the shower fi
the cold water from his face. He stared at his reflection in
. He convinced himself the nosebleed was just dry air. He was Bowen
and marched back into the livin
avy silver lighter she found on the coffee table, flipping the lid open and sn front of her. He stood tall, trying
s voice into a deep, vibrating regis
you've won an
e forced gravel in his voice was
377 flashed a bright gold noti
ovocation. Say the exact phrase: "Is that it?" with a m
her entire livelihood, a genetic skin upgrade was worth mo
er lighter shut. She
e dragged her gaze down his neck, ov
s right at the knot of his bathro
at broke out on the back of his neck. His knees jerked,
. The sound bounced off the high ce
e curled her upper lip into a perfe
it?" sh
Bowen like a physica
unadulterated shock. It was as if she had j
shattered into a million pieces.
his mouth, but his brain couldn't form a single word of
g in Aria's head. [Task Com
a's body. She felt her pores tighten. The du
had felt slightly dry and tight just moments ago, was now as smo
by her own hand. She ignored the to
ried to glue his pride back together. "I... I was
ue, dismissive nod, waving her perfect hand
negotiation tactics, the ones that made old Wall Street
t in frustration. He spun on his heel and walked s
m door cli
o the floor-to-ceiling mirror near t
ight then that this system wasn't a curse. It was a to
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