's
ght. It was the kind of silence that happens after you realize y
Julian had been a ghost in a bespoke suit. He was back to "Robot-Mode." No eye contact. No ban
ce" column, only to find myself staring at a blank cursor. I couldn't write the kill-shot because eve
said, his voice cutting through
snapped, clutchi
." He finally looked at me, his eyes cold and distant, yet there was a flicker of that kitchen-warmth
u're ever going to acknowledge the fact that we ac
our was a statistical anomaly.
he city lights blurring into streaks of neon.
e
t was human reputation. I stood in the center of the ballroom, encased in a silk dress t
rchestral music. I felt consumed by his univer
her. The
arly, the algorithm did
ore them," he murmured. "They aren't looking at your shoes, Ivy. They're looking at the
. Sterling Vance stepped forward. He did
l me-is the algorithm actually matching you, or did you just build a mirror because you're too terrified to face a real person? You built SoulScript be
ck because Sterling had hit the one thing the da
think. I
my voice cutting through the silence. "He built a bridge while you were busy digging holes. And if yo
to a lethal hiss. "He didn't
hance to respond. "The music is starting," Julian said, his voice re
n moved with a fluid, haunting grace. He followed me. Every time I shift
d at this,"
ocked onto mine. "I'm just not let
heat of his hand and the way his gaze was
ard. I leaned against the stone railin
asked. "You defended me. Tha
is more important tha
for. I had just prioritized him over my story. I had
Ivy," he breathed. He leaned in, his lips inches from mine, and for the f
. V
We jumped apart as Marcus, the le
"Someone just leaked the contract. The 'Twenty-One Day' agreement. It'
phone, then at me. The vulnerability in hi
't-" I
said, his voice dead. "
prime suspect in his destruction. That line-the person is more important than the head
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