The city skyline glittered with steel and glass, each tower stabbing into the clouds like a monument to ambition. Adrian Kane stood at the heart of it all, hardhat tucked under his arm, staring at the towering structure he had poured his soul into.
Thirty-seven floors of reinforced concrete. A future landmark. His legacy.
Tomorrow, we unveil it to the world, he muttered, exhaustion etched into his face.
But as he admired the building, a hand clapped his shoulder. His partner—Marcus, the man who had been with him from their university days, the one he trusted more than family—smiled too warmly.
You've outdone yourself, Adrian. The investors are thrilled. This city will never forget your name.
Adrian smiled faintly. Our name, Marcus. This was a team effort.
Marcus's eyes flickered, just for a moment, with something unreadable. Envy. Resentment. Adrian brushed it off. He had no time for paranoia—not tonight.
That night, the sirens screamed.
Adrian had returned to the site for one last inspection. A nagging instinct had pulled him back. He checked the support beams, the scaffolding, the cement curing under the floodlights, then the ground shook.
A sharp crack echoed through the skeleton of the building. One of the steel reinforcements snapped like a brittle twig. Adrian's eyes widened as a chain reaction followed—support after support giving way, the sound of tearing metal and collapsing concrete filling the air.