"Remember this day whenever you think about playing games with my security codes, my dear. I am the shadow ruler of this city, and my dominion over your life is absolute."
Zeldin slowly withdrew his heavy, metallic hand from her chin, leaving a faint, burning warmth on her skin. Rea kept her shoulders locked in a state of rigid perfection, refusing to let her gaze stray even a millimeter from his dark silk tie. The oppressive aura of the grand conference room seemed to cling to her skin like the heavy orange smog pressing against the smart-glass windows outside. She watched the crimson crown logo of Zeldin Corp flicker silently on the master display, a constant visual reminder of the absolute monopoly he had just locked over the entire population of Neo-Soma.
"We are returning to the p
