---- Chapter 25 No.25 The groundbreaking ceremony for the new arts center was a major event. Isolde insisted that Clare be front and center. "You're the face of this project," she had said. "You need to look the part." She sent a stylist to the house, a chic, no-nonsense woman who took one look at Clare's wardrobe of jeans and simple tops and declared it "a blank canvas." They spent a day shopping. Clare found herself drawn to a bold, architectural dress in a vibrant shade of cobalt blue and sharp, elegant heels. It was a world away from the soft, romantic pastels Chase had always preferred for her. "This feels... powerful," Clare said, looking at her reflection in the mirror. "That's because it is," the stylist said with a nod. "You're not dressing for a man anymore, darling. You're dressing for yourself." On the day of the ceremony, as she stood in front of the full- length mirror, she barely recognized the woman staring back at her. Her hair was styled in a sleek, sophisticated way. The blue dress was a statement. She looked confident. In control. She looked like a woman who knew her own worth. ---- Ben whistled softly when he saw her. "Wow," he said, his eyes wide with admiration. "Just... wow." He looked handsome himself, in a perfectly tailored suit that highlighted his quiet strength. He offered her his arm. "Ready to go make a difference?" he asked. She smiled and took his arm. "lam." They arrived at the event together, stepping out of the car into a flurry of camera flashes. The press was there, local politicians, wealthy donors. It was a world she had once been a part of, but as an accessory. Now, she was here in her own right. Isolde was holding court, looking every inch the powerful executive she was. Clare saw the mayor, the city council members. And then she saw him. Chase was standing at the edge of the crowd, almost hidden behind a large potted palm. A ghost at the feast. He must have seen the event announcement in the business pages. He was staring at her, his face a mask of shock and something that looked like awe. He was seeing the woman in the mirror. The woman he didn't know. The woman he had lost. She met his gaze for a fraction of a second. There was no ---- anger, no fear, no pity. Just a blank, dismissive acknowledgement. Then she turned her attention back to Ben, smiling up at him as he guided her through the crowd. The visual was unmistakable. The queen and her consort, moving into their new kingdom. And Chase was just a spectator, a commoner locked outside the castle walls. The visual impact was a final, devastating blow he hadn't seen coming.