Chapter 4 — Arrival in Paris

Celeste

The moment Celeste Marlowe stepped off the plane and onto the jet bridge, she felt it. Paris. The air carried a subtle difference—sharper, richer, as though steeped in centuries of artistry and ambition. She adjusted her scarf with precise fingers, her gray eyes scanning the terminal with the same scrutiny she applied to a blueprint. This wasn’t just another city. It was the epicenter of design, the backdrop to a challenge she couldn’t afford to lose.