onight. No way. She would text him. Tell him to keep the prototype, to throw it away. She didn't ca

her work, but his image was burned into her mind. The way he looked at her, the feel of his hand on her wrist. Sh

se silence. It was her mother, Bre

ezing sob. The rent was late again. And she'd lost some money playing onlin

Her own rent was due in a week. Brenda was a black hole, sucking ev

can do," Chloe sa

A cold knot of despair tightened in her chest. She couldn't abandon her mother,

's prototype loomed over her like a guillotine.

ail notification popped up on her pho

the future of your collaboration. He understands the recent pressures you've been un

us" meant. She knew what kind of "business dinner"

e: Dinner

prepared to waive the late penalty and offer a $10,000 bonus

eyes. It was a lifeline. It would solve everythin

she found one of Leo, taken before the accident. He was smiling, his eyes

nly person who ever made her feel safe. Now he was lying in a sterile room, trapped in a body that wouldn't move, and she was the only one who could keep him alive. It was just

embled as she

be

movies. The air smelled of old money and expensive cigars. Chloe wore her onl

d roaming eyes, greeted her with a little too muc

se gaze was even more explicit, sliding over her body like

. She spoke about material innovations, user experience, and market positioning. They weren't lis

his hand landing on the small of her back, his fi

very important client," Berman urged, his voice taking on

She forced a tight smi

thigh. "Why don't you sit here,

ed. The ten thousand dollars felt like a bribe for her soul. She thought of her broth

, her body moving as if throu

en door to the private dining room w