Later that night, Luca reviewed the footage alone.
Not because he needed confirmation.
Because something about the interaction continued returning to him in incomplete fragments.
The study remained dim except for the low blue glow of the estate interface projected across the wall in front of him. Security feeds cycled silently. Corridor angles. Behavioral overlays. Movement predictions. Emotional variance estimates.
Normally, patterns settled quickly.
Tonight, they didn’t.
Luca stood near the center console with one hand resting against the edge of the desk, eyes fixed on the paused frame in front of him.
Elize.
Still.
Calm.
Looking directly at him during the earlier exchange in the corridor.
No visible anxiety spike.
No defensive micro-expression.
No submission response.
The
