Chapter One: The Falling Bouquet

Serena, now with short hair, held a healthy little girl and laughed through tears. Her paintings covered the walls. A sign read SERENA ARTS FOUNDATION. This time, Mira had seen happiness. Before the vision faded, the mirror caught a tall man outside the studio. He wore a black suit and carried a silver bird brooch identical to the bouquet clasp. Mira spun around. A man stood in the real doorway as well: Adrian Gu, heir to the Gu conglomerate, the last person who should have attended a minor society scandal. He glanced at the bouquet, his gaze quiet and sharp. “Ms. Shen,” he said, “I have a wedding I want you to plan.”