Emily didn’t move for a while.
The lab was still. The monitor cast her face in faint electric blue.
She should’ve felt tired. Empty. Spent.
But she felt something else.
Purpose.
For the first time in years, her code had healed someone.
Not her image.
Her mind.
Few weeks later.
Dragon Innovations grew like a living organism. Departments doubled. Analysts quit Wall Street to take half-pay just to be near Jack’s mind. Emily found herself swept into a flow she couldn’t slow down.
But something changed again.
Jack stopped showing up.
Not entirely—just… less. No more random visits to the dev floor. No late-night riddles or quiet praise. Emily asked Anika once if something was wrong.
Anika just smirked. “He’s building again. This time, something louder.”
Emily didn’t understand unti
