low numbers with no verifiable track record behind them. A third had reviews scattered across multiple sites, each one more contradictory than the last.Gray took his time. He read portfolios and project histories. He checked client reviews from multiple sources. His eyes narrowed the longer he scrolled, not from frustration, but from the particular focus that came when something actually mattered.Eventually, one firm stood out. Their past projects were solid, the

Selina stepped aside, and Gray walked in. Her condo smelled like flowers. It always did. He noticed a few books on the coffee table and some clothes tossed across the couch. "Is your nanny out today?" he asked, glancing around. "She went home yesterday." Selina pressed her lips together. Her cheeks warmed the moment she followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at. She turned quickly. "Anyway." She shut the door and faced him. "You don't look like yourself tonight." Gray exhaled and dropped into the nearest seat. He rested his head in his palm and looked up at her. "It's been a long day." "I heard about the disaster in your meeting," Selina said, crossing her arms loosely as she came closer. "You heard?" He smirked faintly. "You know I'm friends with Mara." She shrugged. "I don't know the full details, but I know enough." Gray let out a low chuckle. "That's one way to put it." His voice softened. "It wasn't just a bad meeting. It was a spectacularly useless one." Selina s

It was already morning.Pale light slipped through the curtains of Selina's room. Gray stirred first. His body was heavy, muscles aching in places he hadn't expected. He lay still for a moment, listening to the quiet.When he finally turned his head, his gaze landed on Selina.She was sleeping beside him. Her breathing was slow and even, her hair loose and messy against the pillow. In the soft morning light, she looked almost unreal. Peaceful in a way that made him pause.He watched her for a while without moving.His mind was quieter than usual. Thoughts came and went, drifting back to the night before, to everything they had done. He didn't regret any of it. Still, he had to admit it was a step he hadn't planned for.Selina stirred. Her lips parted on a soft exhale. She shifted slightly toward him in her sleep.Gray inhaled, let it out slowly, and leaned onto his side. His eyes stayed on her face."She really looks like an angel," he muttered, so low the words barely made a sound.A

Selina coughed hard and pressed a napkin to her mouth. Her ears had gone red. She kept her eyes carefully away from her grandfather."L-Lily..." she whispered.Gray pinched the bridge of his nose."Lily. Eat your food." His tone was even, but his eyes said the rest.Lily was not the least bit intimidated. Her grin widened. She looked almost proud of herself."What, Brother? I'm only telling the truth! Sister Selina is always with us. She even had breakfast with us this morning!"Conrad's eyebrows rose. His lips curved slowly as he leaned back and tapped the table with one finger."Is that so, Lily?" His gaze moved from Lily to Selina, then settled on Gray. "Always together, hm?"Selina grabbed her glass of water and took a long sip. It didn't help. Her cheeks stayed warm, and her heart was going too fast."Grandpa..." she said softly.Gray kept his expression steady. Inside, it was a different story. His thoughts were running, and he could feel the weight of Conrad's eyes across the t

"We're here," Daniel said.Gray looked out the window. They were parked at the edge of a dusty street. He stepped out without a word.Mara and Owen were already on the site, walking the boundary with clipboards in hand. Behind them stretched the land — the same empty lot Gray had visited when he first received the title. Nothing had changed. The tall grass swayed in the breeze, and low patches of shrub had grown thicker along the edges."Whoa." Mara shielded her eyes from the glare and looked out across the full stretch of it. "This is bigger in person. We can fit everything we need in here." Gray breathed in. The air carried soil and dry grass. He let it out slowly."You sure about this?" Owen asked, stepping closer. He was here as Conrad's representative. "Stoneworks, right?""Stoneworks," Gray confirmed."They're the more expensive option.""I know." Gray's thumb moved over the black card in his pocket. He hadn't left it behind since Conrad pressed it into his hand. "Their timelin