Chapter 54: After the Bridge

The mayor wanted a ceremony.

Alexander did not.

Giovanni wanted one even less, but unfortunately, neither of them was mayor.

"It’s ten minutes," Alexander said as they stood near the newly installed ceremonial ribbon.

Giovanni looked toward the growing collection of reporters.

"That’s what they said about the last press conference."

"That was forty-five."

"Exactly."

The bridge was scheduled to reopen that morning after passing its final safety inspection. As far as Alexander was concerned, removing the barriers and allowing traffic through would’ve been enough.

The mayor disagreed.

Apparently, reopening a major bridge under his administration required something official enough to photograph, without becoming so elaborate that anyone could accuse him of wasting public money.

Thus, they had a blessing, a ribbon-cutting, and a short speech the mayor had repeatedly promised would remain short.

To his credit, it did.

"Today isn’t about one company or one administration," the mayor said. "It’s about restoring something thousands of people depend upon every day and doing it properly."

He thanked the engineers and workers, then acknowledged Vance Holdings and Mercer Group.

Then, inevitably, he turned toward them.

"Mr. Vance. Mr. Mercer. Please join me."

Alexander and Giovanni exchanged a glance.

Neither moved immediately.

The mayor’s smile widened.

Apparently, resistance was futile.

They stepped forward as cameras erupted around them.

Media interest in the project had been steady from the beginning, but it had sharpened considerably once Mercer Group replaced Sebastian’s operational role. Now Alexander Vance and Giovanni Mercer stood side by side on the repaired bridge while the mayor spoke about cooperation and public responsibility.

The photographs practically wrote their own headlines.

Neither man helped matters.

Alexander remained composed while Giovanni stood beside him with his usual unreadable expression, which somehow made the reporters even more interested.

By the time the ribbon was cut, questions were already being shouted toward them.

"Mr. Vance, will Vance Holdings and Mercer Group be collaborating again?"

"Mr. Mercer, is this partnership expected to continue?"

"Was this project the beginning of a larger agreement?"

Alexander looked toward Giovanni and found him already looking back.

Then Alex answered.

"We’re here to reopen a bridge."

Several reporters laughed.

One tried again.

"So that’s not a no?"

"It’s also not a yes."

Giovanni’s mouth moved almost imperceptibly.

Alexander noticed.

"Are you laughing?"

"No."

"You’re terrible at lying."

"Noted."

The microphones picked that up.

Which guaranteed it would be replayed somewhere.

Dominic saw it before noon.

He’d been channel surfing when the live coverage appeared and initially intended to change it.

Then the camera widened.

Alexander stood beside Giovanni while the mayor spoke between them about the project’s success, but Dominic barely heard any of it.

He watched Alexander turn when Giovanni said something.

Then Alex smiled.

It wasn’t broad enough to be called romantic, but somehow that made it worse.

The glass in Dominic’s hand struck the table harder than intended.

It cracked.

Dominic jerked his hand away as a thin cut appeared across one finger.

"Shit."

He grabbed a tissue while the television continued cheerfully behind him.

The doctors and therapists he’d been seeing had repeatedly told him that recovery required distance from triggers and better coping mechanisms, particularly when it came to Alexander.

Dominic agreed with them during appointments.

Implementation remained considerably less impressive.

His phone sat nearby.

He stared at it, then back at the television.

By the time the mayor finished speaking, Dominic had already convinced himself that a congratulatory call would be harmless.

Polite, even.

He dialed.

Alexander’s phone vibrated while he was still speaking with one of the project engineers.

He glanced at the screen.

Dominic.

Then he turned it face down.

Giovanni saw the name but didn’t comment.

Neither did Alex.

The call went to voicemail.

A few minutes later, another notification appeared.

Alexander ignored that too.

There was no point opening a door simply because Dominic had found another socially acceptable reason to knock.

Once the ceremony ended, the barriers were finally removed, and traffic began moving across the bridge.

For many of the workers, that moment mattered far more than any ribbon-cutting.

Several older men stood along the side, watching the first vehicles cross.

One rubbed the back of his neck.

"Looks good."

His colleague laughed.

"We built it."

"Rebuilt it."

"Still counts."

Their contracts ended with the project, and they’d known that from the beginning. Some had already been assigned elsewhere, while others would eventually move on to new jobs.

For the moment, however, they simply watched.

The bridge would remain long after most people forgot the names of those who’d repaired it.

That seemed enough.

Traffic conditions began improving almost immediately as drivers returned to the reopened crossing.

Operationally, the project was finished. Only final administrative reports remained.

For Alexander and Giovanni, however, that created a strangely inconvenient problem.

They no longer needed to see each other.

By afternoon, Alexander had returned to Vance Holdings, where his schedule filled quickly enough to make the previous few weeks feel as though they’d never happened.

At four thirty, he checked his phone.

Nothing from Giovanni.

Alexander put it down.

Several minutes later, he picked it up again.

This was ridiculous.

He had no reason to expect a message.

The bridge was done.

At Mercer Group, Giovanni was having a remarkably similar problem.

One of his executives finished discussing a warehouse expansion and waited for instructions.

Giovanni looked up.

"Proceed."

"Yes, sir."

The man left.

Giovanni glanced toward his phone.

Nothing.

He returned to work.

Ten minutes later, it vibrated.

Alexander.

Giovanni answered before the second ring.

"Alex."

A pause followed.

"Are you busy?"

"No."

He was.

That detail had apparently become optional.

"I’ve been looking at one of our redevelopment proposals."

Giovanni leaned back.

"What about it?"

"It may need logistics support."

There was a brief silence.

"May?"

"It hasn’t been finalized."

"Then why are you calling?"

Alexander stared out his office window.

Because apparently proposing lunch sounded suspiciously obvious.

Instead, he said, "I’m checking capacity."

"Of course."

Something about Giovanni’s tone irritated him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You said that strangely."

"I said two words."

"Exactly."

Giovanni almost smiled.

"Send me the preliminary scope."

"I will."

Another pause followed before Giovanni added, "You still owe me Matteo’s."

Alexander frowned.

"I owe you?"

"You complained that I’d never taken you."

"That’s not the same thing."

"No?"

"No."

"Then I’ll take you."

Alex went quiet.

"Fine."

"When?"

He looked at his calendar.

"Thursday."

"Dinner?"

"Seven."

"Done."

The call ended.

Neither man acknowledged that there was absolutely no business reason for dinner at Matteo’s.

That arrangement seemed to be working remarkably well for them.

At Sebastian Group, things had become considerably less ambiguous.

Andrei Sebastian was no longer interim CEO.

The Board had appointed him permanently after Dominic formally requested an extended sabbatical from active executive responsibilities.

It wasn’t technically a resignation, and that distinction mattered enormously to Victoria.

It mattered to Dominic too.

The arrangement allowed him to step away without the spectacle of another formal removal, while Sebastian Group gained the stability of permanent leadership under Andrei.

Before the decision became final, Dominic went to his brother’s office.

"I’ll stay out of your way."

Andrei looked up.

"That’s not necessary."

"It is if you want this arrangement to work."

"I want you to get better."

Dominic laughed without humor.

"You want me away from the company."

"Right now? Yes."

At least Andrei was honest.

Dominic folded his arms.

"I won’t challenge the appointment or interfere with operations."

"And in return?"

"You don’t force my resignation."

Andrei studied him.

"That’s for the Board to decide."

"They’ll listen to you."

"They’ll listen to facts."

Dominic’s expression hardened, but the sabbatical was eventually approved.

Victoria accepted the arrangement because she insisted it was temporary, while Dominic found temporary defeat easier to swallow than permanent removal.

Andrei accepted the permanent appointment for a much simpler reason.

Sebastian Group needed someone actually running it.

Whether his brother and stepmother intended to remain quiet forever was another matter.

Andrei doubted it.

By Thursday evening, Alexander Vance would be sitting across from Giovanni Mercer at Matteo’s for reasons neither man seemed particularly interested in naming.

The bridge had done its job.