ISLA~
The remaining days of the Obsidian awards ceremony since Elara was admitted to the hospital had gone by in a blur.
I spent my nights and days sitting beside her hospital bed, watching the steady monitor beeps while I waited for the message revealing the venue for the ceremony.
Early on the morning of October 2nd, the message finally cracked through my scrambled receiver. Penny City. Hazan.
By sunrise, private jets and charter flights were descending on Penny City from across the globe, pouring international media, security details, and industry elites straight into the heart of the state.
I stepped out of the tinted back seat of my car, my leather dress shoes hitting the wet pavement outside the venue. I smoothed the lapels of my tailored suit—the exact minimalist cut Elara had picked out for me two days ago. A faint, almost bitter smile touched my lips. I felt happy. Kind of.
