"Are you planning to spend the entire evening staring at the sky, or can I offer you a drink to celebrate your freedom, Madam?"
The unfamiliar voice was smooth, carrying a mechanical undertone that instantly froze the blood in Rea's veins. She spun around on the marble edge of the rooftop pool, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs as she looked toward the shadow of the tall columns. A young house servant dressed in the flawless silver uniform of the penthouse staff stepped into the soft cyan glow of the pool lights, holding a crystal tray with two glasses of synthetic nectar.
Rea exhaled slowly, forcing her posture to relax, though her fingers remained tightly coiled around the micro-transceiver concealed inside the seam of her silk robe. "You startled me. I did not realize Zeld
