Chapter 1
In 12th grade, I gathered all my courage and confessed to Freddie Houghton, the school's golden boy.
He turned back, wind messing up his hair, and said, "Meet you at Pinnacle Tower."
My heart was racing so fast that I barely heard it right. All I caught was something like "Meet you at Pinnacle."
I thought he meant we'd meet again when we both reached the peak of our lives.
From that day on, I studied like my life depended on it, just to deserve that promise.
Ten years later, I became a TV reporter, and my interview subject turned out to be him.
Off-camera, I smiled and brought up that high school "promise."
But he gave a bitter laugh and said, "I got played by a little liar. I stood on that tower all night waiting."
My mind went completely blank.
*****
The makeup artist was just finishing up with a final layer of powder.
In the mirror, I saw myself in a crisp white suit, makeup flawless, eyes calm and composed.
I was Arabella Berry, the youngest producer and host of an interview show at the TV station.
This was the position I'd spent ten years working so hard to achieve.
My assistant hurried in and handed me a glass of warm water.
"Arabella, everything's ready," she said in a low voice, excitement bubbling in her tone. "Today's guest is Freddie."
My fingers trembled just a bit.
Freddie—that name was like amber, sealed away by time, hidden deep in my heart.
It had been ten years, and I thought I'd almost forgotten him.
As soon as I heard his name again, all those memories from when I was eighteen just came rushing in, unstoppable, like a flood bursting through a dam.
That afternoon in my senior year, the sunlight was golden, and the air was thick with the scent of camphor trees and fresh grass.
On the basketball court, the boys were sprinting across the court, their sweat sparkling in the sun.
Freddie was right there among them, standing out effortlessly.
He casually launched a three-pointer, the ball tracing a perfect arc and dropping straight through the net.
The girls nearby let out excited screams.
My heart skipped as the basketball landed on the ground.
I gripped the love letter I'd rewritten countless times, my hands drenched in sweat.
My best friend gave me a shove. "Go on, or you'll graduate and never say a word."
I took a deep breath, feeling like I was heading for the gallows, and made my way through the crowd until I was standing right in front of him.
He'd just finished playing, and a few messy strands of hair damp with sweat stuck to his smooth forehead.
He took my love letter, didn't even glance at it, just looked down, and met my eyes.
His eyes were so bright, as if they held starlight within them.
"Arabella Berry." He softly spoke my name.
My cheeks flushed instantly.
"I like you," I said with all the courage I could muster.
The air around us seemed to freeze.
He fell silent for a moment and then smiled.
The wind ruffled the damp strands of hair on his forehead.
It brought me his cool, melodic voice. "Meet you at Pinnacle Tower."
My ears buzzed, and I couldn't hear a thing.
All I could hear was those words echoing in my mind, my heartbeat making them louder and louder.
Meet you at pinnacle—that was how I heard it.
I thought he meant we'd meet again, proud and successful, once we'd both made it in life.
It was the kind of promise that felt both romantic and made me want to chase my dreams.
From that day forward, that promise became the thing I lived by, so I could meet him at the top.
I pushed myself to the limit, studying like crazy.
From a regular student at an ordinary college, I pushed myself hard enough to get into a top media university.
For all four years of college, I never dated and never went to any parties. If I weren't holed up in the library, I would be hustling between part-time gigs.
After graduation, I squeezed my way into the TV station, starting right at the bottom as an intern.
I spent countless nights writing scripts, hauled cameras all over for field shoots, and got absolutely roasted by the senior staff.
Whenever things got tough, I'd look up at the night sky over the city.
Then I'd tell myself, 'Arabella, keep going. You and Freddie still have that promise to meet at pinnacle.'
It had been ten years.
From just another intern, I worked my way up to where I am now.
I thought I'd finally reached my own pinnacle.
And as for him, he was already a legend.
Freddie, the most sought-after genius founder in AI, was worth ten billion dollars.
Now, he was standing at the very peak.
It felt like the moment had finally come for us to fulfill that promise.
"Arabella?" My assistant's voice snapped me back to reality.
I composed myself and smiled at her. "Alright, let's go."