sen

th the kind of energy that only comes when the

to my blazer. Three years ago, the thought of speaking to five thous

ow, tablet in hand and headset crackling with chatt

you,

presence of someone they admire. It still catches me of

y never saw

, I can see the massive screen

r, Vale Tech Solutions "The

y-two. Founded Vale Tech at twenty-seven. Revolutionary patents in cyb

years married to a man who though

econds, D

This isn't about Leon. This isn't

rk. The mission. The

i

a little about

hear the familiar hush that falls over a

booms across the speakers, "please welcome t

rtain

against the polished floor in a rhythm that matches my heartbeat. Fi

t crowd, I know

tting the silence stretch just l

g woman walked into a coffee shop and overheard two men discussing how to steal corpor

ted murmurs passes

illions on firewalls and encryption but leave their most valuable assets v

creen behind me displays a se

ot just fighting hackers anymore. We're fighting t

has gone comp

onight, I'm here to show

ke a symphony I've conducte

Then I show them what we've built at Vale Tech: predictive algorithms that identify threats before they manifest,

slide showing medieval fortifications. "What we've created is more like having

but it's the kind that comes with ge

ninety-seven percent reduction in successful intrusion att

ple sit up straighter. These are r

out trust. When your grandmother enters her credit card information online, when your daughter sends a photo to her fr

etting tha

ecause that trust sho

s to something that feels like thunder

hant. This is everyt

nk about is the look o

that was

ugh the crowd gathered around me backsta

hind Vale Tech? What made you pivot from

n I've perfected over three year

ght weren't going to be solved in a classroom. They

le Tech'? Any sig

was also the name I took when I needed to

thought it was appropriate for a company dedicat

lls, there are rumors that Hart Industries was inte

r, but something cold

but we're not in the market for acquisiti

ng what I really think: Leon

her voice cuts t

exactly as I remember from our dinner last month, distinguished silver at his temples, kind eye

d on too long or stand too close. Another thing that's diff

und at the crowd still clamoring for my attention. "Any chance I could

flinch three years ago, loaded as it wa

t just sounds

at," I say,

's café, two cups of coffee growing cold between us as Marcus outlines

urity implications are staggering. Medical data is already a target, but quantum-enhanced

d build the security directly into the quantum framew

I was thinking. The question is w

een working on something similar for defense applications. Th

ration? Your security experti

for hidden agendas or ulte

iscussing how their work might complement each other, with

ntoxic

ted in explorin

, can I call you Aria? I hope you don't mind me saying this, but it's

knew what eg

nstead. "That means

st the table. A text

to tal

for a moment, then dele

expression. "Eve

y past who hasn't le

. "The price of success, I'm afraid. Suddenly

wants to be import

its me like

be important in our story. I dimmed my light so his could shi

ver do th

ike stepping off a cliff, "would you like to ha

is answe

overlooking Times Square, watching the

missed calls from Leon

't rea

words: suddenly everyone wants

rtant in my story. He chose to

is almos

pose. Not to hurt Leon, but to heal the part of

the recognition, the dawning understanding of what he'd

a woman with no optio

five thousand of the world's most brill

ith a man who sees my mind as someth

n keep

ne ans