Chapter 9 - Breaking GroundThree months later, the spring sun broke over the Chicago skyline, casting a brilliant golden glow across the South Loop construction site.
The skeletal frame of what used to be the abandoned nineteenth-century school was now transforming into Haven House. Green scaffolding wrapped around the historic brickwork, while modern, sustainable timber beams formed the vaulted ceilings of the new family wing.
There were no media cameras today. No red carpets. No glittering ballrooms filled with predatory investors.
Just the sound of hammers, drilling, and the chatter of construction workers.
Maya stood on the second-floor balcony overlooking the central courtyard, wearing a hard hat, a high-visibility vest, and work boots covered in dry white dust. She held a set of architectural blueprints rolled up in her hand, double-checking the measurements of the secure courtyard garden against her tablet.
Footsteps crunched on the unfinished wooden flooring behind her.
Roman walked out onto the balcony, dressed in a tailored charcoal shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, looking entirely out of place yet completely at home amid the construction dust. He handed her a paper cup of black coffee.
“You’ve been standing here for an hour,” Roman noted, leaning against the balcony railing beside her.
“I’m just checking the sightlines,” Maya smiled, taking the coffee gratefully. “Remember what my mother told me about the old shelter in Milwaukee? No blind corners. Every hallway has two exits.”
Roman looked down at the courtyard below, where workers were planting rows of perennial flowers and installing warm, motion-activated path lighting. “Your mother would be proud, Maya. You built a place where people don’t have to look over their shoulders anymore.”
“We built it,” Maya corrected gently, bumping her shoulder against his.
Down below, a black town car pulled up to the construction site gate. The back door opened, and a familiar figure stepped out, holding a clipboard.
It was Camille Rhodes.
After cooperating with federal prosecutors and testifying against Ethan—who was currently awaiting trial in federal custody—Camille had severed all ties with the old corporate development world. With her own background in event curation and community organization, she had applied for, and won, the position of operational director for Haven House.
Camille looked up, catching sight of Maya and Roman on the balcony, and gave them a small, professional wave before heading inside the intake office.
“She’s doing well,” Maya observed, watching Camille disappear into the building.
“She’s earning her keep,” Roman remarked dryly. “Just like everyone else on this site.”
Maya turned to face him, a playful spark in her eyes. “You know, for a man rumored to run the city from the shadows, you spend an awful lot of time hanging around a community shelter construction site.”
May you like
Roman smiled—a rare, genuine smile that reached his dark eyes, transforming his stern features entirely. He reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her forehead, his touch tender and unhurried.
“My favorite architect works here,” Roman said softly. “And I like to make sure my investments are secure.”
