Emily didn’t go home that night.
She sat in the innovation wing long after the others left, the glow of satellite maps washing over her like quiet judgment. Every projection, every node, every uplink—somehow, they all traced back to one man. Jack Parker.
And now, she knew he hadn’t just saved Harmonfield.
He had saved her.
Her father’s legacy. Her mother’s home. The jobs. The factories. The pride they had once traded away for power… Jack had been rebuilding it all while she fought him tooth and nail.
And yet—he never threw it in her face.
He just kept helping.
She didn’t cry. Not yet. She was too proud. But her chest felt heavy in a way she couldn’t shake.
At 9:44 PM, she sent a single message.
> Emily: Can we talk?
Jack didn’t reply immediately.
Five minutes passed.
Then te
