'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