The invitation was simple.No logos. No banners.Just gold lettering on thick cream paper that read:The Fire We Haven’t Lit Yet.An Evening of Stories, Light, and LegacyHosted by Grace Turner.It was her first official book launch.And the Turner family decided to turn it into something bigger, something that celebrated every flame, past and present, that had carried them here.Cassie stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting the silk scarf draped over her shoulders. At sixty-six, she still moved with grace, perhaps slower than before, but with a radiance that had only deepened.Damon entered the room, walking with a slight cane now but with the same spark in his eyes.“You look like the first sunrise,” he said, smiling.Cassie laughed. “And you look like the man who promised to dance with me at every milestone.”He offered his hand. “Then let’s not break tradition.”Downstairs, the estate buzzed with energy.Hope and Ayden coordinated final details, overseeing the outdoor
Cassie chugged down the glass of whiskey in one go and signaled the bartender for another. The bartender slid over to her and side-eyed her while he refilled her whiskey before leaving her alone. Cassie didn't blame him for judging her. She was a young woman in the bar alone who had been chugging down glass after glass of whiskey. She would judge herself too if she wasn't in the situation she was in right now. But alas she was in this situation and just wanted to drink it all away so she didn't care about anyone judging her. She picked up the glass of whiskey and swirled it around. As she did the images from earlier flashed in her head and she downed the entire glass in annoyance. She signaled the bartender again. "Just leave the bottle", she told the bartender this time when he came to refill her glass.Again, he gave her that judgemental look but dropped the bottle, which was all Cassie cared about. She poured herself another drink and downed it. She was feeling tipsy no
Cassie woke up with a banging headache. Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked repeatedly to get used to the light from the sunlight that was streaming steadily into the room. She looked around with total confusion until she felt someone breathing next to her. She turned around and was shocked to see a man sleeping next to her. She was frozen in the spot until distorted images from the previous night appeared in her head. She remembered haphazardly going to meet a stranger last night in his private booth and asking him to hook up with her. She looked at her clothes that were strewn around the room.Shit!, she cursed in her head.The man stirred in his sleep and Cassie froze, her heart beating rapidly, silently praying that he wouldn't wake up now. She would much prefer not to do the whole awkward morning talk that followed a hook-up. Thankfully, his breathing evened out as he continued to sleep. She breathed a sigh of relief and slowly got out of bed, careful not to wake him. She pic
Damon smiled to himself in the backseat of his car. Adrian, his assistant who was driving, looked at his smiling face from the rearview mirror of the car and was stunned. Damon hardly smiled, what could have gotten him to smile that widely? It was strange to see."I heard the meeting went badly yesterday but seeing such a big smile on your face, I'm beginning to wonder if I heard correctly", Adrian told him and Damon immediately stopped smiling."What are you talking about?", Damon asked coolly."What smile?""That smile. The one that was on your face just a minute ago", Adrian insisted."There was no smile. You should focus on the road", Damon told him and Adrian pretended to be hurt."Oh o, and I was so worried last night thinking you were in a bad shape and I wasn't there to comfort you but it seems like you were able to comfort you all right. All my worries and sleepless nights were in vain", Adrian pouted."What are you talking about? If you don't stop talking, I'll fire you", Da
"Sylvia, can you prepare all the files on the SCB deal and have it on my desk by tomorrow?", Cassie asked her secretary over the phone."Of course, Miss Cassie. It will be on your desk by tomorrow morning", Sylvia answered."Ok, thank you. Also,for the Under 30 gala tomorrow can you prepare a dress for me? I know it's short notice but is it possible?", Cassie asked her."Of course, It'll all be arranged by early tomorrow morning", Sylvia answered."Alright, thank you Sylvia", Cassie said and ended the call.She let out a deep breath as she replayed the conversation with her father in her head. She was anxious about undertaking a task as big as this. She was a competent worker, everyone knew that. She had undertaken and accomplished big tasks, cinched big deals for the company before, and won over even the toughest of partners but still, she had never done something as huge as this before. A small part of her mentally slapped herself for agreeing to this at all, what if she couldn't pu
Cassie wasn’t prepared for this. The air in the grand ballroom was thick with power and quiet competition, but nothing compared to the charged tension crackling between her and the man standing across the room.Damon Turner.Her one-night stand.Her father’s biggest rival.Her biggest problem.Cassie’s breath caught in her throat as their eyes locked. Damon was watching her like a predator who had just spotted his prey, his sharp features unreadable, but his amusement was evident. He was toying with her, enjoying her discomfort.Damn him.She hadn’t known what to expect when she agreed to attend the Under 30 Gala, but it certainly wasn’t running into the man she had paid to disappear from her life.A slow smirk tugged at Damon’s lips.He knew.Of course, he knew.Cassie tightened her grip on her champagne flute, forcing herself to stay composed. She had faced boardrooms full of ruthless businessmen, navigated high-stakes negotiations, and built a reputation as one of the fiercest youn
Cassie’s fingers tightened around the folder in her hand, the weight of Damon’s proposal pressing heavily on her mind.“You’re out of your mind,” she muttered, narrowing her gaze at him.Damon leaned casually against the sleek glass desk in her office, his smirk unwavering. “Not at all. Just a man who knows what he wants.”Cassie inhaled sharply, trying to keep her emotions in check. “And what is that, exactly?”His eyes darkened, something unreadable flashing in their depths. “You. The company. Both.”Her breath hitched at the boldness of his words, but she recovered quickly, shaking her head. “You don’t get to have either, Damon.”His smirk widened. “We’ll see about that.”Cassie exhaled, trying to push aside the dangerous attraction crackling between them. “This merger—it's impossible. My father would never go for it.”“Your father is a businessman. And businessmen don’t let personal feelings get in the way of a profitable deal.”Cassie crossed her arms, stepping closer to him, ref
The silence in the conference room was suffocating. Cassie’s pulse drummed in her ears as her father paced the length of the room, his jaw tight with frustration. Damon leaned against the table, arms crossed, his face a mask of control. But Cassie knew him well enough to see the storm brewing behind his gaze.Richard Steele’s parting words echoed in her mind twenty-four hours.Twenty-four hours before everything her father had built was ripped apart.Cassie swallowed hard and forced herself to think clearly. “Dad, we need to see those documents. If Steele has fabricated evidence, we can fight back.”William Monroe exhaled sharply. “You think I haven’t tried? His sources are airtight. He’s not bluffing.”Damon’s voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it. “There’s always a way to dismantle a threat.”William turned to him, his expression unreadable. “And why should I trust you?”Damon didn’t flinch. “Because if Monroe Industries falls, so does everything I’m fighting for.” His gaze
The invitation was simple.No logos. No banners.Just gold lettering on thick cream paper that read:The Fire We Haven’t Lit Yet.An Evening of Stories, Light, and LegacyHosted by Grace Turner.It was her first official book launch.And the Turner family decided to turn it into something bigger, something that celebrated every flame, past and present, that had carried them here.Cassie stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting the silk scarf draped over her shoulders. At sixty-six, she still moved with grace, perhaps slower than before, but with a radiance that had only deepened.Damon entered the room, walking with a slight cane now but with the same spark in his eyes.“You look like the first sunrise,” he said, smiling.Cassie laughed. “And you look like the man who promised to dance with me at every milestone.”He offered his hand. “Then let’s not break tradition.”Downstairs, the estate buzzed with energy.Hope and Ayden coordinated final details, overseeing the outdoor
It began with a sketch.Grace sat beneath the oak tree with her journal open across her lap, the tip of her pencil dragging gently across the page. Around her, the garden buzzed with summer, bees floating lazily, wind humming through branches, the distant giggle of her sisters from the porch swing.She had titled the new journal:“The Fire We Haven’t Lit Yet.”Cassie had smiled when she heard the name, but Grace could tell there was something deeper behind the way her grandma’s eyes softened.That evening, Grace asked her.“Grandma, what fire haven’t you lit yet?”Cassie looked up from the teacup in her hand. “What do you mean?”“You always said every fire had a purpose. A reason. One that waited to be found. So what’s yours, the one you still haven’t told?”Cassie was quiet for a long time.Then she stood. “Come with me.”They climbed the stairs to the attic. Grace had only been there a few times, it was the Turner family’s archive now, full of journals, letters, scrapbooks, even chi
Rain tapped gently on the hospital window as Ethan stood pacing, his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie, heart pounding in his chest.Liana was in labor.After nine months of preparing, nursery painting, lullaby testing, late-night name debates, it was happening. Right here. Right now.Cassie sat calmly in the corner of the waiting room, sipping herbal tea from a thermos, her eyes never leaving her son.“She’s okay,” she said softly.Ethan paused, exhaled, then nodded.“I know. I just… I didn’t know my heart could beat this loud.”She stood and walked to him, resting her hand on his cheek.“Neither did I, the night you were born.”Inside the delivery room, Liana breathed through another contraction, Ayden at her side while Hope offered soft, grounding words.“You’re doing beautifully,” Hope said, wiping her forehead. “Almost there.”Liana clenched her jaw, whispering through gritted teeth, “Tell Ethan… she’s going to be just like him.”Hope smiled. “And just like you.”At 6:4
The sun had just begun its climb over the horizon when Liana woke to the sound of birdsong and the soft weight of Ethan’s arm draped across her waist.She didn’t move right away.Instead, she lay there for a moment, her fingers resting gently on her belly. There was no bump yet. No obvious change. But something inside her was already beginning.She turned slowly to face Ethan.“I want to tell you something,” she whispered.His eyes blinked open. Sleepy, soft. “Yeah?”“I took the test again.”He sat up, instantly alert. “And?”She smiled. “It’s positive.”For a moment, he said nothing. Just stared at her like she had handed him the entire galaxy.Then, without warning, he laughed, that full, open laugh that only Cassie could ever make him do before.“You’re sure?” he asked, voice catching.She nodded, tears starting to slip down her cheeks. “We’re going to be parents.”Later that day, they told Cassie and Damon first.It was a quiet afternoon at the estate, sunlight slanting through th
The auditorium was smaller than most the Turners had filled over the years, just two hundred seats, soft amber lighting, and a wooden stage framed by hand-painted banners that read:Young Voices Rising: A Night of Storytelling.It wasn’t a press event.It wasn’t global.But to Grace?It was everything.Tonight, she would tell her first story, in front of an audience, a mic, and her entire family.Cassie sat near the front, holding Damon’s hand, heart pounding as hard as it had the night Hope launched her first Seed Center.“She’s ready,” Damon whispered, sensing her tension.Cassie nodded, though her throat was tight.“I know. It’s just… watching the next flame light up is always emotional.”Hope sat beside them, camera ready. Ethan and Liana had flown in early just for this moment. Even the twins were in attendance, tucked into fuzzy jackets with Ayden sitting at the edge of the row.When Grace’s name was called, she stepped out in a blue dress she had picked herself, simple, with ti
The auditorium buzzed with quiet energy, the kind of stillness just before a storm of applause.Hope stood backstage, fingers wrapped tightly around a copy of her book. The Fire Within Her was embossed in copper across the black linen cover, the title catching light each time she shifted it in her hands.Tonight was the official launch.Her launch.Outside those velvet curtains sat over five hundred guests, authors, activists, educators, former Seed Center students, and friends from every corner of her journey. But Hope didn’t look for any of them.She looked for her family.Cassie and Damon sat in the front row, Grace between them with wide eyes and pink headphones for noise. Ayden stood just offstage with the twins, rocking them gently as music played over the speakers.Ethan and Liana had flown in that morning, hand-in-hand.Tonight wasn’t just a launch.It was a legacy echo.The host stepped forward to introduce her.“Please welcome the woman who taught a generation that peace is
The attic smelled like cedarwood and warm paper.Grace stood at the top of the steps, her small hand resting on the banister as she stared out over boxes stacked like time capsules and books that seemed older than the house itself.Cassie watched from behind as her granddaughter took in the quiet.“I used to come up here when I was your age,” she said softly. “Whenever I wanted to dream about things bigger than me.”Grace turned, her eyes wide. “Can I dream here too?”Cassie nodded. “That’s why I brought you.”It had started as a simple sleepover, Grace’s first solo weekend at Grandma and Grandpa’s without her sisters. But it had quickly turned into something more: a chance for the first-born girl of the next generation to discover her roots.Cassie reached for a dusty trunk and opened it.Inside were journals. Dozens of them.“Are these all yours?” Grace asked, peeking over the edge.Cassie smiled. “Mine. Your mom’s. Some of your uncle’s. Even letters from your great-grandfather.”Gr
The Turner estate was quiet in the soft light of late afternoon. A calm breeze drifted through the open windows, rustling the linen curtains and carrying the scent of rosemary and sunlight through the halls.Hope sat cross-legged on the library floor, a notebook open in her lap, pen hovering midair. Around her were scattered photographs candid shots of her childhood, scanned letters from her mother’s archives, quotes scribbled in the margins of Cassie’s old journals.She had begun to write.Not an article. Not a speech.A book.Her own.Cassie walked in quietly, holding two mugs of tea. She paused in the doorway, her eyes soft as she watched her daughter stare down at the blank page, the beginning of something personal, sacred.Hope glanced up and smiled. “Caught me in the act.”Cassie handed her a cup and lowered herself onto the carpet beside her.“Where are you starting?” she asked.Hope blew gently on the tea. “Not at the beginning. Not at the end either. Somewhere in the middle.
The Turner Estate shimmered with late summer light as the family prepared for something they’d never done before: a full multi-generational leadership summit.It was Hope’s idea.“We’ve spent years changing the world outside,” she’d said over dinner. “But it’s time we make sure we’re strengthening what’s inside, our family.”Cassie had smiled at the suggestion. “A summit sounds so formal.”“Because it is,” Hope replied, adjusting Grace’s napkin like a miniature blazer. “We’re not just a family anymore. We’re a living legacy.”Damon had clinked his glass. “Then let’s give the future something to build with.”The invitations went out to every branch of their family tree, cousins running nonprofits, in-laws leading classrooms, adopted mentees from Seed and Sprout, honorary aunties and uncles who’d shaped their journeys.They called it:“The We Build Summit.”Tagline: Where Legacy Becomes Community.Ethan designed the digital invites, embedding a custom map showing each attendee’s connect