But it didn’t.
It was real.
Every inch of it.
The walls I picked. The setup. The way the light hit the stations just right. The black and rose gold touches, clean but still mine. The lilies on the front desk—subtle, but there. Always there.
I built this.
Me.
I can stillfeel it in my chest—that mix of pride and disbelief that wouldn’t settle no matter how many times I walked through the door.
I made it.
Even with everything.
Even with people telling me not to do this, not to risk it, not to step out on my own so soon.
Even with Cody warning me to move smart.
I did it anyway.
And he still showed up.
Of course he did.
I can see him now, walking in like he belonged there as much as I did, his wife right beside him, his daughter holding his hand and looking around like the place was something out of a dream.
“Damn,” he said, glancing around, taking it all in. “You did this.”
I smiled—I couldn’t help it. “Yeah… I did.”
He looked at me then, really looked.
And nodded.
Not surprised.
Not impressed.
Just… proud.
That hit deeper than anything anyone else saidthat night.
“You earned it,” he told me, simple as that.
I felt it settle in my chest.
Because coming from him—
It meant everything.
People started coming in not long after that.
Friends from the industry. Artists I looked up to. People I had met along the way who showed up just to support me, to see what I built, to be part of it.
It turned into something bigger than I expected.
