Detroit buzzed with energy the week Serena returned. Not just from the automaker that powered the city's skyline, but from something less corporate and far more spirited, football. Ford Field was lit in blue, the Detroit Lions roaring into playoff contention. Downtown streets pulsed with the life of tailgates, rallies, and fanfare.
Serena barely noticed or tried not to because her heart was still wrapped in the silence that followed London.
Alex hadn't spoken much after that night. He'd held her. He'd looked at her like she was the only truth he had left. But then he disappeared again. Not physically. He was around, somewhere. But there was distance, emotional and strategic. As if something had shifted, and he didn't know how to hold it in his hands.
She understood the feeling. She didn't know how to hold him either.
****************
Sheila Ford Hamp stood at the center of Ford Field two days later, addressing local press beside community youth coaches and Ford's leadership team. Her speech was warm but sharp, highlighting the importance of sports equity, inclusion, and opportunities for underfunded neighborhoods.
Serena watched from the sidelines. She had been asked to join on behalf of the branding team. The EV division had recently pledged major funding to clean energy initiatives around stadium infrastructure.
The air smelled like turf and legacy.
"She's remarkable, isn't she?" a voice said from beside her.
Serena turned. It was Alex with a baseball cap and gray hoodie as if he were trying not to be noticed, but in a way that made him more so.
"Sheila?" she asked, ignoring the butterflies. "Yes. I admire her. She doesn't try to dominate the room. She just speaks, and people listen."
Alex nodded slowly. "I've read about her. She's... different from the rest, isn't she?"
Serena raised a brow. "You've read about her?"
"Yeah," he said, too casually. "She's the chairwoman of the Detroit Lions, right?"
She watched him, curious. "You really didn't grow up here, did you?"
Alex smiled faintly. "Nope. Zurich's football is a little different."
They walked along the tunnel in silence.
***************
Later that afternoon, Serena found herself invited to a closed door planning session with Sheila, the Ford community engagement team and several philanthropic board members. Alex sat quietly in the back, mostly listening, mostly unseen. But Serena felt him there.
When the meeting ended, Sheila pulled her aside.
"You ask the right questions," she said. "Don't lose that."
Serena smiled and humbled. "Thank you. I grew up watching my mother ask the wrong ones just to make the right people uncomfortable."
Sheila tilted her head. "That's one way to build an empire."
Serena left that day more uncertain than ever.
Not about her work but about her heart.
****************
The next week, Serena was asked to organize a campaign shoot around the Lions' upcoming charity weekend. Community spotlights, electric vehicle promotions, and player interviews all lined up. She threw herself into it with force. Production meetings, brand strategy calls, last minute changes from Miranda, who remained remote but ever controlling.
Damien texted twice but she didn't reply.
She'd begun to realize that his attention wasn't love. It was ownership wrapped in flattery.
With Alex, it was the opposite. He said very little but he saw her and she hated how much she needed that.
****************
The night before the campaign shoot, Serena stood at the edge of the Ford Field sidelines again. Empty stadium. Lights half-lit. Just her and the city.
She heard the door before she saw him.
"Don't you ever sleep?" Alex asked, walking toward her.
"I could ask you the same."
He stopped beside her.
They looked out over the rows of empty seats.
"You know what scares me?" she asked finally.
He turned. "What?"
"That I'm building something beautiful... and I don't know if it's for me or for her."
He didn't have to ask who her was.
"I know that feeling," he said. "Trying to prove something to someone who's been disappointed in your silence more than your mistakes."
She glanced at him. "You sound like you've disappointed a lot of people."
"I have."
"Am I one of them?"
He looked at her then, fully. "Not yet. But I'm afraid I might."
And for a moment, that was the most honest thing either of them had said all night.
********************
The next morning, Ford Field buzzed with production crews, lighting techs, and camera operators prepping for the campaign shoot. Serena arrived early, clipboard in hand, her headset already active.
She moved with purpose, coordinating angles between the EVs displayed along the stadium concourse and the Detroit Lions youth camp athletes scattered in branded jerseys. Kids laughed, media teams shouted over walkie-talkies, and Serena was in her element, professional, crisp and composed.
But somewhere behind her, she could feel Alex's presence again.
She turned just as he slipped out of a vendor tent, carrying coffee.
"For you," he said, handing her the cup. "Black, no sugar. That's still right, isn't it?"
She arched a brow. "Stalker behavior."
He smirked. "I prefer... attentive."
Serena took the cup, fingers brushing his. A quiet beat passed between them.
Then she pulled away and focused on her checklist.
"You volunteering today?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Some intern coordinator handed me a media badge. I'm apparently shadowing logistics."
"Still blending in with the help," she teased.
"Kind of my thing."
********************
Mid-morning, Serena was pulled into a quiet moment with Sheila Ford Hamp again. Cameras were paused for light resets, and a pair of star players were delayed.
"You've got presence," Sheila said as they watched a young girl pass out water bottles with Ford logos.
Serena smiled. "I was raised to look like I know what I'm doing."
Sheila laughed softly. "But you do know. That's the difference."
Serena turned to her. "Can I ask you something personal?"
Sheila nodded.
"How did you keep your own voice in a family where legacy spoke louder than anything else?"
The older woman considered her for a long moment. "By losing it once. And realizing what I sounded like without it."
Serena swallowed. "What if I've never really heard my voice clearly?"
"You will," Sheila said. "When the moment comes, it'll be the only sound in the room that feels like truth."
*******************
As the shoot wrapped for the day, Serena retreated to the quiet of the tunnel. A familiar ache bloomed in her chest. It wasn't just fatigue. It was the weight of expectations. Hers, her mother's, the company's.
Alex joined her again, leaning against the cold concrete wall.
"You looked like a general out there," he said.
"I feel like one."
He studied her profile. "You miss being just... Serena?"
She chuckled. "I don't think I've ever been just Serena."
They stood in silence.
Then she asked, "What did you want to be before all this?"
Alex took a deep breath. "Free. I wanted to be free of expectation. Of legacy."
"Did you get it?"
"Not really."
They turned to face each other fully now, the hum of the stadium far behind them.
"Why do you keep showing up, Alex?" she asked softly.
He looked at her closel. "Because you're the first person I've ever met who makes me want to stay."
She blinked, emotions tightening in her throat.
But before she could reply, her phone buzzed.
MIRANDA VALE – Incoming Call
She let it ring.
Then finally answered.
"Yes, Mother?"
"Nice press shot today. But do try not to look so attached to the volunteers. Some of them aren't who they say they are."
Serena froze.
Miranda's voice sharpened. "We'll talk tomorrow, privately."
The line went dead.
Serena turned slowly to Alex.
He stepped back instinctively, reading the shift in her posture.
"What did she mean?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
Because again, the truth wasn't ready.
And maybe neither was he.