The Rodriguez authentication system murmured with completion as Alex stared at his father, the revelation about his neural implant still reverberating through him like an aftershock. Security protocols bathed the banking hall in pulsing blue light, casting long shadows across faces he thought he knew.
"What exactly did you put inside me?" Alex demanded, his voice dangerously calm. Beside him, Sonia's presence was the only thing preventing him from lunging at his father. "How long have I been carrying something I never consented to?"
Carlos's refined features betrayed nothing, a lifetime of corporate warfare having perfected his mask. "A safeguard. One that's kept you alive without your knowledge."
"That's not an answer," Sonia interrupted, her fingers tightening protectively around A
