B
The applause was for Benjamin Archibald.
As always.
Leia Clark stood near the back of the ballroom, a glass of champagne untouched in her hand, and watched another industry award being handed to a man who didn't exist.
"To accepting tonight's award on behalf of Benjamin Archibald and Ben Architecture, please welcome Ms. Leia Clark."
The crowd applauded politely.
Some enthusiastically.
Most simply because it was expected.
Leia smiled and walked to the stage.
She had learned long ago how to smile without feeling much of anything.
The award felt heavy in her hands.
Months of work.
Countless sleepless nights.
Hundreds of revised drawings.
Site inspections in pouring rain.
Meetings that stretched long past midnight.
All of it distilled into a plaque engraved with someone else's name.
Benjamin Archibald.
Architect of the Year.
The irony would have been funny if it didn't hurt.
She posed for photographs.
Accepted congratulations.
Answered questions.
And through it all she played her role.
Competent.
Polished.
Professional.
The top architect of Ben Architecture.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
By the time she slipped out of the ballroom, her cheeks ached from smiling.
The cool evening air greeted her as she stepped onto the hotel terrace.
For several moments she stood there in silence.
Alone.
The city lights glittered below.
The award still sat in her hands.
Finally, she laughed.
A short, humorless sound.
"Congratulations, Ben."
The wind carried her words away.
It was ridiculous.
Talking to an imaginary man.
Yet she sometimes found herself doing it.
Especially on nights like this.
Nights when everyone celebrated Benjamin Archibald.
Nights when nobody celebrated Leia Clark.
Six years earlier, she'd graduated at the top of her class.
Top of her class.
Not top ten.
Not top five.
Number one.
The dean himself had shaken her hand and told her she had one of the brightest futures he'd ever seen.
For a brief moment she'd believed him.
Then reality happened.
Interview after interview.
Application after application.
The same pattern repeated itself.
The smiles would disappear the moment they read her name.
Leia Clark.
People tried to hide it.
Some didn't even bother.
Carlson Clark's daughter.
The bastard daughter.
The party girl.
The socialite.
The scandal.
Everyone knew something about Leia Clark.
Nobody knew Leia.
By the time she left the room, she'd already lost the job.
Not because she wasn't qualified.
Not because her portfolio was weak.
But because people had already decided who she was.
Or worse.
Because they assumed her father had bought her credentials along the way.
Those assumptions hurt more than the rejection itself.
Because no amount of effort seemed capable of changing them.
She could work harder.
Study longer.
Sacrifice more.
And still people looked at her and saw an illegitimate child trying to play architect.
Her father loved her.
That much had never been in doubt.
Carlson Clark had provided everything she could ever want.
The best schools.
The best opportunities.
The best life money could buy.
But there were some things even he couldn't purchase.
Acceptance was one of them.
Respect was another.
Leia learned that lesson while growing up inside the Clark Estate.
Not in the mansion.
Never in the mansion.
She lived in a beautiful guest house tucked behind the main residence.
Comfortable.
Luxurious.
Separate.
Always separate.
Martina Clark had never mistreated her.
In fact, she had been impeccably polite.
That somehow made it worse.
Because the boundaries were always crystal clear.
Leia was welcome for dinner.
Not family game night.
Welcome for holidays.
Not family portraits.
Welcome in the estate.
Never in the home.
The distinction had followed her throughout her entire life.
Tolerated.
Never embraced.
Acknowledged.
Never accepted.
Three years after graduation, she'd finally stopped trying to convince people she deserved a chance.
Instead...
She created someone who did.
Benjamin Archibald.
Harvard educated.
Widely traveled.
Mysterious investor.
Architect.
Entrepreneur.
Visionary.
All the nonsense grew naturally over time.
Every unanswered question created another rumor.
Every rumor created another legend.
Leia rarely corrected anyone.
The less people knew about Ben, the more fascinating he became.
By the time Ben Architecture opened its doors, Benjamin Archibald had already become larger than life.
An invisible genius.
An enigmatic visionary.
The industry's golden boy.
He was everything Leia Clark could never be.
Trusted immediately.
Respected automatically.
Never questioned.
Never judged.
Never underestimated.
And the cruelest part?
Ben wasn't even real.
A vibration interrupted her thoughts.
She glanced at her phone.
A new message from Colette.
COLETTE:
You better not disappear.
The clients are asking about Ben again.
Leia laughed despite herself.
LEIA:
Tell them he'll descend from the heavens when he's ready.
The reply came almost immediately.
COLETTE:
One day this is going to bite us.
Leia stared at the screen.
The smile faded slightly.
Because Colette wasn't wrong.
One day it probably would.
Every empire built on secrets eventually cracked.
The question wasn't if.
It was when.
Across the city, inside the top floor office of Garlan Consulting, another architect was studying the same award ceremony.
Jack Garlan leaned back in his chair.
The industry journal lay open on his desk.
A photograph stared back at him.
Not of Benjamin Archibald.
There weren't any.
There never were.
Instead, the photograph showed the woman who had accepted his award.
Leia Clark.
Top architect of Ben Architecture.
Jack tapped his finger against the page.
Thoughtful.
Ben Architecture had climbed industry rankings absurdly fast.
Too fast.
The company was only a few years old, yet it was already stealing projects from firms that had existed for decades.
Including some from him.
That alone was enough to earn his attention.
The mystery surrounding Benjamin Archibald only made things more interesting.
No interviews.
No public appearances.
No conferences.
No awards.
Nothing.
It was as if the man existed only on paper.
Jack didn't like mysteries.
Especially ones that threatened his position at the top.
His gaze drifted once more toward Leia's photograph.
Unlike her elusive employer, she appeared everywhere.
Every project.
Every presentation.
Every award.
Every major negotiation.
Curious.
Very curious.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
He reached for the phone.
"Melisa."
His secretary answered immediately.
"Yes, Mr. Garlan?"
"Get me a meeting with Ben Architecture."
There was a brief pause.
"With Benjamin Archibald?"
Jack's eyes settled once more on Leia's picture.
"No."
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Let's start with Ms. Clark."