**“Are you ready?"**
Ivy adjusted the collar of her blazer in the reflection of the studio's dressing mirror. The words *LIVE—60 Minutes International* flashed above the stage.
Adrian stood beside her, hands folded to hide the tremor that still came when too many eyes watched.
“Not really," he said.
“Good," she replied. “Truth shouldn't come easy."
---
The segment opened with archival footage: headlines of the Fu Corporation fire, grainy images of Ivy in a torn white dress, and whispers of experimental implants. Then came the host's voice.
“Tonight, for the first time, Ivy Ji and Adrian Fu speak publicly about the Neural Sync Program, its failures, and the future it almost destroyed."
They sat across from the anchor, backlit by an image of a pulsing brain-chip schematic.
Ivy spoke
