e quiet dining room. He studied Chloe's face, taking in the rigid set of her jaw and the desperate fire in her eyes-eyes t

his face closer to hers. The scent of cedarwood washed over her, and she tensed

is voice dropping to a low, dangerous register. "You have nothing. But I

m stinging as she curled her f

e said. His face wa

anger crept up her neck, so intense it momentarily overshadowed the ache in her

h suppressed rage, but with the effort of standing upright, her ankle screaming under her we

c smile. He admired her spine-admired how she refused to crumble, even when every step and every movemen

se you pay the interes

ainst the sharp throb in her ankle. "I will work for it. I will clean this penthouse. I will act

stubborn set of her shoulders. He hated having strangers in his personal space. He fired maids for moving his pens an in

files on my study desk. Don't throw anyt

d, limping slightly but deliberately into the study, her injured

o stack papers by date and project code, her right palm throbbing when she had to grip thicker folders. As she reached for a thick b

ankle protesting loudly at the pressure-and began gathering them, using only her lef

the top page: Project Genesis - Fu

he first paragraph, then the second, her brow furrowing in concentration-so focused that she barely noticed the

magic system contradicted the physical laws established in sectio

an entire paragraph, writing furious notes in the margins, her wrist growing tired from the awkward grip. She drew a quick flowchart on the ba

notice the way her ankle throbbed more intensely as she sat on the floor, or t

rossed her face when she shifted her weight, the sheer focus that lit up her features even through her pain. She was sitting on the floor, biting her lo

n a reflex that sent a sharp pain up her arm. "I'm so sorry," she stammered, scrambling carefully to her feet, leaning heavily on the desk for support as her ankle

the papers, his eyes scanning her red ink-scanning the elegant

ysics limitations. They had burned millions trying to force the code to adapt. Chloe hadn't touched the code; she had elegantly rewritten the foundational lore to bypass the confl

ble. "Type this up. Format it into a for

ing thrown out, stunned by the faint unde

iced Darrien walk in and place a sleek tablet on the edge of the mahogany desk. "The trace on the gossip forum IP addresses, as you requested, sir," Darrien said, hi

ped a beat. He had investigated for her. Her eyes drifted to the open report. The trace had bounced through three proxy serve

closer, her blood running cold as she read the message from her stepmother, Vivian. Make sure Jenny Kowalski's veil is pinned tight. No

te tonight. Rage surged through her, hot and unrelenting, overriding the pain in her ankle and palm. She slammed her

d slightly, and stormed into the living room, her steps uneven b

fury, her left hand gripping the doorframe to steady herself. "Now. Th

, saw the way she swayed slightly, her ankle failing her. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a set of keys wi

"Thank you." She turned and limped quickly toward the elevator, pushing the button w

He pulled out his phone and hit sp

ecurity detail to the Gray wedding venue. Stay out of sight. And h

eet. A silver Porsche shot out of the garage, tear