AURELIA’S POV

Five Years Later

“…and the Best Designer of the Year award goes to… Aurelia Graham!”

The applause erupted around me like a wave. For a moment, I just stood there, blinking into the sea of lights, before I rose from my seat with trembling hands and made my way to the stage. My heels clicked across the polished floor, my heart thundering like it was the first time I’d ever been recognized.

But it wasn’t.

I had built an empire. And tonight—it was ...