"And I think it is time you realize that every single smile you give me is already paid for by my ledger."
Zeldin pulled away slowly, leaving Rea trembling on the vast expanse of the satin bed sheets. He did not say another word to comfort her, nor did he look back as he buttoned his shirt with smooth, methodical movements. The psychological weight of his presence lingered in the room long after his heavy footsteps faded down the marble hallway. He had a city to strangle, and the final administrative hammer was about to fall.
Within thirty minutes, Zeldin was sitting inside his armored sky-car, slicing through the toxic, neon-drenched smog toward the northern perimeter of the city. His destination was the Neo-Soma Cargo Spaceport, a massive, brutalist labyrinth of steel launchpads and
