Echoes of the Past and a Mother’s Legacy
Alexander arranged for Benjamin to have a warm meal and clean clothes while he made a few calls. He discovered that Benjamin’s mother, Sarah Jenkins, had been a promising architectural student at a prestigious university – the very one Alexander himself had attended. She had vanished five years ago, officially listed as a missing person, but the case had gone cold. There were rumors of financial difficulties, a failed relationship, and a descent into depression. Alexander remembered her vaguely – a bright, passionate student with a fiery spirit. He hadn’t known she had a son.
He then discovered something even more unsettling. Sarah had been working on a revolutionary design for low-cost, sustainable housing – a project that threatened the interests of a powerful development corporation with close ties to Alexander’s own firm. The corporation, led by the ruthless Victor Martel, had vehemently opposed Sarah’s project, claiming it was “unrealistic” and “financially unviable.” Alexander remembered Martel lobbying him, subtly suggesting Sarah’s ideas were “radical” and “detrimental” to the industry. Had Martel…?
