too much. They were left alone to sort themselves out. The tension, of course, was already too much for Ava; she packed h

tion and modern elegance. It screamed luxury but yet maintained history. She had outlined every structural detail, every lighting consideration, and every materia

free pants. Her brown hair, neatly done. She looked incredibly stunning, no doubt. Another

the opposite end of the long wooden table, completely absorbed in his own work, undistracted. His fingers

. "Are you seriously

look up. "You mean

your ego-driven vanity project? Y

m someone who's designing a museum tombst

he exact opposite. They haven't even agreed on a single thing, and they had less than 24 hours left. Instead

y out. Ava sat at the conference room table, a steaming cup of coffee beside her. Across from her, Nathan was sketching something in his notebook, his

ave time for another argument.

n let's start with the atrium

t disrupts the historical

t usable. Right now, your design is just a

nd I suppose your glass sk

ignor

ck and forth, each unwilling to fully surrender to the other's vision. The clock

ples. "We need to settl

inst the table. "Fine. Let'

rows lifted.

or my idea. We need a de

r a moment, then nodded

their arguments. Ava wanted her masterpiece; she didn't want to give in because

. "What jus

attempting to turn on his fl

ed. "Of cou

toward the door. He pul

ed. "Don't

back, sighing. "

at him. "Yo

is head. "Why wo

a let out a frustrated sigh, running a ha

, a smirk playing on his lips. "

hot him

d. "Relax. We'll

ck conference room. The sudden power outage had plunged the space into a deep, dark, and empty spac

muttered unde

accompanied by dry humor. "Well, this adds a

calate their already tense situation. Instead, she took a deep breath and focused on the faint sounds aroun

e, then the soft glow of a phone screen illuminated Nathan's face, casting sharp shadows that accent

his expression unread

ding her eyes with

ween them like a taut wire. The weight of their unresolved

first. "Looks like we're

a hand through her h

rence table. "Might as well si

ating a makeshift lantern that bathed them in a soft, eerie glow. For a few moments, neither spoke. The events of the past weeks replayed in Ava's mind: the unexpected mer

tudying her. "You know, this might b

eyebrow. "Oh?

to stop fighting

laugh. "Talking hasn't exa

time now. No distractions, no deadli

erns across his face. There was an openness in his eyes she ha

," she sai

lk." Nathan

e no

thinking about our de

her head, c

individual visions that we haven't consid

idering his words.

nnovation- they don't have to be mutually exclusive. What if we foun

riguing, and for the first time, she could see a path f

id slowly. "But it would requi

xpression that transformed his fac

ing a sense of hope she hadn't

et's get ri

illed the room. The sudden brightness was jarring, pulling them abruptly from their intimate bubble. Ava blinked

r guardedness returning to his pos

roject left them no option. At first, it was awkward and tense. But slowly, their ideas started to fit together. The result surpr