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Gone Was His Jasmine
Gone Was His Jasmine
Author: Anonymous

Chapter 1

Author: Anonymous
At an Architecture Awards ceremony in New York, the ballroom of a luxury hotel located in Midtown Manhattan was filled to the brim with business elites. They fashioned themselves in all varieties of luxury name brands.

Ethan stood underneath the spotlight with a deep-set look in his eyes, eyes that easily mesmerized countless Ivy League girls. He surveyed the floor before crowning the design of Sophie Vanderbilt as the winner of the competition.

I gripped my champagne glass so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Soon, the crowd rose into a standing ovation.

This was my fifth year as a ghost architect. It was also the final year of the laborious contract I had signed with Moore Architects. The contract signed was “Terms of Promotion for Senior Partnership.”

My boyfriend, Ethan Moore, was the head juror of the competition. He had crowned the twenty-three-year-old Sophie Vanderbilt, the daughter of a real estate tycoon, with an impressive score of 92.8. Just like that, he propped her on the stage and practically shoved me off a cliff.

Sophie stepped off the stage in a regal haute couture gown designed by Valentino. Her Jimmy Choo high heels clicked against the tiles while she advanced straight towards me.

“Oh my god, Arya, I’m so sorry…” Her sparkling blue eyes shone innocently as she spoke, suggesting greater talent in acting than architecture.

“I never expected to win,” she lamented.

Then, Ethan approached us with a hand tucked in his suit pocket. He stated proudly, “Sophie, when has a winner ever lowered themselves to apologize?”

He paused briefly to sweep a look over me, but he did not let his gaze linger.

“Arya, she’s a newcomer. Let her have it. You know how important this is for the firms’ funding. There’s always next time for you.”

They stood as a pair over me.

Sophie smiled radiantly with Ethan’s arm hovering protectively behind her. Standing together, they looked like the picture-perfect power couple stamped on the cover of a magazine.

I stared intently into Ethan’s eyes, trying to see if there was any resemblance of guilt or aversion in his eyes. However, I could not find it.

He had truly forgotten what happened during the winter five years ago when he desperately needed money for his startup. At the time, my grandfather, who was my only relative back then, was diagnosed with a heart condition in California. The medical bills were exorbitant and piled up faster than I could blink. That was the lead-up to me desperately signing that six-year-long, exploitative contract with the firm.

If I managed to win an international award within six years, the firm would award me with five hundred thousand dollars and grant me a partnership to boot. Otherwise, I would have to resign and reimburse the firm for all the “investments” they had poured into me over the years.

With the contract, I managed to put together a miracle and secure both Ethan’s capital for a startup and money for my grandfather’s medical bills.

I had staked everything on this gamble. In the final year contract, it was a mere 0.1 point gap decided by Ethan, who shattered my hopes—92.8 points against 92.7 points.

I realize that reality was not a feel-good Hollywood story. Moore Architects would not give me another six years. My sixty-three-year-old grandfather was running out of time as well.

There wasn’t going to be a next time, Ethan.

With the camera pointed at us, I took a step back and pulled the most presentable smile I could muster.

“Congratulations, you two.” I paused briefly before finishing my sentence with a clear mark of sarcasm. “Your relationship as mentor and mentee is very inspiring and touching.”
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  • Gone Was His Jasmine   Chapter 21

    EpilogueThree years later, our orchard business was thriving. We had accumulated two million followers on our social media account and launched an online store to deliver organic produce throughout California. We even had a weekend stall running at a famous farmer’s market in San Francisco.Grandpa was in good health. He would tend to his garden daily and had even learned to use FaceTime to do video calls with his friends.Sometimes, I would see Ethan’s projects featured in Architectural Digest. He was still winning awards left and right and pushing boundaries.Sophie, however, was no longer his apprentice, leaving Ethan single. Rumors had it that she had started her own company. She was still relying on her family connections, but her reputation was mediocre at best.Sometimes late at night, when Jason was asleep beside me, I would look out the window and stare at the pot of jasmine flowers and wonder what life would be like if I hadn't left New York. Then, Jason would pull me c

  • Gone Was His Jasmine   Chapter 20

    The morning after the wedding, I went to the village entrance with Jason to pick up some agricultural equipment we had ordered.The old oak tree stood tall as ever. Wafts of morning light filtered through its leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The potted jasmine was still there. This time, there was a folded note next to it, so I bent down to pick it up.It was written with Ethan's familiar handwriting. The handwriting was very standard and consistent, representative of an architect’s precision.“Arya, do you remember the first class we took together in university? The professor asked us what architecture was, and I remember you raising your hand, answering that architecture was about creating spaces where people can truly live rather than just existing. At the time, I thought you were too idealistic. But now, I understand you weren't just talking about the building; you were talking about life itself.“As for me, I spent six years designing buildings but forgot to crea

  • Gone Was His Jasmine   Chapter 19

    On my wedding day with Jason, the courtyard was decorated with strings of warm yellow light. Grandpa had invited the whole town to the wedding, including Mr. Rodriguez and his family, Mrs. Martinez, and the owners of the restaurant in town.I wore a simple white dress I had rented from a boutique store. It may not be a haute couture gown, but it looked just as beautiful under the California sun.Then, Jason told me he thought he saw Ethan under the old oak tree by the village entrance.“Ethan?” My heart skipped a beat.By the time I rushed over there, there was only a potted jasmine plant left under the tree. Its white petals swayed gently in the breeze.In the year I graduated, I had put a pot of jasmine on the windowsill of our damp basement apartment. It was the only spot that received a trace of sunlight. At the time, I said the flower symbolized the pureness of love. However, when Ethan managed to live up to my expectations and achieved great success, there was another meanin

  • Gone Was His Jasmine   Chapter 18

    Ethan settled down in the village by renting the only Airbnb in town—a converted barn. He stopped trying to intrude on my relationship with Jason. Instead, he became a quiet observer, filming us from a distance.He would film Grandpa feeding the chickens while basking under the morning light. He filmed scenes of Jason teaching the children how to identify plants correctly, and me dozing under a fruit tree with a straw hat.Later on, he had the footage edited into a twenty-minute short documentary. Despite the heartwarming tone, the film was titled “Regret.” There was no narration. The only sound was the ambient sound of wind coursing through the mountainous landscape and the orchard, accompanied by Grandpa’s humming.It eventually won the Best Short Documentary Award at a film festival. Thanks to the film's popularity, Jason and I received a flood of orders, which kept us busy for a while. As for Ethan, he donated all the proceeds from the film to the community center in the village

  • Gone Was His Jasmine   Chapter 17

    After surviving the flash flood, my bond with Jason strengthened. Upon watching our relationship blossom, Ethan felt like his heart had been stabbed by countless needles. The thought of him kept him up all night.One day, when Grandpa was sunbathing by himself in the yard, Ethan approached him. He brought several bottles of supplements that he had purchased from a Whole Foods Market with him.“Sir, I…”“Young man.” Grandpa opened his squinting eyes and gently patted the chair next to him, saying, “Come, sit with me.”Ethan sat down awkwardly. Before he could speak, Grandpa spoke gently, “Thank you for taking care of Arya all those years when she was in New York.”Ethan gulped, a little ashamed. “If anything, she was the one who took care of me.”“That granddaughter of mine has always been headstrong.” Grandpa reflected while gazing at the mountain. “When she called me, she would never tell me if anything bad had happened. All she told me was there was a boy named Ethan looking

  • Gone Was His Jasmine   Chapter 16

    Jason and I planned to start a new video series with the theme, “Life in the Mountain Orchard.” We had to scout for an ideal filming location in the mountains, so we prepared to set off at six o'clock the next morning.Ethan stubbornly insisted on following us. He put on a pair of new hiking boots he had bought at the store, which were clearly not yet broken in. The rugged mountain paths of California were far too strenuous for him, considering his dose of exercise in Manhattan consisted of walking from his office to the cafe downstairs.We had only just started, and he was already having trouble catching his breath. Large beads of sweat pooled on his forehead.Jason could not bear the sight much longer. When Ethan nearly lost his footing on gravel again, Jason offered him a hand.“Hey, man. This trail isn’t easy. Do you want some help?”Ethan abruptly shrugged off. I could almost hear his teeth gnashing when he replied crossly, “No thanks.”His pride would not allow him to show

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